Exercises to get you in the Mood

7 SEXY EXERCISES TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD

By Andrew Christian

In 1981, Olivia Newton-John encouraged everyone to “get physical” with her innuendo-laden pop hit. About three minutes and 25 seconds into the music video for that song, two sculpted, brief-wearing beefcakes exit Newton-John’s gym clearly ready to do the nasty. Clearly, exercise is great for working up a sweat in the bedroom. Or check out Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta bump, thrust and grind in Perfect! Phew!!!

Even men with the highest of libidos can get into an erectile funk from time to time (getting high, stress and vodka). But you don’t need to let difficulty getting in the mood dry up your sex life. Check out the following exercises to bone up on in order to get you in the mood. those crazy sex positions you’ve been intimidated by. The more you can twist, flex and contort, the more likely you are to have mind-blowing sex.

Moreover, yoga is great for mental health. It builds confidence and forces you to stay in the present moment. That means less rumination, less nervousness, and fewer chances of the wind being taken out of your erectile sales.

1. SQUAT THRUSTS

It should be a given that anything involving a thrusting motion will help you get in the mood to...well...thrust. Squat thrusts build strength in the lower body, i.e., below the belt. This is a strength-building exercise, but due to the fast, repetitive motion of a squat thrust, it is also great for your cardiovascular health and endurance.

And when it comes (cums?) to a good evening sex session, morning bang, or afternoon delight, endurance is key.

2. YOGA

Flexibility, anyone? Along with its bevy of health benefits, yoga is probably the only exercise that will ever give you a fighting chance at sucking your own dick.

3. WEIGHTLIFTING

Whether you’re a top or bottom, having the strength to pick something up, hang on to something for dear life or simply last more than 15 minutes is critical to getting you in — and staying in — the mood. Enter weightlifting.

Resistance training exercises like lifting weights naturally increase testosterone, the male sex hormone that can get you in the mood for some good old-fashioned boning.

If you belong to a gym, going to a weight room to do some resistance training is actually better than doing so at home. Why? There is usually at least that ONE fit, hot guy in the weight room at most points during the day. This provides some extra eye candy to help you get hot and bothered.

4. KEGELS

Kegel exercises are extremely easy to do and you can perform Kegel exercises any time and any place (I’m doing them right now as I type this!).

Many people think Kegels are reserved only for ladies trying to tighten up their hoo-has, but this type of clenching exercise is great for male sexual health as well.

If you’ve never done Kegels before, try the first few times lying down. Identify your pelvic floor muscles by clenching in a way that you would if you couldn’t locate a bathroom and were trying to avoid pissing your pants (we’ve all been there). Hold for a few seconds, release and repeat.

5. POWER WALKING

You don’t need to go on marathon runs or work out to the point of exhaustion to experience the benefits of exercise. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to go hulk when it comes to getting active. I mean, how amped are you gonna be for sex when your muscles are aching and you’ve been sweating buckets?

Taking a vigorous walk for about 30 minutes per day is all you need to get in the mood. Power walking helps the brain release

Research also shows that vigorous walking can prevent erectile dysfunction, so you can enjoy getting horizontal (or vertical, or diagonal, or — really, any angle you prefer) without E.D. rearing its ugly (and soft) head.

6 WRESTLING

The 42-year-old drop-dead hottie wrestler, John Cena answering a fan’s questions if the WWE star had ever had an “accidental boner” during a match. “It’s something the body does, you just ignore it,” Cena explained. Well you don’t need to ignore it!

Getting into a clinch with a gym buddy, straight bro, or even the hottie next door will burn off some of that excess body-fat ... and after writhing around for a few minutes, rubbing your bodies and building up a sweat, you are sure to get in to the mood for lurv ... try it, you wont be disappointed

For a little variation add some oil to the sport and it, well, ....

7. MASTURBATION

Based on my completely unprofessional opinion, masturbation burns calories and will give you a six-pack.

OK, I completely made the six-pack part up, but you could certainly place masturbation under the “vigorous activity” category when it comes to an active lifestyle.

If you’re having trouble getting in the mood, when in doubt, grab your dick (Girls, grab your vibrator).

A good old-fashioned stroke and pull may be all you need to get in the mood. The best part? It won’t cost you more than a bottle of lotion.

GOING DOWN MENS HEALTH

‘Going down’, ‘giving head’, ‘blow jobs’ … there are many different names for oral sex. But what is oral sex? And does it come with any risks?

WHAT IS ORAL SEX? Oral sex means using your mouth and tongue to stimulate your partners’ genital or anal area. You can begin by gently kissing and fondling the area around the anus including the perineum (the area of skin between the genitals and the anus). You can then work your way in to the anus by circling your tongue around the outer area and finally inserting your tongue.

You can try licking, sucking, probing and nibbling gently – taking cues from your partner about what feels good to them.

Oral sex can be a good way to discover new pleasures with your partner, but deciding whether you want to do it is a very personal choice – not everyone likes it and not everyone tries it!

As with any type of sex, it’s important that both people are enthusiastic about doing it.

A lot has been written about how to give the best oral sex. But the truth is that different things work for different people.

There’s a whole variety of ways to lick, suck and stimulate - different people may like to give and receive oral sex in different ways. Remember that it can take a while to work out what makes someone feel good.

You may feel nervous before having oral sex – whether you’re giving it or receiving it. The best thing to do is to carry on communicating with your partner. Ask them to tell you what feels nice and let them know when you are enjoying something.

If you’re happy and comfortable with the person you’re with then oral sex can be a great way to get physically closer and learn what turns each other on. But remember that you can pause or stop at any point you want, and the same is true for your partner. Just because you have started something doesn’t mean you need to continue – stopping is actually very normal.

GIVING A MAN ORAL SEX?

You can start oral sex on a man whether his penis is erect or not. It’s a good idea to use your hand to touch him before you start to help work up to the sensation of oral sex.

If you’re unsure how far you want him to penetrate your mouth, use your thumb and forefinger to make a ring around his penis, stopping it as far as you want to go. You can keep moving your fingers down slowly until you reach the point where it feels deep enough inside your mouth.

Many men find oral sex (also known as ‘blow jobs’) highly sensitive, so start gently and slowly and work up to a faster pace. You can experiment with different tongue, mouth and head movements to see what works best (but never use your teeth unless asked!).

Even if you decide to give a man oral sex, it doesn’t mean that you have to let him ejaculate (or cum) in your mouth – the choice is yours. Of course, if he’s wearing a condom this won’t be such an issue, and it means you will both be protected against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It’s also entirely up to you how long you continue for.

ORAL-ANAL SEX (RIMMING)?

Performing oral sex on your partner’s anus (also known as analingus or rimming) can be part of any sexual relationship, whether gay, bisexual or straight.

If you are concerned about hygiene, ask your partner to wash first - water and a gentle washcloth should do the trick. You could also bathe together as part of foreplay. If you are performing it on a woman, don’t go from the anus to the vagina as this may transfer bacteria and cause infection.

CAN I GET HIV AND STIS FROM ORAL SEX?

The risk of HIV transmission from oral sex is very low. The main risks arise if the person receiving oral sex has an STI or sores on their genital area, or if the person giving oral sex has sores in their mouth or bleeding gums.

However other STIs such as herpes, gonorrhoea and syphilis can still be passed on through oral sex. And some infections caused by bacteria or viruses can be passed on through oral–anal sex, such as hepatitis A or E.coli.

Infections can be passed on through oral sex even if there are no obvious signs or symptoms of the infection (such as sores). You should definitely avoid having oral sex if either of you has sores around your mouth, penis or anus. These could be a sign of an infection, so get them checked out by a healthcare professional.

Using a condom or dental dam (a thin, soft plastic that covers the vagina or anus) will protect you from most sexually transmitted infections. If you don’t have a dental dam you can also make an effective barrier by cutting a condom lengthways from bottom to top forming one piece of material that can be used like a dental dam.

Knowing you have the extra protection a condom provides can help make you feel more liberated and less inhibited during oral sex.

Talking to your partner about protection before you start having oral sex will help things go more smoothly. This can be embarrassing, but it’s an important part of having sex – and if you find it too difficult to discuss then it could be a sign that you aren’t ready to start having oral sex just yet.

SHOULD I HAVE ORAL SEX?

It’s a big decision to start having oral sex, and it’s important that you and your partner are ready to start exploring in this way.

Whether it’s giving or receiving oral sex, no one should do it because they feel forced to.

Lines like “it doesn’t mean we’ve had real sex – you’ll still be a virgin”, or “if you don’t want sex then you should at least go down on me”, or “it’s not as risky as having intercourse”, all suggest pressure and coercion. Remember that oral sex should be fun for both of you. If one person is doing it because they feel pressured, it can make the whole experience most uncomfortable and unenjoyable - no one should be pressured to have sex of any kind.

GREAT ARMS FITNESS

PUSHUPS The basic position of a pushup begins by placing your palms on the ground shoulder-width apart, with your toes touching the ground and your heels positioned toward the ceiling. This is also known as a high plank.

Draw your shoulders down your back, avoid the hunching, and keep your elbows close to the body.

Lower the body while keeping your gaze a few inches in front of you.

Once your chest grazes the ground, push yourself back up; keep your core tight to keep your back from sagging.

‘Going down’, ‘giving head’, ‘blow jobs’ … there are many different names for oral sex. But what is oral sex? And does it come with any risks? Inhale as you lower yourself and exhale as you push yourself back up.

You can perform a pushup the traditional way or challenge yourself by lifting one leg in the air while you lower, by

placing an arm on a medicine ball while performing the pushup, or even by adding a clap as you push back up.

The movement doesn’t require any equipment and can be performed anywhere.

TRICEP DIPS The tricep dip can be performed by sitting on the ground with your palms on the ground and fingers facing you, or you could prop yourself off of an elevated surface such as a bench or a chair.

Position your hands shoulder-width apart wherever you decide to prop yourself.

If you’re propping yourself on a bench or chair, shift your bottom forward, but keep it close to the surface to reduce shoulder strain.

Extend your legs or place your feet flat on the ground.

Keep your elbows close to your body.

Bend your elbows slightly and simply raise and lower your body.

A tricep dip is challenging in its original form. But for a more advanced version, you could add 10 pulses after doing 10 proper dips. Similar to the pushup, tricep dips are an excellent way to build strength by using your body weight.

BICEP CURL A bicep curl can be performed standing up or seated. The move is performed with a weight that is appropriate to your training regimen.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, and choose the appropriate weight for your training regimen.

Keep your elbows close to your torso.

Rotate your palms to face upwards.

Take a deep breath and exhale as you curl your forearm towards your upper body.

Relax arms back down to your sides. A bicep curl not only works a variety of arm muscles, it also challenges your core; it’s important to breathe and maintain a neutral position especially while standing.

PROUD IN AFRICA

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RECOMMENDED FILMS NOW SHOWING - WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN S am Mendes’ 1917 is a breathtaking, beautiful and unforgettable story well told and masterfully realised. It’s a soulful story relevant to the world we live in today, one that will live in your heart long after watching it; based on the real scandal, Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it. In the satirical World War II satire Jojo Rabbit a Hitler Youth questions his beliefs, while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend, an idiotic version of Adolf Hitler; the sumptous coming-of-age period drama Little Women explores the lives of the March sisters in 1860s New England; the live-action CGI-animated adventure The Call Of The Wild is based on the Jack London’s 1903 novel and tells the poignant story of a man and his dog. 1917

MARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending is re-imagined in the delicious new adaptation of Emma (6/3); a woman desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see in the remake of The Invisible Man (13/3); Vin Diesel is resurrected by a secret team of scientists and becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine in Bloodshot (13/3), Matthew McConaughey plays a crime lord who has to protect his highly profitable marijuana empire in the action-packed The Gentlemen (13/3) ; a security guard discovers the plot that resulted in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Richard Jewell (13/3); with their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir to unite the community in Military Wives (20/3); the Abbott family and a mysterious stranger fight for survival against otherworldly creatures that hunt by sound in A Quiet Place 2 (20/3); acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro brings the epic tale of China’s legendary warrior to life in Disney’s Mulan (27/3); a family navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss in Waves (27/3).

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

Daniel Craig is back his fifth outing as the MI6 agent James Bond in No Time To Die (3/4); an alcoholic and drug addict fights for a better life in A Million Pieces (3/4); five young mutants fight to escape their past sins and save themselves in The New Mutants (3/4); a married couple must get their son and themselves to safety when a massive object from space threatens to destroy the world in Greenland (17/4) ; The Secret: The Dare To Dream tells a story crafted around the core principles of the Law of Attraction (17/4); a brother and sister uncover a dangerous secret with frightening consequences in the supernatural horror Antlers (17/4); Mrs Lowry & Son (24/4) chronicles the life of the renowned British artist L. S. Lowry; four kids befriend a magical, sandy, grumpy creature in Four Kids and It (24/4); a successful author finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mindbending mystery before it’s too late in Antebellum (24/4); on the very brink of breaking up, a couple gets unintentionally embroiled in a bizarre (and hilarious) murder mystery in The Lovebirds (24/4)

woman fulfils her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in Love Sarah (8/5); Tom Hanks play a career officer must battle his own self-doubts and personal demons to prove he belongs alongside the conflict with the enemy in the war drama Greyhound (8/5) and portrays Mister Rogers, a popular kid’s TV show host in A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (15/5), a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism; The Organ Donor (15/5) is a re-imagining of the horror film ‘Saw’; an agoraphobic child psychologist witnesses a crime in the thriller The Woman In The Window (15/5) ; Vin Diesel returns in Fast & Furious 9 (22/5); Dev Patel takes the lead in The Personal History Of David Copperfield (29/5) ; Dakota Johnson plays an aspiring music producer who endures an exhausting job as the assistant to a legendary singer in Covers (29/5)

LOCAL IS LEKKER

Moffie (13/3) tells the story of a conscript who embarks on his military service in 1981 South Africa; questioning issues of race, class and gender, Griekwastad (27/3) tells the true story of the search to find the truth behind the murders that shocked and divided a community; Flatland (10/4) is a portrait of femininity set against the backdrop of a hostile frontier land, that interrogates what it means to be a woman today – in South Africa and the world at large; Seriously Single (1/5) is a romantic comedy about a serial monogamist who falls in love; the magical realist period drama Toorbos (1/5) explores the Afrikaner feminine, through her fragility and power; the Xhosa-film Letters Of Hope (29/5) is set in 1976 apartheid South Africa and deals with a 16-year-old who really wants to be a policeman and can’t understand why his father won’t let him.

The best decision I ever made for myself was getting on PrEP because it has made me realize the importance of taking care of your sexual health like you would your mental and physical health - Phumlani Kango

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IN CELEBRATION OF PRIDE, LET’S LOOK AT QUEER CLASSICS THAT SHAPED BEING OUT AND PROUD.

In our previous edition I looked at films released from the 30s to the 70s that you can add to your DVD collection. Now it’s time to add classics from the 80s, a vitally significant decade in the history of Queer cinema. T he 80s kicked off with drama when LGBT activists publicly protested Cruising for its homophobic political message, and portraying gay men as being attracted to violence, which could in turn justify homophobic hate crimes. In this cult classic from William Friedkin (who also gave us Boys In The Band) Al Pacino goes undercover into the dark underbelly of New York’s gay S&M scene to track a serial killer preying on gay men.

Shot on location with many characters appearing as themselves, Frank Ripploh’ groundbreaking autobiographical Taxi zum Klo (1981) documents gay culture in West Berlin in post gay liberation and before the onset of AIDS. The title refers to casual sexual encounters in toilets. The film is a dark comedy of manners and wryly explores the life of a schoolteacher and was not passed uncut by the British Board of Film Classification until 2011.

In 1982 Mariel Hemingway played a young bisexual pentathlete vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team but opts for a relationship with her lesbian coach—played by Olympic hurdler Patrice Donnelly in Personal Best, while Károly Makk’s Hungarian film Another Way dealt with a serious affair between two women.

Donna Deitch’ quintessential ‘80s lesbian romantic drama The Desert Hearts (1985) is regarded as one of the first widerelease films to present a positive portrayal of lesbian sexuality and sets its romance in a warm, affirming environment and lets its leads enjoy their relationship without angst or fear of death. It tells the story of a university professor awaiting a divorce who finds her true self when she meets a free-spirited younger woman self-confident in her romantic and sexual attraction.

Another cult classic that was unleashed in 1982 was Blake Edwards’ Victor/Victoria, starring his wife Julie Andrews as a woman pretending to be a man impersonating a woman and Robert Preston as her flaming gay buddy, comically exploring transvestism and sexual identity as central themes and was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

The first wide-release mainstream Hollywood drama with a homosexual relationship at its core was Arthur Hiller’s Making Love (1982), with Michael Ontkean as a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that develops between him, his wife and another man.

Mag 46 Who can ever forget Brad Davis in Querelle (1982), Jean Genet tale of an incredibly sexy and depraved young French sailor’s descent into Hell who murders another sailor and ‘’execution’’ for his crime by allowing himself to be brutally sodomised. He also has a masochistic affair with a police inspector who wears Hell’s Angels drag, and is worshipped by a naval officer on Querelle’s ship. It marked Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film as a writer/director and was posthumously released just months Al Pacino in Cruising

Desert Hearts

after the director died of a drug overdose in June 1982. The Terence Davies Trilogy (1983) is a trio of interlinked shorts, three portraits of the artist as a young, middle-aged and old man. The films ‘Children’ (1976), ‘Madonna and the Child’ (1980) and ‘Death and Transfiguration’ (1983 trace the life of Robert Tucker, the director’s alter ego, from childhood to the grave, exploring heart-breaking struggles with religion and sexuality. The Times of Harvey Milk

Rob Epstein’s documentary The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) traces the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco’s first openly gay supervisor and explores his rise from a neighbourhood activist to a symbol of gay political achievement, through to his assassination in November 1978 at San Francisco’s city hall, and the Dan White trial and aftermath. This doccie was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012 .

The doccie Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984) investigated LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots and won Emmy Awards in 1987 for Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Research. In 2019 was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” .

The first made for television film to deal with the topic of AIDS was John Erman’s An Early Frost (1985) with Aidan Quinn as a Chicago attorney who goes home to break the news that he is gay and has AIDS to his parents. While the three major networks generally shied away from airing programming with similar themes until 1988, in the weeks following the broadcast of An Early Frost, episodes of St. Elsewhere, Mr. Belvedere, and Hotel dealt with AIDS issues, and in July 1986, Showtime broadcast the AIDS film As Is. The film paved the way for later TV and feature films dealing with the topic of AIDS, including Go Toward the Light (1988); The Littlest Victims and The Ryan White Story (both 1989); Longtime Companion (1990); And the Band Played On; and Philadelphia (both 1993).

Buddies (1985) also explored the AIDS pandemic, following a New York City gay man in a monogamous relationship becoming a “buddy” or a volunteer friend to another gay man dying of AIDS and the friendship that develops. It was directed by Arthur J. Bressan Jr., who died of complications from AIDS two years after the film was released.

Derek Jarman’s The Angelic Conversation (1985) arthouse drama consists primarily of homoerotic images and opaque landscapes through which two men take a journey into their own desires. Its tone is set by the juxtaposition of slow-moving photographic images and Shakespeare’s sonnets read by Judi Dench.

Rupert Everett rose to stardom after Another Country (1984), which follows classmates and fellow outcasts Guy Bennett (Everett) and Tommy Judd (Colin Firth) finding comfort in friendship during the 1930s, at an elite British public school where conformity is the norm. Openly gay Bennett must deal with bullying and homophobia, while Judd struggles to reconcile the expectations of the establishment with his own Marxist beliefs when he is given the opportunity to become head boy.

Spielberg’s magnificent The Color Purple (1985) is an adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, with Whoopi Goldberg delivering a powerful performance as Celie, an African-American woman in the early 20th century, who fights her way through oppression and abuse from her husband and finds unexpected love in the arms of another woman.

Wieland Speck’s Westler ( 1985) was originally produced for Longtime Companion

Rupert Everett - Another Country

Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple

West Germany television and later released in cinema. It tells the story of Felix (Sigurd Rachman) who is visited in West Berlin by an American friend from Los Angeles (Andy Lucas). The two make a day trip to East Berlin where they meet Thomas (played by Rainer Strecker). Thomas and Felix fall in love but are divided by the Wall, much like all of Germany at the time. Felix tries to keep their relationship strong by making regular visits to Thomas in the East, but this raises the suspicions of the East German authorities. Eventually, Thomas seeks to flee to West Germany.

Sexuality is only one element in a storm of conflicting values and behaviours in Stephen Frear’s My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), where about Omar a young British-Pakistani man (Gordon Warnecke), is caught between the entrepreneurial, Thatcherite dreams of his uncle (Saeed Jaffrey) and the more romantic, intellectual ambitions of his alcoholic father (Roshan Seth). Omar’s unlikely attraction to Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), an old friend turned neo-fascist hooligan, results in a sex scene in the back of Omar’s refurbished laundrette. A must for any collection of Gay classics is Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy (1988) with Fierstein in top form and armed with sharp wit as a gay man working as a female impersonator in 1970s New York City, looking for love and acceptance. After a series of heartaches, Arnold believes he has found the love of his life in Alan (Matthew Broderick), and the couple make plans to adopt. But when tragedy strikes, Arnold’s life is shaken to its very core, leading to a confrontation with his overbearing mother (Anne Bancroft), who has never approved of her son’s lifestyle.

Harvey Fierstein - Torch Song Trilogy

It took producer Ray Aghayan ten years to get the televisiondrama Consenting Adult (1985) made, with Marlo Thomas and Martin Sheen as parents who must come to terms with their teenage son’s coming out.

Héctor Babenco alluring Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) was adapted by Leonard Schrader from the Manuel Puig novel and earned an Oscar for William Hurt playing an effeminate homosexual in prison for having sex with an underage boy.

Bill Sherwood’s Parting Glances (1986) was completed before his death from an Aids-related illness aged just 37 and was one of the first films to deal directly with the disease. Set over just 24 hours, it’s pegged to the relationship between Robert (John Bolger) and Michael (Richard Ganoung), though the latter’s ailing ex Nick (an early lead role for Steve Buscemi) is also central. Although it burns with injustice, it gives a vivid sense of the humour and partying vital to the spirit of defiance that marked the New York downtown scene of the day.

Merchant-Ivory’s sumptuous Maurice (1987) was based on an EM Forster novel published in 1971, a year after the author’s death, but written over five decades earlier and assumed unpublishable by the writer. It tells of a love affair between two Cambridge students, Maurice (James Wilby) and Clive (Hugh Grant), which becomes more complicated once each of them leaves university. While Clive marries and seeks political office, an increasingly troubled Maurice refuses to discard his feelings, leading to a dangerous (considering the legal and social binds of the time) affair with a gamekeeper (Rupert Graves). The story is heart-breaking but also radical for offering an ending which suggests happiness – however isolated – in a same-sex relationship that crosses the class divide.

The life and tragic death of British playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) is chronicled Prick Up Your Ears (1987). When the young, attractive Orton meets the older, more introverted Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) at drama school, he befriends the kindred spirit and they start an affair. As Orton becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and starts to find success with his writing, Halliwell becomes increasingly alienated and jealous, ultimately tapping into a dangerous rage.

Pedro Almodóvar’s rousing Law of Desire (1987) focuses on a complex love triangle between two men and a trans woman and was his first work centred in homosexual relationships. It follows the more serious tone set by Almodóvar’s previous film, Matador (1986) exploring the unrestrained force of desire, looking at love, loss, gender, family, sexuality and the close link between life and art.

Michael Thornhill’ Australian film The Everlasting Secret Family (1988) deals with a fictional group of middle-aged homosexual men (including a senator) hold influence and power over young schoolboys from the fictional Saint Michael’s Private School for Boys.

By the end of the 1980s, mainstream Hollywood was just about ready to confront the Aids crisis, and leading the way was Norman René’s Longtime Companion (1989) which opened a window onto the realities of Aids-related illness. Taking its name from the New York Times obituary page’s euphemism for the partners of the dead, it covers the whole decade, structured around well-heeled couple Sean (Mark Lamos) and David (Bruce Davison) and their friends and family

Marlon Riggs’ experimental documentary Tongues Untied (1989) seeks to “shatter the nation’s brutalizing silence on matters of sexual and racial difference.” The film blends documentary footage with personal account and poetry depicting the specificity of black gay identity. The “silence” referred to throughout the film is that of black gay men, who are unable to express themselves because of the prejudices of white and black heterosexual society, as well as the white gay society.

Artistically envisioned and lovingly done, the doccie Looking For Langston (1989) has become a favourite within the gay community for its willingness to examine the viewpoint including sexuality and the black experience. It explores the life and consequences of late African American poet Langston Hughes who represented the unabashed energy of the Cotton Club and the emerging tone of beat poetry. Filmmaker Isaac Julien fuses together a multitude of images to create a patchwork of impressions about the changing gay culture.

East German filmmaker Heiner Carow’s Coming Out (1989) premiered in Berlin on 9 November 1989, the night that the Berlin Wall was opened, and deals with a high school teacher, “coming out” and accepting himself as gay. It won a number of awards including a Silver Bear and Teddy Award at 40th Berlin International Film Festival.

Though I grew up overweight, I chose to not be defined by it, and though I was coming to terms with my own body, stretch marks and all, I didn’t realising that I played a negative role in the way others felt about themselves, and that I was part of the problem - Martin Headger

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