Queens in Furs: Summoned to Camberwell Magistrates Court
L-R: David Callow, John Lloyd, Colm Clifford, Gary de Vere
No prizes for spotting the mistake
L-R: Malcom Greatbanks, Lloyd Vanata, Ian Townson, Gary de Vere, John Lloyd and Anna Duhig
Quote from taped interview with Bill Thornycroft:
“There were these mass prosecutions for non payment of rates. We were refusing to pay rates because the council refused to give the Gay Centre a grant. In any case we said that as council services were geared towards heterosexuals we weren't getting a fair proportion of services. It also coincided with a lot of other people not paying rates for various reasons. There were so many people being prosecuted they took six at a time. So you had six people standing in the accused position and you had Gary de Vere who was going to speak for David Callow because he had a speech impediment. When David and his six stood up Gary said “I don't know where I should stand because I am speaking for Mr. Callow.” He was standing at one end and David the other of this row of people. He said to the magistrate “Am I in the right place?” and she said “Oh no, Mr. de Vere, I don't think you are. I think you should come up here. It is very important in this court that we should all know our places and be in the right place” (posh, haughty voice). This was so wonderful. An unconscious bit of truth that we should all know our places (in the class hierarchy). Of course we had packed the gallery and they all collapsed in hysterics and the court was threatened to be cleared. Camberwell magistrates court. That's where we all flounced out in our dreadful fur coats that were practically down to the ground. It's a good thing there weren't any animal liberationists about. We'd have been done.