It's a Sin, 9 pm Channel 4, 22nd Jan CONTAINS SPOILERS **titled edited by MNHQ**

[notawittyname1954]

I keep seeing trailers for this. Anyone else looking forward to it?

@Twizbe

Colin was a very sweet character. We as an audience almost want to believe that he was an 'innocent victim' of the disease. 'We' want to believe he was raped because that means he didn't do anything to deserve his infection.

WTH??! So you're saying all the men having consensual gay sex did deserve to catch AIDS?!

@SapphosRock no no no that's not what I think at all.

I was saying that there was (and still is) a view that there were people who 'deserved' it and those who didn't. Just to be 100% clear this is not my view.

Colin is a lovely character and him getting it is confronting that view. He is a nice man so surely he didn't do anything to 'deserve' getting it. The audience might want to believe he was raped so as to fit with that narrative.

@AndreaMarteau just to be clear that's not my view. But I can see how it was written to spark the debate on this topic.

@Twizbe yes, I knew that wasn't what you thought It was a point of view, rather than your point of view.

I think Colin's scenes were there to show that you could get AIDS from just having one partner. That was the angle. Not that he got it through being raped (which he wasn't).

It was more in contrast to Roscoe, who had 'had everyone' and was clear or Ritchie who was also promiscuous.

I remember the 'hilarious jokes' about at the time. AIDS stood for Arse Injected Death Sentence etc. And being told I had no sense of humour because I'd say it wasn't funny.

I've just finished watching this. Powerful, amazing drama.

I agree Colin's experience was consensual but I think that he realised it didn't have to be like that - men could be open about their sexuality (as per his colleague and then when he goes to the party at the Pink Palace) and that's why he moved in, he wanted to be a part of that world. Moving to London was an opportunity to be who he wanted to be, not end up being used by someone who was in denial about their own homosexuality.

Colin is absolutely the character you're meant to engage with and feel protective of...I was half expecting him to meet someone in New York (I suspected he would be one of the characters who died) but the shock of it, making it appear he'd not been with anyone, that was great writing on RTDs part and reinforced the idea it could happen to anyone. The scenes with him and his mum were just heartbreaking.

I was in my teens and remember the BBC ads, the negative press, AIDS being referred to as a 'gay plague' . Homophobia really was rife then. I can't think of anyone I knew at school or in my home town who was openly gay. There must have been loads, but queer-bashing after the pubs shut on a Friday was still a thing so not many people were brave enough to be out. A few were at uni, but it was very low key. Compared to now; my DC had several openly gay or bi/ pansexual classmates, plus others who were trans or non binary. It's much more acceptable to be who you want to be now and I think that's amazing.

I remember being out one night with some uni friends including a gay couple. I was chatting to one of them and he asked about what I was drinking (some awful alcopop probably given the time) - so I said here try it, which he did, sipping from the bottle.

Another friend pulled me aside after and said how brave I was to do that because 'hes gay, he might well have Aids' . That was in 1995, so nearly 15 years after the starting point of this series. My friend went to private school, university degree...and still in the mid 90s made a comment like that.

@Twizbe It was and still is a very common view among certain people.

Odd things were done as well, the Times (when Andrew Neil was editor) wrote false propoganda in an attempt to prove that it was physically impossible for straight people to contract HIV and stated that HIV results for straight people were falsified. The Times even serialised a book that ‘proved’ that straight people could not contract HIV. This was in the 1990’s. Andrew Neil still supported this ‘theory’ in 1996.

I finished binge watching this week and loved it.

I've been a huge Pet Shop Boys fan since I was a teen in the late 80s but although I thought I "got" the emotion behind the songs they wrote about how the AIDS epidemic affected them and their friends (specifically the songs Being Boring, It Couldn't Happen Here and Dreaming of the Queen) I can really appreciate the context more since watching It's a Sin. So not only did I enjoy the series in its own right it's also brought a whole new perspective to songs I've loved for years.

The personal stories, experiences and links/recommendations on this thread have been fascinating - thank you to everyone who's shared them.

The sad thing is, there's still a fair bit of stigma around HIV even today.
Even within the gay community ( or so I've been told ) which is surprising really as it's a such a treatable condition now.

@Ashleys63

The sad thing is, there's still a fair bit of stigma around HIV even today. Even within the gay community ( or so I've been told ) which is surprising really as it's a such a treatable condition now.

Yep, you still have peoole in the UK who think you can catch it by sharing a glass etc.

Jayhawkridge has a fab tiktok that deals with common HIV myths, actual treatment etc.

@AndreaMarteau

I think Colin's scenes were there to show that you could get AIDS from just having one partner. That was the angle. Not that he got it through being raped (which he wasn't).

It was more in contrast to Roscoe, who had 'had everyone' and was clear or Ritchie who was also promiscuous.

Exactly this! Also the comments in this thread about stigma and perception. Self stigma is as much (if not more) of a thing both then and now. Colin saying to his Mum "I'm sorry...I'm not dirty. I never did anything bad, I really didn't". Also Gloria saying "I'm not a slut".

Regarding what some people still think today, I never get tired of watching this video from 2016 - it's done so well by people lvHIV, especially the bit about drinking my drink

In the last 3-4 years I've known or read of plHIV... given a solitary room in a hospital, have a nurse worried about treating them in hospital, refused tattoos, given the last dental appointment of the day, nurse told by GP to take extra "extra precautions" when treating someone, asked in front of their mum if they're an intravenous drug user.

I find that interesting ,now that HIV is no longer a death sentence and there is very effective treatment ,I would have thought people would be less likely to be careful ? I'm 47 so it was very feared when I was young ,is this still the case ?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9233913/Gay-man-24-says-disgusted-attacker-walks-free-court-suspended-sentence.html

@x2boys

I find that interesting ,now that HIV is no longer a death sentence and there is very effective treatment ,I would have thought people would be less likely to be careful ? I'm 47 so it was very feared when I was young ,is this still the case ?

I think it depends on how old everyone is and do they even know this? (I did do a poll on here about this once and I think it was about 60/40 the 60% not knowing about U=U)

I'd have to say that being older and never having had Sex Ed at school I never felt it affected me as when it started in the 80s it was supposed to only affect men who have sex with men. For those who then went into a long term relationship it became irrelevant. People who get divorced when older might not think about it in new relationships - women will be more likely to think about condoms not being needed as they can't get pregnant. They might/probably never have visited a GUM clinic and only got tested during pregnancy. It's not really on the radar for a lot of people. They go on trust and the person not "being the type" more than anything.

My DC don't remember too much about about learning about it at school - clamydia is mentioned more as it's more easily contracted. I understand PSHCE has had a revamp and the sex ed part has been brought more up to date. Personally - and sticking my neck out here - in the UK I don't think the hetero community worry about it as much as the gay community does

Yes I remember your thread @HIVpos it was like your posts on here very informative ,I think my point is though I'm of an age where we had the Tomb stone adverts and the don't die of ignorance campaign everyone around my age probably remember,s these adverts and how terrifying they were
Young people today I wouldn't have thought would have the same fears ?

Apologies if this has been already mentioned in thread...am still working my way through it...but in case it helps anyone:

(In partnership with NHS)

A discreetly-mailed home finger prick HIV test kit:

freetesting.hiv/

Result via text.

"HIV test orders have been at their highest levels ever for this year's #HIVTestWeek.

That will be the legacy of #ItsASin thanks to a brilliant cast
committed to learning and sharing the realities of HIV in 2021"

• Terrence Higgins Trust

La!

@x2boys

Yes I remember your thread *@HIVpos* it was like your posts on here very informative ,I think my point is though I'm of an age where we had the Tomb stone adverts and the don't die of ignorance campaign everyone around my age probably remember,s these adverts and how terrifying they were Young people today I wouldn't have thought would have the same fears ?

They were indeed and it caused a lot of health anxiety generally, but at the end of the day did they stop the virus spreading?

Taking today's pandemic if it were thought it would be more likely to make people stay at home would they be doing the same thing - showing wards of people ill and dying, people being intubated etc, having a similar tombstone add saying "Don't die of ignorance wash your hands" or some such?

While I'm sure it stopped some people having unprotected sex it's more important to teach the facts and encourage testing rather being scared to test. This is what is being tried now, also reducing stigma and ignorance.

@Twizbe

I think a big factor was in the 80s it was still very much not done to have a baby outside of marriage. I was born in the early 80s and I know only 2 people who's parents weren't married when they were born.

I think that meant that straight couples weren't engaging in as much casual sex / we're using condoms to prevent pregnancy.

Gay couples had no fear of pregnancy so didn't feel the need to practice safe sex.

As someone who was adult and had a baby outside of marriage in 1980 I think you are wrong about the amount of casual heterosexual sex going on. Heterosexual couples rarely used condoms then relying solely on the pill until condoms were recommended to avoid AIDS.

In my experience there was a lot of casual sex going on from the 70s and easy availability of the pill onwards.

No probably not @Hivpos rather than terrifying everyone maybe just being factual would have helped .

@Thimbleberries unprotected anal sex is the highest risk activity for HIV transmission- higher than sharing a needle.

That, combined with increasing acceptance and gay scenes in the 70s and 80s and therefore relatively high rates of casual sex, was a recipe for disaster.

I'm sorry , but Ritchie's mum was an absolute bitch to stop him seeing his friends.
Very good drama and so sad. Just had a cry for all those that died back then.
Well acted but it's not a easy watch.
Loved Colin and his mum.

Did anyone else see the part where Donald and Richie were in the pub and Donald had got his part he wanted in the play, and Ritchie said “Youve just stole my life” I knew from then he was going to get it. I couldn’t stop crying my heart out at the end. Played on my mind for days.

When Ritchie saw the sores on Donald's back, he knew that Donald must have had it - presumably that's why he thinks he got it from Donald

thimble I thought the same, and that's why he avoided Donald once he'd seen the sores. However, I'm now thinking that Donald couldve been infected by Richie, Richie knew - or suspected - this and that's why he avoided Donald.

I suppose in reality either of them could've been infected by anyone.