Who's a naughty boy then

Spare a thought for Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Gus Van Sant's recent biopic Milk. Currently riding high on the back of his academy award victory, he's found himself inadvertently thrust into the limelight, courtesy of an unscrupulous ex.

Like many better known celebrities before him (such as Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Colin Farrell and Pamela Anderson), footage of him in flagrante has found its way onto the interweb. Now, gay sex tapes are pretty rare, probably because the majority of gay celebrities are closeted and would run a mile the moment someone whipped out a camera phone or camcorder. But given that Dustin's a writer, and a little known one at that, I don't suppose he ever considered that recording his posterior for posterity would come back to haunt him.

Ordinarily, a sex tape of someone largely unknown outside of the industry would be small potatoes (for the record, Dustin's spuds seem quite plentiful), but this story has exploded thanks to the involvement of Perez Hilton. Thankfully, the videos don't involve Perez, otherwise I'd be sewing buttons into my eyes like Coraline. No, Perez simply broke the story and published the (very not-safe-for-work pictures), figuring that anyone who records a sex tape is fair game for exposure.

The problem is, Dustin's writing and idealism have marked him out as a new poster-child for grassroots activism. His screenplay for Milk looked at Harvey Milk's extraordinary impact on the people and politics of 1970s San Francisco, as he mobilised a disenfranchised and disconnected community. So it's problematic that the pictures posted on Perez Hilton's website show Dustin indulging in some bareback mounting.

As a result, Dustin's had to issue a public statement apologising for the pictures and stressing the importance of 'responsible sexual practices'. The media is concerned that young people will see Dustin's exploits and decide to follow in his under-dressed footsteps. I'm not sure anyone ever looked to a Hollywood scriptwriter for tips on their sex life, but nonetheless, there's an important point to address here.

Recent advancements in HIV and AIDS treatments have created a misperception amongst young gay men that the disease is no longer a killer. Instead, they figure it's more of a condition, like diabetes, that can be managed. It's highly likely that this is precisely what the young writer thought three years ago when the pictures were taken. So it's just a shame that he didn't reference that point in his mea culpa.

Black is a talented screenwriter, and has a bright future ahead of him. I just hope that when he looks back at this whole unfortunate experience he realises just how good he looks taking one for the team.