When I initially watched the Channel 4 series It’s a Sin by Russell T Davies, I had no idea of the impact it would have on me, and the thought provoking questions it would get me thinking about.

I considered myself fairly well educated on what had happened in the 1980s and 90s regarding the AIDS crisis and its impact. But this show proved how wrong I was – it was truly one of the first depictions that emotively exhibited the complexities of how events transpired during that time.

The show explicitly touches on themes that people from diverse backgrounds can relate to. This is something that I found to be integrally important to the show – although it focused on representing the experiences of the LGBT+ community, it was also so relatable to viewers outside of the community. The themes of confusion, friendship, exploration of identity, family issues, career ups and downs and so much more make this series universal.

What really resonated with me on the show was the relatability of each character. We see in the early episodes, the character of Ritchie Tozer (wonderfully played by Olly Alexander) presenting a level of naivety about the realities of the potential impact of the virus on their friendship group.

This 'it won’t happen to me' approach is something that is still present in the LGBT+ community today and among many young people. Although sex education has greatly improved, the show very clearly details the negative impact of not having proper resources and knowledge on sexual health.

This speaks to the importance of making sure that proper education around a whole host of issues is made available to young people. This is so important to me, and partly why I volunteer with Just Like Us (the LGBT+ young people’s charity) to help bring positive LGBT+ representation to schools.

But the show also served as a time capsule into a historical period that proved to be so important to the development of the LGBT+ rights we have today. Throughout the series, each character is met with different challenges that institutional homophobia and discrimination enact on our community.

A poignant scene that sticks in my mind was when the character Ash Mukherjee (played by Nathaniel Curtis) was asked to go through all of the books at the school he was working at to find any material that 'promoted homosexuality.' Section 28 instigated a culture of silence around issues that needed representation.

To think that Just Like Us’ sessions that focus on uplifting and educating young people, would have potentially been deemed 'illegal' not too long ago under Section 28, conveys how far we have come. But it also highlights the work that is still needed to be done.

Another thing I loved about the show was its way of remembering the communities we lost. The AIDS crisis was not only used to ‘legitimise’ homophobia within Britain and much of the western world, but it also took the lives of so many treasured individuals.

In the series we see directly how the lives of peoples and whole families were shattered by the deaths that were caused by AIDS. We saw the culture of shame that was instigated around having and dying from the virus. This lit a fire within me to keep the memory of all those who lost their lives alive and make sure to actively challenge the culture of shame that exists around issues like these.

Recently we’ve seen similar stigmatised narratives perpetuated around the outbreak of the monkeypox virus. It’s clear that certain members in society are repackaging their homophobia in discourse around this new virus – like with HIV, we must challenge this behaviour.

Weaponising homophobia when speaking about a virus that is able to affect anyone helps no one and is a lesson that should’ve been well and truly learnt by now. Watching It’s a Sin, it’s clear how this kind of homophobia disenfranchises and puts our community at disproportionate risk.

The overarching message I took from the show was the strength of our community. We see the characters create such deep relationships with one another that are able to withstand the incredible difficulties they went through, including so much change, fear and loss.

Their compassion, fierce loyalty, and admiration for one another were all attributes I can find within my own friendship groups and among members of the LGBT+ community, which is why I am such a fan of the series.

Community and education are what helped us survive then and what we so often need still today. The series kept reminding me of how our fight continues today, including the importance of LGBT+ inclusive education. It motivates me to carry on fighting for young people to grow up knowing our history and that being LGBT+ is something to be celebrated.

And may we remember the Ash and Ritchies of our histories always.

Arber is a volunteer with Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity. They need volunteers - sign up now to get involved.