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 ...

American author and activist best known as an early advocate of

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...

in response to the

AIDS crisis The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

among

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...

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

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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 t ...

'' 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 U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, where he attended

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

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 and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...

fraternity. After college, Berkowitz moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1978 or 1979, earning a living as a self-described S&M hustler. Even before

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

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

sexually transmitted disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

s. He met physician

Joseph Sonnabend Joseph Adolph Sonnabend (6 January 1933 – 24 January 2021) was a South African physician, scientist and HIV/AIDS researcher, notable for pioneering community-based research, the propagation of safe sex to prevent infection, and an early multif ...

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 ...

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." Foun ...

and many activists took issue with the language of their message and its implications. 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.

In the media

* 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. * Berkowitz is featured in the second episode of the fifth season of the podcast ''Fiasco'', hosted by

Leon Neyfakh Leon Neyfakh (born 1985) is an American journalist, radio host and writer. He is known for hosting the podcasts '' Slow Burn'' and ''Fiasco'', and his book '' The Next Next Level: A Story of Rap, Friendship, and Almost Giving Up''. Early life an ...

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 New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections is located on the third floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South (off of Washington Square Park) between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwi ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkowitz, Richard Living people American male non-fiction writers American gay writers Jewish American non-fiction writers Gay Jews American LGBTQ rights activists American writers with disabilities LGBTQ people from New Jersey American HIV/AIDS activists People with HIV/AIDS 1955 births American male prostitutes American prostitutes Gay male prostitutes 21st-century American Jews American activists with disabilities 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American Jews