Gay Sex in the 70s

The end of an era. The beginning of a movement. Hailed by critics and audiences alike, GAY SEX IN THE 70s director Joseph Lovett focuses his story on New York City between 1969 and 1981, using remarkable present-day interviews and stunning archival footag

A fun romp through the explicitly sexual world of New York's Christopher St. during the gay rights era, director Joseph Lovett's documentary, Gay Sex in the '70s, consists of still photos of old haunts interspersed with interviews with the men who inhabited them, such as Roger McFarlane, Barton Benes, Tom Bianchi, Alvin Batrop, and Arnie Kantrowitz. Covering June 1969 to June 1981, Gay Sex in the '70s traces the history of pre-AIDS public sex through Stonewall, to the rise of gay culture as we know it today. Incorporating politics with debauched anecdotes of men cruising the piers, fornicating in the backs of trucks, and attending discos, bathhouses, and S&M clubs, the film is entertaining and educational. Some footage of legendary dance clubs, such as Les Mouches, Flamingo, Paradise Garage, and Studio 54, make this a good movie to watch even for straight disco aficionados. In fact, this film could have benefited from more historical live footage, as it relies too heavily on its interviewees. As a result, Gay Sex in the '70s at times suffers from sentimentality. But its friendly exploration into what one man called "the golden age of brotherhood and liberty" leaves a comforting feeling, as if listening to reminiscences from granddad. --Trinie Dalton