Gay Sex in the 70s is a stunning visual document of New York during the decade of gay liberation and sexual abandon following Stonewall and before the outbreak of AIDS. Gay men cruised the streets, frequented gay bars, and, of course, had loads and loads of sex everywhere. But only 12 years after Stonewall, AIDS brought this unprecedented era of sexual Freedom to a close.

Lovett expertly mixes archival footage and interviews with those who lived through the times, including author/activist Larry Kramer, photographer Tom Bianchi, and the former business manager of the St. Marks Baths. From Greenwich Village to the Fire Island Pines, Gay Sex in the 70s celebrates a city and an era with the unbridled joy that characterized the decade, while at the same time offering a sobering reminder of the AIDS crisis that followed.

The DVD of Gay Sex in the 70s is available for purchase at the Bureau.

Joseph Lovett is an award-winning filmmaker, whose films have informed, engaged and inspired people into action. After working at ABC News 20/20 for ten years as director/producer, Joe founded the company in 1989. During the 1990s, Joe produced, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and ABC, In A New Light prime time specials, a 5-year AIDS awareness campaign that flooded the CDC’s AIDS hotline with an unprecedented number of calls. In 2001, Joe won a Peabody Award and received an Emmy nomination for writing, producing and directing HBO’s Cancer: Evolution to Revolution. The film was the focus of a national public health campaign, which described it as “150 minutes of television that could save your life” and launched a national conversation about coping, treating and learning to live with the realities of cancer. His highly acclaimed feature, Gay Sex in the 70s, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was released theatrically in over 25 cities, and broadcast on the Sundance Channel in 2007. Joe’s latest film, Going Blind, and its Outreach Campaign, Going Blind and Going Forward, have ignited a global movement of individuals, grassroots organizations and medical professionals sponsoring screenings to raise awareness and to improve access to vision enhancement services. Other broadcast films Joe has directed and/or produced include The Way Home, a one-hour special on forgiveness for the Hallmark Channel; State of Denial, a film on the AIDS crisis in South Africa; and Too Hot Not to Handle, an HBO film on Global Warming. Over the years, Joe has been honored with numerous awards from advocacy organizations, including the AIDS Leadership Award, the Christopher Award, and the Kitty Carlisle Hart Award.