Icon Tuscaloosa
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Icon Tuscaloosa, the only queer bar in Tuscaloosa and one of the only explicitly queer spaces in Alabama, opened in April 2010. An article published in The Crimson White months after the bar’s opening described it as an environment that encourages a “diverse” patronage of non-queer and queer people. The bar’s patronage is predominantly made of students from the University of Alabama.
Images
View of Icon Tuscaloosa's entrance
Icon Tuscaloosa advertisement for Star Search, a monthly contest for first-time drag artists
Icon Tuscaloosa advertisement featuring cast of regular performers
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Icon Tuscaloosa (2010-), located on Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa, has been owned and operated by Kyle Richardson since April 2010. It is, as of April 2024, the only queer bar in Tuscaloosa and one of the few queer bars in Alabama. The bar has sustained its original vision of being a place open to all Tuscaloosa residents, with a particular focus on college-aged patrons. It advertises itself as being a “Top 40 hits” bar, and regularly hosts drag shows Fridays and Saturdays, often hosted by Genesis, a Tuscaloosa-based drag queen, and featuring a rotating cast of local drag entertainers. Icon is a frequent tour stop for drag entertainers across the country. Icon hosts performances from former national pageant winners, including Sasha Colby (Miss Continental 2012 and the winner of season 15 of Rupaul’s Drag Race) and Electra (National Entertainer of the Year 1994). More recently, Icon has hosted College Nights and fundraisers benefiting university programs and clubs, such as UA Democrats.
Sources
"Icon different from Tuscaloosa’s usual bar scene." The Crimson White (Tuscaloosa) August 24th, 2010.
Icon Tuscaloosa Ad, Facebook. November 8th, 2010. Accessed March 21st, 2024.
Icon Tuscaloosa Instagram