When researching the infamous 1994 police raid of the Melbourne club Tasty, one of the first things you’ll notice is the lack of photographs. These days, if about 50 cops burst into a gay club and strip-searched and detained 463 law-abiding citizens, it would probably be live-streamed. But 30 years later only one grainy photo remains: some men with their backs to us, hands up against a wall, a police officer caught in profile at the edge of the frame. It’s an almost benign image that belies what happened that night.
Gerard O’Connor, who managed Tasty and was present for most of the raid, explains why photos were scarce: “Tasty was such a private club, we weren’t into showing off for the cameras.”
