Warhol-Factory-reject-party-Norwich!!!!!!!

Mother! photo by Katie Utting!! from Mad dog magazine more party photos at Mad dog magazine, check it out.
Me as Mother!!! Photo by Rod Penn

Mothers Shoes!! photo by Katie Utting.

Party Poster!!



It is just about exactly 40 years since Stonewall happened in America. The stone that rocked the world and took 40 years to get to little Norwich in the UK.

Stonewall was the first gay pride parade in the states, the reason gay men took to the streets to parade in public was because they were constantly persecuted for being different. In those days having a little bit of hair gel in your hair to form a curl at the top was different, playing records that the general mass were not listening to was different, wearing a pink tie was different. For all these little things you could have been dragged out of a bar, beaten and thrown in jail for three months. 

The people that dressed or behaved differently didn't hang out in very public places they hung out in under ground bars but the cops still managed to find them.

So when people are suppressed enough they get together and rise up against the system.

All they did was come out and wanted to be counted, wanted to be apart of society. 

So they came out and paraded through the streets and the cops came out and beat them up again.

The lesbians never hung out with gay men before this they were even more secretive about there difference. They had no interest in men what so ever, but when they saw these men dressed as women being beaten to a pulp and thought hang on there gay and were gay wee going to help them too and help them for the cause justice to humanity of all kinds of difference and diversity.

So in 1969 I was conceived in Ireland where my family lived, but due to my family being different, my Mother and brother and sister got on a boat and train and went all the way to north Norfolk, so my Mum could give birth to me in a little cottage hospital in West Runton. Then she took me back to Ireland after my christening at Blickling hall. Which all of my well chosen God Parents turned up. 

Back in Dublin my father was designing one of the first underground night clubs for the gay community and for David Norris who is now Senator of Ireland and still fighting for the rights of gay people. In Ireland gay people married women and had children and lived a lie to cover there secret. What does this do to the wife's and children? It makes them very angry and dysfunctional. 

 In the UK gay people and marry same sex partners and live a normal life, without discrimination and hatred.

10 years ago I took a flight to Sydney and stayed there and took part in the biggest gay parade on earth and supported the gay community. The parade in Sydney is no longer just about coming out and being gay, its about supporting groups that need support and standing up for all the gay people on a world wide basis. The Mardi gras also brings in tourism and employs thousands of people.

So back to Norfolk my birth place, is about to have its first gay pride parade, if your like colour, diversity, fun, dressing up or your gay come out and celebrate. 

The festival parade needs help to build floats and costumes and is about skill sharing and communicating and supporting causes.

To start the fundraising for the Parade I was invited by my face book friend Nick O'Brian to a party at Take 5 called the Warhol reject party and it was the best night I have ever had in Norwich. I did not feel like a minority person dressed up because every single person made there own costume for the party. Everyone there was good fun and really friendly.

Here is some photos from the party

Nick O'Brian Norwich Pride organizer. Please head down to the Catherine Wheel pub on Wednesday nights to help make Norwich Pride floats and costumes and meet some amazing people.

Crazy costumes! Photo by Rod Penn.

Lovely girls!! Photo by Rod Penn

New friends!! Phil Coles camera.

My family my son on the left, its the first time I seen him since I left him outside a church in Norfolk many years ago. My son turns out to be just like his mother and loves clothes. You can find lots of amazing clothes in the Ship of fools vintage clothes shop on 45 St Benedicts Norwich. Uncle Emma who came out to see what all the fuss was about and had so much fun there is no turning back. Me as mother in Red dress and pregnant Aunt Bowery. Photo taken by Phil Coles

Donna Jane Whitbread. I was taken back by this wonderful attire made with fabulous factory reject fabric.

Photo by Rod Penn

Yes Mother and Son showing off my First prize ticket for the Best dressed Trash. I am so looking forward to hobbling down on the cobblestones to the Ship of fools and cashing this prize in for a frilly frock.

PS. Thank you to everyone who took the photos. I would like to say that they are under there copyright.