Gay sex parties attended by up to 35 men in Norfolk village targeted by local protestors
The men-only events, which take place in the privacy of someone's home, have been held fortnightly for the last three years
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: wiki (posed by models)
A private, fortnightly gay sex event – that takes place in the privacy of someone’s home – has been targeted by local protestors in the village of Sea Palling, Norfolk.
The gatherings, reportedly hosted at the former Old Hall Inn in Sea Palling, are organised by social group Norfolk Lab.
According to the The Mail on Sunday, the men-only parties have been held twice a month for almost three years, and are sometimes attended by up to 35 people.
The Norfolk Lab website lists the parties as held at ‘The Convent’, a private residential property. (“The owner Mary hosts private party events offering a safe place for the LGBTQ community,” it states.)
The property includes a dark room, a porn lounge and dungeon, and even offers a donation-based overnight B&B arrangement.
“A safe place for the LGBTQ community”
However, the parties have attracted the ire of locals, who have set up a Facebook group called Sea Palling Action Group (SPAG) to publicise complaints.
A local resident was quoted as saying: “The real issue is a sex establishment being run in a small family-oriented village. I don’t think many people especially with young families want such an establishment on their doorstep.”
Police were called the weekend before last after locals staged a protest outside the 18th century former pub during a party.
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Now, Great Yarmouth and Waveney Pride have gotten involved to defend Mary, who is a trans woman, with vice-chair Andrew Livingstone saying: “Mary was misgendered on Facebook by members of the SPAG who referred to her as ‘he’, called her ‘a fake woman’ and made comments such as: ‘That man needs to understand.'”
“I spent five hours online trying to tell them how transphobic and offensive their language was, but they believe they have done nothing wrong.”
On Saturday, at least 11 Pride supporters protested to show solidarity with Mary.
A Norfolk Lab rep described the group as a non-profit club, although party guests pay £15 to cover event running costs.
The spokesperson also told the publication: “Things had all been pretty quiet until some people started taking pictures of cars [arriving at the parties]. Someone was deliberately walking a dog across the road to slow people down. Pictures of one guest who has an 82-year-old partner with Alzheimer’s were then posted online.”
According to the Mail, property owner Mary commented: “My home is a nice safe place for the LGBT community. The parties are very discreet. I don’t need a licence because they are private parties which are not open to the public.”
A Norfolk Police spokesman said they were working to resolve the matter, adding: “Police proactively attended an address in Sea Palling on Saturday evening, September 4, to prevent a potential breach of the peace. There has been increased community tension in recent weeks relating to events being held at the address.”
In a statement about the solidarity protest issued to Attitude today, a rep said: “The event was peaceful with around a dozen people turning up to the protest. No issues were raised with the police and no offences were committed. Norfolk Police will continue to work with all parties to resolve community issues. We are already in regular meetings with North Norfolk District Council and have a problem-solving plan in place.”
Attitude has approached Norfolk Lab for comment.
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