encounters

the raindow is fading

March 4, 2026

“HEY REEMA! YOU LOOK FUCKING AMAZING. YOUR HAIR IS AMAZING. AND I AM A FUCKING DRAG QUEEN! GOOGLE ME. MY NAME IS BILLY EYELASH, AND YOU LOOK GORG!”

As we walked down Old Compton Street, I was accosted by Billy Eyelash, an old-time drag queen who frequents 64, a family-run Italian restaurant on the street.

I thanked the queen for the lavish compliment and, curiously, asked what a tourist would typically ask: “So, what do you think of Soho?”

“You know, it’s dying,” he said dramatically.

“How so?” I asked, my interest piqued.

“Back when I was 18, Soho was the place to go! If you came here, everywhere you looked you’d see drag queens performing on the streets.” He spoke with a note of nostalgia.

“And now?” I prompted.

“Nothing. The rainbow is fading.”

The words felt strangely quiet coming from someone who, moments earlier, had been a loud and proud drag queen shouting compliments across Old Compton Street.

He went back to eating his chips.