City Life

This is a picture of the kids with gay friends of mine, William and his Japanese friend Hugi, I have no idea how to spell that. The kids have grown up with gay people all their life; and must sometimes wonder about dad. I sometimes wonder myself! Both kids have known William all their life; and I got to know him first through his friend Steven.

I got to know Steven in the 70s, when he was living with another man and at university this was a subject of great curiosity and approval. David Bowie had made bisexuality entirely acceptable, if not desirable, and everyone wanted to push every boundary they could think of.

In some ways, in its great indifference to the affairs of others, Australia has always been a tolerant country. As in, I don't care what you do as long as you're not doing it to me. In some ways it was a red neck nightmare; but these days it seems entirely out of vogue to bash up on poofters, even in your blokiest of pubs. What was once the foundation of identity, a way of attacking or undermining the mainstream, a way of being with fundamentally revolutionary power, has become just another variation of human behaviour; and little more.

Despite their occasionally bohemian upbringing the kids are showing no signs of being gay; they seem to find it rather odd. I suppose, in the literal minds of adolescents, their first thoughts go to what happens to the pink bits. Anyway, they've always been fond of William, and his breakup with Steven the subject of sad gossip and speculation. Why would anyone split up when they seemed so happy together?

Well William seems even happier now; and nobody is to judge. I'm sitting in the public library at Gunnedah. Did the radio show intro this morning; and the interview I had organised with Celia Ashlie, author of a new book He'll Be OK: Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men, went extremely well by all reports. From the minute I heard her utter the line I didn't become a feminist to see men dishonoured and devalued, as they have been, I thought she would be great talent for the show. It's sad but true but a woman saying some of the same things that we say has so much more impact; men have been so devalued in the debate.

It's been good out here in the bush to have some time to myself; but the nights are quiet, too quiet, and I find myself hanging around Gunnedah doing odd jobs, catching up on the net. Reading Snow Falling on Cedars, which is just excellent, and in the silence and frustrated love that embitters and destroys the central character, who runs the newspaper on a tiny island, I read the same fears of my own growing silence. All the humanity that we embraced in some blurred, fateful, joyful ambush, our destiny in the fractured party that would never end, all ended badly. I've run out of firewood and the stars are very bright. I've been looking at a dog in the pet shop. The sun sets are beautiful and the locals often feral. Heading back to Sydney on Saturday, picking up Sam in Newcastle on the way. I don't want to go and I don't want to stay.

THE BIGGER STORY:

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 17 (Reuters) - Police and university authorities faced pressure on Tuesday to explain how a gunman apparently evaded detection after killing two people and then went on to kill 30 others two hours later in America's worst shooting rampage.
The man, whom police have not identified, killed himself in a classroom at Virginia Tech university after opening fire on students and staff during class in an apparently premeditated massacre on Monday morning.
Police said he appeared to have used chains to lock the doors and prevent terrified victims from escaping the building. Fifteen people were wounded, including those shot and students hurt jumping from windows in a desperate attempt to flee the gunfire.