Gay Sex in the 1970s

Add the suffix ‘in New York City’ and you’ll have it. This documentary takes a look at the period from the Stonewall uprising in 1969 to the first cases of AIDS being identified in 1981. If you ever though that New York had become a place with tons of drug-enhanced, anonymous, multiple-partner, public sex on abandoned piers, in the back of trucks, in the backrooms of bars and in the famous St. Mark’s bathhouse then you’d be right. A life much like a porn movie where homosexual activity could be found anytime and anywhere with anyone simply with a glance or a hello. I think that many homophobic people still see gay men in this context and haven’t matured past these views – and perhaps some gay men are still stuck in this fantasy world. But it does make the AIDS epidemic in the US make a lot more sense to me – especially when you consider the delay in incubation, illness and the lag in research into the disease. I will admit I’m glad I grew up when I did and came out when I did so this all seemed to be happening to other people. The only men with AIDS in our community in Indiana were two gay closeted music teachers. Such a shame they had to leave us – very talented men who had to remain under the radar so they could do the work they loved to do. Or a friend in high school whose dad was caught in ‘pickle park’ down by the river where the men used to cruise – he said he was taking a piss and charged with indecent exposure. The idea of anonymous rowdy sex in public places is a great fantasy but I’m too prudish and high-strung to act it out. First of all, Chicago is a very dirty city and the piss and rot smell of our alleys is not very erotic.

Anyway – a valuable piece of history for people to know. Up there with Paragraph 175.

I’d like to see a documentary on how the gay/lesbian liberatin movement moved through Europe – was it spearheaded by developments in the US or was it an independent rising?

I look forward to the day when people realize that gay men and women are just as boring, exciting, beautiful, ugly, rich, poor, smart, stupid, pious, sinful, healthy, unhealthy, open-minded, close-minded, giving, selfish, sex-obsessed, asexual, stylish, worst-dressed, skinny, fat as pretty much everybody else. We just like to cuddle with our own gender.


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4 responses to “Gay Sex in the 1970s”

  1. Sperm Injector Avatar
    Sperm Injector

    I loved gay sex in the 70’s. I loved it in the 80’s, nighties and now the new millenium!!

    The only thing I cant stand is this guy:
    http://www.isound.com/biography/david_bonner

    he’s such a tosser!

    anyhoo, see ya later gays!

  2. Sperm Injector Avatar
    Sperm Injector

    I loved gay sex in the 70’s. I loved it in the 80’s, nighties and now the new millenium!!

    The only thing I cant stand is this guy:
    http://www.isound.com/biography/david_bonner

    he’s such a tosser!

    anyhoo, see ya later gays!

  3. Garth Knight Avatar
    Garth Knight

    I think that you’ll find that the ‘scene’ in the uk wasn’t much different in the 70’s than it was in the US. There were the endless rumours and innuendoes about who was gay and who wasn’t.

    In the 80’s that changed to who had AIDS and who didn’t, and if they had the good or the bad AIDS.

    It’s only lately that i’ve felt safe enough to exress who i am to the world without fear of reprisal or name calling. I still get kids setting fire to turds and leaving them on my doorstep, but that’s a price i’m willing to pay for a good man and a meat truncheon.

  4. Will De Beast Avatar
    Will De Beast

    The way I see it, being gay is a good thing, its who I am and I’m very pretty indeed, all the fellas at the working mens club think so which keeps my weekends busy.

    I’ve had all the names, ‘sausage jockey’, ‘mister fister’, ‘cock hound’ and ‘Captain Anal’ but I try to ignore them, after all a name is just a name, a feeling is a way of life.

    The only problem I have is the bigatory that I have experienced similar to Garth. Kids especially think its funny to smear excrement on my front door and draw images with the excrement of 2 men in the art of love making. It appauls me and it takes ages to wash off!!

    Anyway, i hope the gay train keeps on rolling, it certainly stopped at my station.

    Toot toot.

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