As a person who came of age, if you will, in the early 1990s, the words "Safe" and "Sex" have always gone hand in hand. AIDS, that ugly, capitalized buzz-kill has been around my entire life and as a result, it is difficult to imagine the kind of ire that activists Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen received, when they introduced the concept of safe sex in the early 80s.
Most people don't know the name Richard Berkowitz. That is what director Daryl Wein attempts to remedy with his excellent documentary Sex Positive. Berkowitz's story is prime fodder for a documentary of this nature. The first half of film is a ribald tour of gay
Through interviews, narration, photos and historical TV footage, Weinpaints a vivid picture of Berkowitz, of gay
AIDS is still around. Unfortunately, a distressing number of people seem to have forgotten about this fact and, as a result, the disease is on the rise again. Sex Positive is the best kind of political documentary, one which slips this message in, as part of a fascinating, previously untold story.