How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach
Encyclopedia
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
.
Some social scientists have credited this book and a 1982 pamphlet called Fair Play! by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
as being the first literature to recommend safe sex
as a strategy for reducing the risk of contracting the transmitting agent which causes AIDS.
Richard Berkowitz
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.-Life and career:...
and 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....
to advise gay men about how to avoid contracting the infecting agent which causes AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, which is now known to be HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
Historical significance
Berkowitz and Callen published the book in 1982 at a time when gay men were first being diagnosed with AIDS. At this time HIV had not yet been identified as the cause of AIDS, but AIDS was a disease which was recognized as having some relationship with gay sex.Some social scientists have credited this book and a 1982 pamphlet called Fair Play! by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence , also called Order of Perpetual Indulgence in Australia and elsewhere, is a charity, protest, and street performance organization that uses drag and Catholic imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality...
as being the first literature to recommend 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...
as a strategy for reducing the risk of contracting the transmitting agent which causes AIDS.