Cairns loses sole gay venue
Cairns鈥� only LGBT venue has suddenly and permanently ceased business after ongoing licensing issues, leaving many community groups in the area without a meeting place.
Out Front Bar closed temporarily last August, but reopened in November after resolving the licensing issues that led to its temporary closure.
A spokeswoman for the accompanying backpacker hostel that makes up the venue told the Star Observer new management was starting next week and the bar was likely to be closed for three months before reopening. She said there was no word on whether it would still be targeted at the LGBT community.
Out Front Bar鈥檚 website was abruptly taken down shortly after news of its closure.
It鈥檚 been a short life for the bar which transformed into a new venue catering for the LGBT community just over a year ago. There had been questions about whether Cairns could sustain such an establishment with its population after failed attempts to open a similarly targeted venue, Sapphire Bar, which closed in 2009.
There was also plenty of controversy during its brief life. A local transgender woman allegedly deliberately crashed her car into the venue, destroying a veranda pole and injuring a woman on the footpath.
Cairns gay and lesbian business networking group, Fruitloops, which held its monthly meetings at the bar, cancelled this month鈥檚 event and is looking for a new home.
Organiser Molly Quick said she鈥檇 been told the bar had been in receivership for some time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very sad to lose the venue, but we鈥檒l find somewhere new to have the meetings,鈥� she said.
INFO: For more information on Fruitloops, visit
