Sex in an Epidemic

Sex in an Epidemic. Dir. Jean Carlomusto. New York, Outcast Films, 2010. DVD. $29.99. 70 min.

This engaging documentary examines, through interviews and media footage, the impact of AIDS on the gay, Latino, and African-American communities and the efforts of sex educators and activists to promote the concept of “safe sex,” which was invented as a response to the AIDS crisis.

Carlomusto presents the unfolding story from the early days of the epidemic in New York City at the height of the “sexual revolution” to the Bush administration’s increased funding for abstinence-based sex education. This video provides a frank view of the struggle of activists, educators, and medical people, including Joe Sonnebend, Michael Callen, Richard Berkowitz, Michael Shernoff, Rodger McFarlane, Larry Kramer, and Waheedah Shabezz El, to identify strategies to deal with the disease and the difficulty of addressing sexual practices in the gay community. It shows the growth and impact of Act Up and Gay Men’s Health Crisis as the community fought against the silence and inaction of the Reagan and Bush administrations.

Thanks to Jean Carlomusto’s video footage from two decades as an AIDS activist, this documentary is incredibly rich with first-hand accounts and historic protests. There isn’t a clearer, more honest video of this important ― and still challenging ― story. It should be included in every library‘s video collection. More than 1 million people in the US are currently living with AIDS.

Reviewed by, Morgan Gwenwald
SUNY New Paltz

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