HOMO NEST RAIDED, QUEEN BEES ARE STINGING MAD
— JERRY LISKER: New York Daily News, July 6, 1969.
Report on the raid by the Tactical Patrol Force on the Stonewall Inn,
a private gay club, at 57 Christopher Street.
Listen. Whatever we do from here on out
Let’s for God’s sake not look at each other
Keep our eyes shut and the lights turned off—
We won’t mind touching if we don’t have to see— PHILIP WHALEN
1: Move On (1981–1983)
[Chief Justice of the Family Court]
CALLS FOR REPEAL OF HOMOSEXUAL LAWS
[New South Wales government] COY
OVER RIGHTS FOR HOMOSEXUALS
HOMOSEXUALS GAIN RIGHT TO VISIT
U. S. [Stupid As a Painter by]
JUAN DAVILA GETS AN
R-RATING [at the Sydney Biennale, for
“explicit
homosexual material”] [Armed] SERVICES DRAFT
NEW RULES ON HOMOSEXUALS BAN
ON HOMOSEXUALS’
[Ex-Servicemen’s Association] WREATH BID
[at
War
Memorial
service]
2: Look Back in Anger (1984–1988)
EQUALITY FOR GAY DE FACTOS
A[ustralian] B[roadcasting] C[ommission] POLICY A TEST FOR
GAY RIGHTS SAYS LEGAL EXPERT P[ublic] S[ervice] BOARD
WON’T ACCEPT GAY PARTNERS — “I’M OWED SOMETHING”
SAYS BLOOD AIDS MAN [Anglican] DEAN [of Sydney] ATTACKS
FEAR POLICE GIVE AIDS THE SPRAY FUNDING FOR
HOSPITALS SLASHED AIDS-INFECTED INSECTS MAY BE
TRANSMITTING DISEASE GRIM REAPER AIDS AD ENDS
EARLY REAGAN BACKS AIDS FIGHT AIDS WAR STARTS: 2
MILLION AT RISK BLOOD BANK EXPECTS NO LEGAL
ACTION OVER AIDS SHOULD WE ALL BE AFRAID OF AIDS?
AIDS CONFINED TO HIGH-RISK GROUPS BLOOD TESTS SHOW
AIDS PLAN PROPOSES TESTS FOR LONG-TERM PRISONERS
3: Boys Keep Swinging (1989–2000)
[Australian] GOVERNMENT TOLD
IT BREACHED GAY RIGHTS TAS[manian] GAYS
EXPECT TO BE CHARGED FEW BLINK AS HIGH COURT JUDGE
KIRBY GOES PUBLIC ON [his] HOMOSEXUALITY GAY [cabaret
drag] ACTS UNDER FIRE FOR
RACISM
ROMANS PUT
ON A GAY FACE LIMITS
TO EQUALITY [for gays]
MORE LAW CHANGES FOR GAY COUPLES
R[eturned &] S[ervices] L[eague] DECLARES WAR ON
HOMOSEXUALITY
POPE FEELS
BITTERNESS
OVER GAY FESTIVAL
4: Silver Jubilee On: And the Beat Goes On (2001–2011)
GAY TRIAL AN
ISSUE OF STATE SECURITY IN EGYPT
EGYPT JAILS 23 OVER [being in a] GAY DISCO
[Tom]
CRUISE WINS: HE’S NOT GAY
U. S. GENERALS ADMIRAL COME OUT
OF THE CLOSET MACHETE MAN CLAIMS
BIBLE PROMPTED
ATTACKS ON GAYS SPAIN:
SAME-
SEX MARRIAGES GET GO-AHEAD
ELTON JOHN TO WED DAVID
FURNISH RIGHTS ACTIVISTS RECALL A TIME WHEN
GAY
SEX WAS
A
CRIME
GAY HATE CAMPAIGN ROCKS DEFENCE FORCE:
HOMOSEXUAL SOLDIERS OUTED ONLINE AND VILIFIED FOR
This cento has been composed entirely of headlines quoted verbatim from the poet’s “serious” hometown broadsheet, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), over the past thirty years. Any elucidations or interpolations are indicated in square brackets and are printed in lower case.
