Stayin' Alive: The Invention Of Safe Sex

by Richard Berkowitz

While the practice of “safe sex” has become an American habit over the past twenty years, few are familiar with its controversial origins and fascinating social history. Stayin' Alive is the story of how reaching for a condom became as automatic as buckling a seat belt, a story compellingly and frankly recounted by activist and journalist Richard Berkowitz who arrived on the frontlines in the war on AIDS in 1982 and has been writing about it ever since. Berkowitz takes the reader on a graphic but moving account of his personal sexual journey coming out amid the sexual abandon of the 1970s and waking up to horror of AIDS in the 1980s. For younger readers with no first-hand experience of what it was like living through the erotic exuberance of the sexual revolution nor the grisly aftermath, the author offers a vivid portrayal that puts the invention of safe sex into fresh, compelling context for a new generation.“Safe sex” was born out of the tireless crusading, politicking, and advocacy of an unlikely trio whose lives revolved around sex and the consequences of the author, the author, the AIDS researcher and physician Joseph Sonnabend, and the late author, activist and singer Michael Callen. Berkowitz recounts how their work found a way to enable a generation of gay men and sexually adventurous heterosexuals to continue celebrating their sexuality without risking their lives or the lives of their partners - in two words, “safe sex.”

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction, Memoir

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this book for my heterosexism class. I have to say that I thought I knew a lot about safe (safer) sex and disease prevention, but it turns out I didn't know crap about the history of safer sex.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s after the AIDS epidemic was already well known, I had no idea about how sex was perceived in the US in the 70s and early 80s. Also, because this book was written from the perspective of a gay man, I definitely didn't know how sex was perceived. However, I got one hell of an eye opener. I was shocked to read that urban gay men routinely got STDs and parasites and felt that this was just par for the course. And when AIDS became an outbreak, I was horrified to read about dying men having unprotected random sex.

For anyone who doesn't think that sex education works, they really need to read this book and think about the culture before AIDS. While there are certainly subcultures in the US who don't like using protection or think they are invincible, there has clearly been a change in people's perceptions on STDs and disease prevention/disease transmission. The author of this book was instrumental in creating the idea of safer sex practices and EDUCATING people about how to reduce their risk of getting ill.

This book was an eye opener for me. On top of the wonderful cultural shift and increased awareness I could see since the beginning of Berkowitz's safer sex crusade, he had a very engaging personal story. His story would have made a captivating memoir; as a history of our culture it is an important reminder that a small group of people can make a huge impact.