Positive Influence

Slogans like “No glove, no love” and “Don’t be silly, protect your willy” may seem quaint nowadays, but in the early 1980’s, just talking about safe sex in the gay community was an incendiary act. Daryl Wein’s documentary Sex Positive (opening in New York June 12 and in select cities soon) tells the surprisingly little-known story of Richard Berkowitz, Dr. Joseph Sonnabend and Michael Callen, the “inventors” of safe sex.

An outspoken gay rights activist and hustler who specialized in S&M, Berkowitz believed that behavior modification — not abstinence — was the answer to the spread of HIV. But back when promiscuity was pretty much one with gay identity, this opinion didn’t go down easy (ahem) in the community, and he and his partners were vilified for their ideas. In May 1983, Berkowitz co-wrote and self-published a 40-page manual detailing how to engage in erotic activities without risking exposure to infection. The booklet was a framework for safe sex campaigns since.

Berkowitz is a compelling documentary subject — complicated and compassionate, funny and obstinate. The combination of spirited interviews and colorful, gritty archival footage fuse to capture what it was like to fight for your life and lifestyle at the start of the AIDS epidemic. Sex Positive presents a poignant and troubling look back at some of history’s most important lessons at a time when they have been cavalierly cast aside in favor of abstinence-only “sex education.”


Sex Positive will open in New York on June 12, Los Angeles and Denver on June 19, followed by additional dates throughout June, from Regent Releasing.