Source: Channel 4
LL ARTS
C
IT’S NOT A SIN By PAUL McAULEY
omedy and compassion are at the core of Russell T. Davies’ latest offering It’s A Sin. The highly popular series has already been watched by 6.5 million people on streaming service, All 4, and the first episode alone was the most watched launch of a drama series that the site has ever had. The sublime Channel 4 mini-series follows the lives of four young gay men as they find their feet in London and promise to live their lives to the fullest. The group arrive in the city in 1981, just as the first reports of a new ‘disease’ making its way across the Atlantic surface. As the series moves through the decade, the storyline naturally darkens. The protagonist, Ritchie (Olly Alexander) remains in denial and spreads conspiracy theories until he finds himself face-to-face with the ‘gay plague’. For a show that is set to include so much sadness, joy can still be seen everywhere, as the group take pride in protesting against Margret Thatcher’s Section 28 legislation and those pharmaceutical companies who were profiting off the disease. The heart-warming ending shows a flashback the group enjoying their time together before the AIDS pandemic hit. Despite representation of the Isle of Wight, Nigeria and Wales, many Liverpudlians felt a personal con-
nection with the poignant storylines. The virus arrived in the region at a particularly bad time as it coincided with a bleak economic downturn and the arrival of a heroin epidemic, which meant those sharing dirty needles were particularly vulnerable to catching HIV. One who saw Liverpool being mirrored in It’s a Sin was Nurse Consultant Lesley Mills. Having worked at Royal Liverpool Hospital at the time, the 51-year-old commended Channel 4 for their production. “The show is very well written and directed, factually correct and I believe it’s a very good reflection of the attitudes and behaviours at the time,” she said. “Those nurses who were willing to work on those wards had the right caring attitude – but often did not voice it in public. Hopefully, people are now less prejudiced as they are more educated from the show.” She remembers whilst travelling from different locations of the country that views varied. “I worked in London at St Mary’s which had a large group of gay men with HIV/AIDS and the same in Edinburgh. The attitudes to each of these groups was very different compared to Liverpool, but one thing that was commonly believed was that men with haemophilia were the ‘innocent victims’ as they contracted HIV from contaminated blood products.” One reason why the judgement in Liverpool was less harsh was thanks to the work of Sahir House, a charity
“It left me floored, it was so accurate, it was like I was reliving that era, life when I was first diagnosed back in 1984. The attitude, the fear, isolation, exclusion and the ignorance”
which has been supporting people and their families for more than 30 years now. They aim to increase sexual health knowledge, reduce stigma and campaign for the rights for those living with HIV and related intersectionality (gender, sexuality, asylum status). Serena Cavanagh, a spokesperson for the charity, spoke about some of its work. “We fundraise in many ways from music events, cake sales, raffles, quiz nights, individual donations and now online events with donations. There have been so many events that have taken place over the years and we are proud of all of them,” she said. “We are always so thankful to our supporters’ generosity, taking time to raise money for Sahir House. “All money raised goes directly to those in most need and especially now as more and more people find themselves in crisis due to the current pandemic. “However, we openly talk about Covid and cancer and heart disease, but most people probably won’t tell everybody about their HIV.” Not only is it National HIV Testing Week but this week is also the beginning of LGBT+ History Month in the UK. The government’s goal is to end new cases of the virus by 2030 and Serena acknowledges this can be achieved. “Today, a person living with HIV, who is on effective treatment and has an undetectable viral load, will not transmit HIV to their sexual partners. We refer to this as U=U, undetectable equals untransmittable.
Nurse Lesley Mills, from Liverpool believes the drama is “very well written and factually correct”. An HIV positive man from Sahir House, said: “I binge-watched the entire series of Its a Sin on All4 in one day! It left me floored, it was so accurate, it was like I was reliving that era, life when I was first diagnosed back in 1984. The attitude, the fear, isolation, exclusion and the ignorance. Only someone who lived through those two decades and was greatly affected could write this so raw and emotional and near to the bone.” It seems fitting that Liverpool doubled as New York and London in the programme. The Pier Head and the Royal Liver Building were used to resemble early tall American skyscrapers whilst the former Martin’s Bank HQ acted as a hotel.
Sahir House is a Liverpool charity that supports people who are living with HIV
21
