Liverpool has come a long way since the 1970s.
For Shaun McKenna, his childhood is characterised by painful memories of being subjected to homophobic taunts.
Shaun, from Anfield, shared his story with the ECHO in 2019 and detailed some of the hurtful words used against him in this time.
His story was a painful reminder of how far society has come since then.
Working as one of Liverpool's most legendary drag queens, Shaun spoke of how he overcame bullies and insults to be one of our city's most celebrated figures.
Shaun said he champions "being open and being yourself" and spoke to us at a time where he could be performing for adoring crowds.
To mark LGBT History Month, we're revisiting Shaun's story below.
*Note: Shaun's story was shared when live performances were still permitted and bars and clubs were open
As a little boy, Shaun McKenna said cruel bullies would throw stones at him while he heard taunts of "queer".
Born in Anfield to a football mad family, the 54-year-old said male role models around him were traditionally masculine and he did not encounter many effeminate men.
Liverpool then was a "different place" to what it is now, he said, but now Shaun can boast the title of one of the city's best loved drag performers.
Under the alias Lady Seanne, he said he has been entertaining generations of people for years and has paved the way for younger people to embrace their true selves.
He told the ECHO said: "I've survived, I've been through it for so long and my goal is just to make friends and make people feel fabulous.
"It's just about being open and being yourself, and that's what Liverpool is all about, now."
Shaun said he kept his sexuality a secret as a young man growing up, and has painful memories of a boy throwing rocks at him when he was 14.
He said: "When I was 14 there was this boy who was ten and he was throwing stones at me and calling me 'queer' and 'gay boy'.
"It really hurt."
Not able to take it any more, Shaun confronted the boy's mother about it and she said her brother "was like" him and her son shouldn't hurt him.
He said: "I ran over to his and I told his mum what had been going on and she said 'my brother's like you'. It was incredible to hear, and he stopped bullying me.
"Hearing that gave me an inner confidence."
Only telling friends at first, Shaun said coming out in Liverpool back then was much harder than it is now.
He said: "I was so worried about being found out I was gay, this was in 1979. I knew I was gay, but it was hard to be gay then so I tried to act straight to fit in.
"Where I grew up, it was very testosterone-y - I was in the middle of Anfield and Goodison Park."
Telling his family, which included footballer brothers, was "very difficult", he said.
Shaun said he got into acting when he was about 18 and loved it, kick-starting his love for the stage.
He first went out in the gay scene in Liverpool wearing drag in 1982 and in 1988 he debuted in an all-male version of 'Whatever happened to Baby Jane', where his alter-ego Lady Seanne was born.
Speaking about the early days, he said: "It was a very different time, then. All the gay bars were owned by gay people, but once the HIV crisis hit, it really disintergrated. It was terrible.
"People were told they couldn't share the same glass as people."
Shaun's career saw him go-go dancing in the Hacidenda, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and even in Liverpool's first transvestite band, Whole New Dream, who peaked in the UK dance charts.
He said: "We [Whole New Dream] went all over the country, people thought that we were women. It was great, I don't think they realised we were men.
"It was a wonderful time."
Speaking about Liverpool now, Shaun said the city has come so far from when he was pelted with rocks for his sexuality.
He said: "There's so many young people on the scene now who are free of that dark cloud, which is wonderful. That's what I absolutely adore."
Shaun is still performing five times a week and said highlights of his career include people coming up to him now saying they remember him from their 20s and 30s.
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And following on the huge success of RuPaul's UK Drag Race - and Liverpool's own The Vivienne's starring role - drag is going through an amazing phase.
Shaun's advice to any aspiring performers, he said, was: "If you are going to do drag, the best thing do to is learn how to mime or sing.
"If you just get in the mirror, learn the words and find your character. I'm all about believing in yourself being who you are. Drag is a great way to enjoy that, and have great entertainment."
Shaun can be seen performing at The Lisbon on Wednesday and Sunday, and Superstar Boudoir on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
