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The Gay Man’s Guide to Safer Sex (18) + ScreenTalk with executive producer Tony Carne and Terrence Higgins Trust Campaigns Director Richard Angell

,Barbican Cinema 2
Two men kissing

On its 30th anniversary, we present a rare screening of this landmark gay sex ed documentary followed by a discussion about its legacy.

Made in association with the Terrence Higgins Trust, this film was a vital sex educational doc that offered safe sex advice in an artistic and unashamedly erotic piece of cinema. Made soon after the end of Thatcher’s government and its explicitly homophobic policies, it remains a startlingly upfront, celebratory film.

Its graphic sex scenes, shot with an aesthetic that situates it firmly in the early 1990s, made it a unique sex ed film that blends clear medical advice, sorely lacking in the Thatcher era, with eroticism. As a time capsule of 1990s gay culture, with clips of queer venues now long gone, it is invaluable, and the score by Coil is wonderful.

We're joined by executive producer Tony Carne, Terrence Higgins Trust Campaigns Director Richard Angell, and curator Selina Robertson to discuss the film and its legacy.

Tagged with: Cinema Out and About!

UK 1992 Dir David Lewis 50 min

Please note: This film was filmed for a home video audience and the picture and audio quality reflect the time it was made.

Please note: this programme includes scenes of real sex.

With thanks to the Terrence Higgins Trust

This screening is in conjunction with Out and About!: Archiving LGBTQ+ history at Bishopsgate Institute running in the Curve gallery, Mon 28 Feb—Mon 21 Mar 2022.

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Barbican Cinema 2