“Sex Positive”: Making Safer Sex Sexier

While we were at SXSW in Austin earlier this week we had the good fortune to attend a screening of "Sex Positive," a documentary by Daryl Wein that charts the beginnings of safer sex education in America. Focusing on the life of Richard Berkowitz, a gay hustler turned safer sex activist, "Sex Positive" discusses the rise of AIDS in the early 80's -- and the dramatic effect it had on the lives of gay men across New York City (and eventually, the rest of the world).

During the post-screening Q&A session, Berkowitz addressed the question of the today's rising HIV rates, arguing that safer sex education has ceased to be sexy. Where we once had porn stars promoting condoms and pamphlets outlining the many ways that sex can be both safer and sexy, now we have dry lectures on the necessity of condoms (when we have lectures about condoms at all).

Here at Fleshbot, we're all for bringing back more porn star-fueled safer sex ed. Come on, you know you'd be more likely to roll on a rubber when your favorite fantasy object was up there telling you how hot they got him (or her, for that matter). Just ask Chi Chi LaRue.

· Sex Positive at SXSW (2008.sxsw.com)
· SxSW '08 Interview - "Sex Positive" director Daryl Wein (efilmcritic.com)
· Sex Positive (imdb.com)
· Stayin' Alive: The Invention of Safe Sex (amazon.com)