In the 1970's, gay political liberation and gay sexual liberation seemed to be marching hand in hand, or at least hand in crotch. From being a completely clandestine shadowy netherworld, gay life suddenly blossomed forth into the light of day. What had only a decade earlier been viewed as shameful was joyously celebrated. Unfortunately, sexual obsession, bad drugs, STDs, and ultimately HIV also came to the party.
I've long had a mælstrom of mixed feelings about having missed out on the 1970's scene. On the one hand, I missed out on not only a smorgasbord of sex, but, as this documentary points out, the birth of an open sense of brotherhood and community. My friends who did partake of the excesses are mostly dead, while those of us who lagged behind in our closets survived. I have nothing against sex for its own sake, provided that all involved are freely consenting adults taking appropriate care and precautions, but I also seek a longer-lasting emotional connection.
The documentary Gay Sex in the 70s, directed by Joseph Lovett (producer of the first in-depth AIDS coverage on national television for ABC's 20/20 program), delves into the complexities of its subject matter, with many still photos and a few film clips from the period backed up by extensive interviews with the people who were there, including well-known names like Tom Bianchi and Larry Kramer. Lovett even presents the idea that the liberation of the 1970's made possible the vigorous community response to AIDS beginning in the 1980's.
GAY SEX IN THE 70s, dir. Joseph Lovett, 2005 USA, 68 min. video, distribution: Lovett Productions
or read Frameline's blurb
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