Both humorous and heart-breaking, Channel Four drama It’s A Sin brings us into the midst of the AIDS crisis, taking viewers along a journey of laughter and tears with the characters on screen.
The series follows a group of friends embracing their sexual freedoms during a time when contracting AIDS was still viewed by many as an urban myth. Honest, witty and moving, it is no wonder that the series is this month’s hot topic. Today HIV is easily treated, and those who spot symptoms early can live a healthy and normal life, given they receive the correct medication. However, even in 2021, the cultural stigma surrounding STIs remains.
During the 1981 to 1991 decade in which It’s a Sin is set, the UK government, the church, the police and the tabloids were largely homophobic. This attitude is evidenced through the passing of, and general support for, the Section 28 law, mentioned in the show, which forbids local authorities, such as schools and social care, to “promote” homosexuality. Whilst this legislation was scrapped in 2003, it is striking that less than a generation ago, homosexuality was officially declared unspeakable with Thatcher even claiming that “children being told they have an inalienable right to be gay are being cheated.”
Yet, what makes matters worse is that Section 28 was passed in 1988, following the peak of the AIDS epidemic. Given that AIDS was initially rife across the gay community in the 1980s, the launch of Section 28 proved Thatcher’s disregard for the safety, health and wellbeing of those most at risk of contracting the disease.
Thankfully, attitudes have taken leaps and bounds since the 1980s, and in today’s context, any document similar to Section 28 would spark international outrage. But have attitudes about AIDS changed? In It’s A Sin, character Ritchie refers to AIDS as a “death sentence”, and although this isn’t the case in 21st century Britain, an awkwardness still circulates around the topic.
Anyone who engages in sexual activity is at risk of STIs. In 2019, it was estimated that 105, 200 people in the UK are living with HIV and around 50% of sexually active people will experience an STI before their 25th birthday. Yet, whilst society is becoming increasingly open about previously considered “transgressive” topics, such as sexual fluidity, STIs are hardly spoken about in mainstream media.
Jenelle Marie Pierce, Executive Director of the STI Project, suggests that the STI stigma is so difficult to shift because it is ingrained into us in childhood, whether that be by “family, religion or sex education classes.”
Pierce’s theory might explain why there is even less of a conversation about the contraction of HIV/AIDS in women, compared to men with the disease. According to a document published by Public Health England, approximately 44% of those seen for HIV care in 2019 were women, debunking the myth that HIV is exclusive to male homosexuals.
Acknowledging Pierce’s claim that the STI stigma is learnt, it is understandable that women are less vocal about STIs. Historically, sexual purity has been signified as a women’s value, and although British society is modernising, such Victorian ideals are still partly ingrained into British psychology today.
Since It’s A Sin was uploaded on 4OD, viewers have taken to Twitter by storm with their feelings and experiences of HIV. One Twitter user posted the following: “I work at a Sexual Health Clinic and witnessing first-hand the influence #itsasin has had on the increase in HIV testing is incredible! Thank you to the cast, crew and creatives for making something that’s so phenomenal, but also raises so much awareness.”
With the overall response to It’s A Sin considered, it seems the show’s up-close-and-personal take on the 1980’s AIDS crisis has left a mark on thousands of viewers across the nation. It is plausible that the show’s popularity has triggered the dawn of a revolution within British society surrounding the stigmas associated with STI’s.
Madeleine Williams
Featured Image Source: Channel 4 Press Pack