Richard Berkowitz (born October 6, 1955) is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

American author and activist best known as an early advocate of safe sex in response to the

AIDS crisis The AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), found its way to the United States between the 1970s and 1980s, but was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in homosexual ...

among gay men in the 1980s.Gross, Jane (September 22, 1985)
Homosexuals stepping up AIDS education.
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' The award-winning 2008 documentary ''

Sex Positive The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality (in the countless forms of expression) as a natural and healthy part of the ...

'' directed by

Daryl Wein Daryl Robert Wein (born December 23, 1983) is an American artist, filmmaker, producer and actor. Early life Born in Los Angeles, California to Jan Sparling and Mitchell Wein, he was raised in Westport, Connecticut. His father worked as a creative ...

is about his life and activities.

Life and career

Berkowitz was born to Jewish parents and raised in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, where he attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

in the mid-1970s. While in college, he helped to organize what he believes was the first gay rights protest in the state, demonstrating against an anti-gay effigy hung by the

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

fraternity. After college, Berkowitz moved to

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in 1978 or 1979, earning a living as a self-described S&M

hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

. Even before AIDS was recognized as a syndrome, Berkowitz became concerned about protecting his clients, many of whom were married, from

sexually transmitted disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...

s. He met physician Joseph Sonnabend and became a patient, learning from Sonnabend the practices for risk reduction that would later become known as safe sex. His early work with Sonnabend and singer and activist

Michael Callen Michael Callen (April 11, 1955 – December 27, 1993) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, author, and AIDS activist. Callen was diagnosed with AIDS in 1982 and became a pioneer of AIDS activism in New York City, working closely with h ...

noted behaviors including drug use, multiple sexual partners, and unsafe sexual practices in the gay community for transmission. These claims were considered controversial by early leaders of

Gay Men's Health Crisis The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." His ...

and many activists took issue with the language of their message and its implications.Treichler, p. ? The 1983 pamphlet '' How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach'' by Callen and Berkowitz (in consultation with Sonnabend) is widely considered the first sex-positive guide to practicing safe sex. Berkowitz tested positive for HIV in 1984 but was able to avoid taking any anti-viral drugs until 1995.

''Sex Positive'' documentary

Berkowitz is the subject of the 2008 documentary ''

'' directed by

and winner of the 2008

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. The film was released on DVD in June 2010.

Selected publications

* Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen, with Joseph Sonnabend (1983). "How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach". News From The Front Publications * Berkowitz, Richard (2003). ''Stayin' Alive: The Invention of Safe Sex.'' Basic Books. .

Notes

References

* Treichler, Paula A (1999). ''How to Have Theory in an Epidemic: Cultural Chronicles of AIDS.'' Duke University Press. . * Goldstein, Gary (June 14, 2009). "'Sex Positive' documents the pioneers of safe sex". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-positive14-2009jun14,0,4122010.story. Retrieved 2009-06-14.

External links

* *
Richard Berkowitz Papers
Fales Library and Special Collections at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkowitz, Richard Living people American non-fiction writers American gay writers Jewish American writers Gay Jews American LGBT rights activists LGBT people from New Jersey HIV/AIDS activists People with HIV/AIDS 1955 births American male prostitutes Gay male prostitutes 21st-century American Jews