By Lexie Nobrega Norfolk’s very first queer softball league, the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Softball Association (MAASA), hosted their first national gay softball tournament at Northside Park from October 11-12, 1986. MAASA was formed in 1985 by Commissioner Tony Pritchard and Vice Commissioner Michael Holcombe. According to Holcombe, MAASA was founded because […]
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By Akeem Pitts and Cathleen Rhodes Norfolk Naval Base, the largest naval base in the world, has brought many military personnel to the area and plenty of controversy. Being an LGBTQ person in the military in the 1990s was not easy. LGBTQ service members were unable to serve openly and […]
By Thy Barsell Now a parking garage for EVMS, Shirley’s Place was a women’s bar that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Opened in 1978, it was typically open from 9 in the morning until 2 in the morning throughout the week. People of all genders were welcome to dine and […]
By Chris Boler Twenty to Thirty years ago, video rental stores were common nationwide; chain stores like Hollywood Video or Blockbusters were pillars in the movie rental market everywhere from Hollywood to Hampton. While these stores focused on quantity, local businesses focused on quality. In the Hampton Roads area, one […]
by Tameira Ballinger Hello my name is Tameira. I am presenting the Naro Theatre located at 1507 Colley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517. The original Naro Theater, The Colley, opened on February 24, 1936 founded by Wiliam S. Wilder. The Colley was renamed The Naro when Robert Levine took ownership in […]
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 […]
By Ayanna Christian 808 Spotswood Ave Norfolk, VA “There are many things in life to be thankful for…We happened to think being gay is one of them.” Here lies the location of Max Images, a gay owned bookstore that soon turned into No Frill Grill and Bar, which is known […]
Listed under bars & discos in the advertisements of Our Own, The Ghent Society was a gay bar and club located at 4402 Colley Avenue. First appearing in this gay newspaper in September of 1978, this exclusive club was advertised to LGBT folks with the slogan “make a statement about […]
By Carlin Troia Sacred Heart Church was one of the many locations where Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meetings took place. Rotating periodically, other meeting locations included the Triangle Services Center in Norfolk and the Unitarian Church of Norfolk. Codependency is excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner, typically a partner who […]
BY COURTNEY Town Point Park holds the biggest PrideFest gathering in the state. The event, starting out as a small community picnic in 1988, has grown to a 30,000-attendee festival for the entire state to enjoy. I raises awareness about LGBTQ issues and performs service for the community in the […]