Tasty Nightclub Raid 30 Years On & the Chester Weinberg Exhibition

Well, Well, Well

As this episode went to air on JOY 94.9, we’d just passed 3 decades since the Tasty nightclub raid on August 7th 1994, which saw LGBTIQ+ patrons detained by Victoria Police for up to 7 hours, and strip and cavity searched. Following this event, we saw successful legal action from patrons against Victoria Police resulting in about 6 million dollars in payouts, a formal apology in 2014, and the creation of the LGBTIQA+ Liason Officer program which aims to create mutual trust between our diverse communities and police. We speak with Stephen and Gerry who were at Tasty that night about their experience and the lasting impacts the event has had. We also hear from Skye Bartlett from SAMESH in Adelaide about a world first exhibition – Style and Spirit: The Fashion of Chester Weinberg. Chester Weinberg was the first fashion designer to die of AIDS-related illness in 1985 and HIV stigma saw Chester written out of history books. Skye is curating the exhibition, and tells us about Weinberg’s life, death, legacy, and relevance in the fight against HIV stigma today. Here on Well Well Well, we delve into the issues impacting and surrounding the health and wellbeing of our gender, sex, and sexuality diverse communities, and people living with HIV. Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing. If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at [e-mail] Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.