It’s a Sin Review

This week I was delighted to be joined by Silva Neves to talk about It’s A Sin, which is a very popular mini-series on Channel 4 (available to watch here) https://www.channel4.com/programmes/its-a-sin

What did we think about the show? As viewers and also our thoughts about the show from our perspectives: psychosexual therapist, sex and relationships educator.

Here’s my sex education guide to the show for young people

https://www.bishuk.com/your-call/a-sex-and-relationships-guide-to-its-a-sin/

You can get in touch with Silva at: www.silvaneves.co.uk

If you want to train in clinical sexology: https://www.theinstituteofsexology.org/

Here are the rough notes that we followed for the show.

HIV and homophobia

(as I say at the beginning of the episode, we focused on homophobia because that was the focus of the show, but clearly there was also explicit biphobia and racism in the reporting of and handling of the pandemic in the 80s and now)

Homophobia increased during the 80s, HIV weaponised by the press and to an extent government in this

This homophobia is still with us around HIV and also sex addiction, chemsex ‘the new gay plague’. Problematising sex.

Sex

Sexual norms

Condoms

Sexual scripts of what counts as gay eroticism and gay sexuality (what they open up and close down)

‘Real’ sex & ‘real’ gay masculinities and ‘Real’ sex and ‘real’ heterosexualities too (eg Bridgerton)

Characters

The extent to which they are representative of characters today. Apart from treatment and healthcare, what might be different today? Some more community minded than others (range of different politics).

In the extended version we discussed (for another 20 mins or so):

Grief and trauma

The erasing of sexualities and relationships at funeral

Inability to grieve because of secrecy and shame

The extent to which we still have this

Hangover of the trauma of HIV

Importance of stories

So many people were lost

Difficult to talk about

Loss of many potential ‘elders’

The importance of stories of collective joy and pleasure