Outer Focus

The Outer Focus was a lesbian-friendly gay nightclub that was located at 2900 7th Avenue South in Birmingham's Lakeview District. It was owned by George Koinoff. The club hosted drag performances, featuring the Birmingham Follies.

On August 31, 1971 the nightclub was destroyed in a fire which also damaged several neighboring businesses. Koinoff believed that one or more burglars hid in the club when it closed at 2:30 AM that Tuesday morning. They cleaned out the club's stock of liquor and set the building on fire before leaving. No one was injured.

References

• "Arsonists blamed in lounge fire." (September 1, 1971) Birmingham Post-Herald, p. 22
• "Barfly" Eastern edition (1973), via the Invisible Histories Project
• Sears, James Thomas (2001) Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press ISBN 9780813529646
• Shelly, Marty (January 2011) "Those were the days my friend..." Noise, p. 6