Another its a sin thread but no spoilers please

[notawittyname1954]

So I've started this thread as it was suggested one with no spoilers would be a good idea

And lets not forget the high number of Black and Afro Caribbean women who were (still are) infected with HIV through their heterosexual partners. I suppose being female and being Black meant nobody cared/cares.

www.aidsmap.com/news/jun-2020/why-arent-more-black-african-and-caribbean-women-uk-prep

www.healthylondon.org/a-black-history-of-hiv-in-london-stories-from-londoners/

In terms of the focus on going out and promiscuity, isn’t there more of this just because the lead character is young and just started university in London?

A lot of people I know when they were young and moved to a large city for university went out a lot and were promiscuous, gay or straight, so I don’t think it’s a stereotype.

And I think it a shame to yet again let one writer who has effectively told his story a number of times, make out that is how it was for everyone
Russell T. Davies said he wasn't living that life himself but knew people who were. From last week's Radio Times: Not that Davies’s teens were anywhere near as wild as those of his characters. “I must have known hundreds of lads like them, but though we all had those mad nights on the town, I was lucky, I escaped HIV. I was rather more well behaved than my characters, that’s why I write them doing what they do. But in the 1980s I kept my head down and worked a lot, I didn’t start going out properly on the gay scene until I was in my 30s, in the 90s.

I'm confused because not all the characters were wild and shagging about though.

And lets not forget the high number of Black and Afro Caribbean women who were (still are) infected with HIV through their heterosexual partners. I suppose being female and being Black meant nobody cared/cares.

Crikey this is some meanspirited whataboutery.

Damn! I've only watched the 1st episode but just clicked on a thread in aibu. So annoyed

@stumbledin

And lets not forget the high number of Black and Afro Caribbean women who were (still are) infected with HIV through their heterosexual partners. I suppose being female and being Black meant nobody cared/cares.

It's probably not Russell's area of expertise. It doesn't mean nobody cares.

@stumbledin

And lets not forget the high number of Black and Afro Caribbean women who were (still are) infected with HIV through their heterosexual partners. I suppose being female and being Black meant nobody cared/cares.

So if someone who was Afro Caribbean made a show about their communities experience I’m sure you would complain about the lack of gay men being represented?

I'm making the point that the commissioners of programmes are in fact the problem.

They could have made the effort to find writers who had a different perspective.

Its not about being mean. Its just pointing out that how ever well done this series is, it isn't anything new.

And given the criticisms that come up over and over again about not just the BBC but mainstream tv is stuck in the rut of white male prespective I think this is a real missed opportunity to widen the depection of this period of time.

Its like we all just want to feel safe and not be challenged and just go over and over the story in the agreed presentation.

@stumbledin

I'm making the point that the commissioners of programmes are in fact the problem.

They could have made the effort to find writers who had a different perspective.

Its not about being mean. Its just pointing out that how ever well done this series is, it isn't anything new.

And given the criticisms that come up over and over again about not just the BBC but mainstream tv is stuck in the rut of white male prespective I think this is a real missed opportunity to widen the depection of this period of time.

Its like we all just want to feel safe and not be challenged and just go over and over the story in the agreed presentation.

But this story hasn't been told before...or not by RTD anyway. He hasn't covered the AIDs crisis before.

I don't think you can criticize a drama for not being a different story. It is the story written by a particular author about the experiences of people he knew. An author with different experiences can write a different story. The story you suggest would be very interesting but somebody has to write it first.

stumbledin RTD talks about perspective etc in some of the interviews he’s done. Though I do think you have a point about everyone being party animals/clubbing types.

Black female characters are massively under-represented in film and TV across the board, it's not an issue directly related to It's A Sin - you could literally go on to 99% of the TV threads and have the same concern.
I think It's A Sin is an important tribute, and remember it took a very long time for the stigma to be challenged.
For those who are looking for a different perspective on HIV/AIDS there are some brilliant films: Yesterday, Kids, Life Support, Precious, Nothing Without Us...

Just seen 2

4mths to get a passport 🙀

Just seen the end

And Gloria :( and how the family deal with the death /burning :(

The character Jill is the only one based on a real person, Jill Nalder. I read an interview with her. She is a friend of Russell Davies.
Link here

She was at drama school with lots of gay boys which is how she got involved. Jill “stood at the heart of the storm,” Davies has said. “She went to the funerals and the marches. She held the hands of so many men. She lost them, and remembered them, and somehow kept going.”

Yes I was talking to a nursing colleague yesterday she was the last person I thought would be interested in watching this its not her cup of tea at all. Then she started telling me how she was a student nurse at the time only been in the country five minutes so was getting familiar with that. She said she still remembers those young men today. Beautiful lads only 18/19 and her placements at St Georges etc. What a start to a nursing career only a teenager herself.

Colin

That was a real shocker for me. Utterly heartbreaking. Im putting off watching the rest.

I always thought Colin hadn't had sex with anyone. So sad that he caught it from that one boy. His Mum was so lovely

Poor Colin

That episode was so sad. What a horrible disease, I can't stop thinking about how it effected Colin. He was so unlucky to get infected when it seems he only had sex with that one guy. His poor mum, she is so lovely! Don't know how I'm going to make it through the last 2 episodes. The actor who played Colin is superb, I hope to see him in lots of other things.

An amazing episode. Very difficult to watch Colin's demise. I had no idea the way AIDS affected people 😪

The kick ass lawyer, female and BAME was strong female representation. Even after tearing them apart she wanted to offer help to the frightened Welsh community.

Colin's Mum was amazing. His friends were amazing.

Has everyone seen the film Pride? Its set in the same period and shows the relationship between the gay community and a Welsh mining village during the miners strike (bonded by the fact that Thatcher hated all of them). It's a beautiful film.