By Azjah Clark
The Rainbow Cactus is one of the liveliest gay/lesbian night clubs in the Hampton Roads area. It has been open since 1998 and has been servicing a crowd of unique and fun loving individuals ever since. It is a night club that host drag shows, does karaoke and other fun things. What makes this night club so much more different than other LGBTQ+ night clubs in Hampton Roads is the amazing Drag King Shows they provide on a bi-monthly basis. A drag king is defined as generally female performance artists who wear masculine drag and exemplify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. These women can be heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, or otherwise part of the LGBT community. I heard about this place from a friend here in Norfolk who is a drag king. She told me that she had performed there a few time and it was the ideal hangout spot for the local LGBTQ+ youth. I attended one of her drag king shows last year and was amazed by how many talented Drag Kings were in Virginia. These women are vibrant and full of life when they perform and truly emulate the male persona. I researched it a bit and realized though it has not been open long; it has been a place of refuge and relaxation for local LGBTQ+ people. It is resemblant of a bit of The Wave on Colley just a little more vibrant. The Rainbow Cactus is located at 3472 Holland Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.
