New Documentary About Safe Sex Movement
Keep your eyes out this summer for the new documentary, Sex Positive, a film that explores the history of the safe sex movement. Most folks don’t realize that the safe sex movement did not come from the medical community or government programs, but was driven by community activists, sex workers and porn stars in response to the AIDS epidemic. Activists Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen along with Dr. Joseph Sonnabend were some of the earliest voices of the time advocating for safer sex practices and behaviors and they received backlash from their own communities for doing so.
Richard Berkowitz appeared at Columbia University yesterday for a screening of the film. His message from 25 years ago is just as relevant today. Honest and open dialogue about sexual behaviors and risks is one way a community can take action against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, STI’s and unintended pregnancy. He pointed out that the evidence is there. If you look at the education campaigns of other developed countries, along with their STI and teen pregnancy rates, it is clear that the U.S. is doing something wrong.
By Monika Grzeniewski