Richard Berkowitz
Encyclopedia
Richard Berkowitz is a gay
American
author and activist best known as an early advocate of safe sex
in response to the AIDS crisis
among gay men in the 1980s.
, where he attended Rutgers University
in the mid-1970s. While in college, he organized what he believes was the first gay rights protest in the state, demonstrating against an anti-gay effigy hung by the Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity. After college, Berkowitz moved to New York City
in 1978 or 1979, earning a living as a self-described S&M
hustler
.
Even before AIDS
was recognized as a syndrome, Berkowitz became concerned about protecting his clients, many of whom were married, from sexually transmitted disease
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
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
, such as Larry Kramer
, 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.
Berkowitz is the subject of the 2009 documentary Sex Positive directed by Daryl Wein and winner of the 2008 OUTFEST Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. The film was released on DVD June 2010.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and activist best known as an early advocate of safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
in response to the AIDS crisis
HIV/AIDS in the United States
[[File:New HIV Cases 22 States 2006 CDC.svg|thumb|300px|Estimated Number of New HIV Cases—22 States 2006...
among gay men in the 1980s.
Life and career
Berkowitz was born and raised in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, where he attended Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in the mid-1970s. While in college, he organized 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
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity. After college, Berkowitz moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1978 or 1979, earning a living as a self-described S&M
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
hustler
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
.
Even before AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was recognized as a syndrome, Berkowitz became concerned about protecting his clients, many of whom were married, from sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
s. He met physician Joseph Sonnabend
Joseph Sonnabend
Joseph Adolph Sonnabend, M.D. is a distinguished retired physician, scientist and AIDS researcher, notable for pioneering community-based research, the propagation of safe sex to prevent infection, and an early and unconventional multifactorial model of AIDS...
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
Michael Callen was a singer, songwriter, composer, author, and AIDS activist. He was a significant architect of the response to the AIDS crisis in the United States....
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
Gay Men's Health Crisis
The Gay Men's Health Crisis is a New York City-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization that has led the United States in the fight against AIDS.-1980s:...
, such as Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
, 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
How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach
How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach is a book written by Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen to advise gay men about how to avoid contracting the infecting agent which causes AIDS, which is now known to be HIV.-Historical significance:...
" by Callen and Berkowitz (in consultation with Sonnabend) is widely considered the first sex-positive
Sex-positive
The sex-positive movement is an ideology which promotes and embraces open sexuality with few limits. Sex positivity is "an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all consensual sexual activities as fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, and encourages sexual pleasure and experimentation...
guide to practicing safe sex. Berkowitz tested positive for HIV in 1984 but was able to avoid taking any anti-viral drugs until 1995.
Berkowitz is the subject of the 2009 documentary Sex Positive directed by Daryl Wein and winner of the 2008 OUTFEST Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. The film was released on DVD 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. ISBN 9780813340920.