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Everyone's Crying Over It's a Sin — For Good Reason

Fans are loving the incredibly important, new HBO Max series.

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While It's A Sin premiered last month in the UK, all five episodes of the original Russell T. Davis series showcasing life, love, and grief during the AIDS crisis have finally dropped on HBO Max.

Olly Alexander, Years & Years frontman and star of the series, celebrated the U.S. premiere on Twitter.

\u201cHELLO UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ! ! \u2728 #ITSASIN\u2728IS NOW AVAILABLE ON @hbomax \ud83d\udcab\u201d
— olly alexander (@olly alexander) 1613656800

American viewers are getting their first taste of the groundbreaking series that is showcasing LGBTQ+ lives with beauty and empathy, and the emotional reactions are rolling in on Twitter.

\u201cI have been sat blubbering away for over half an hour!\n\nIt\u2019s A Sin, has both stolen and broken my heart \u2764\ufe0f\n\nWhat a beautiful and important show! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u201d
— Hana Jennings (@Hana Jennings) 1611617723

\u201cThinking of my partner Carlos , who passed on this day in 1994 a month after his 31st birthday. Watching #ItsASin was difficult but I\u2019m glad I did . A fictional story that told the truth of what really happened. A true story.\nCarlos Henrique Martins\n19/01/63 , 21/02/94 \u2764\ufe0f\u201d
— Steve Grant \ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Steve Grant \ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1613924429

\u201cHeartbreaking last episode of #ItsASin. The acting is outstanding by all \ud83d\ude22 LA x\u201d
— Dame Joanna Lumley (@Dame Joanna Lumley) 1613772006

\u201cbefore & after watching it's a sin\u201d
— couple of concepts (@couple of concepts) 1611519853

\u201cThat sense of shame afflicts lots of gay/bi people to varying degrees, and fuels higher levels of mental distress and, as a consequence, significantly higher risk of abusive relationships with drugs and alcohol.\u201d
— Owen Jones (@Owen Jones) 1611614222

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— Benjaminge (@Benjaminge) 1611580303

\u201cIt\u2019s A Sin is stunning but how is there still so little queer TV that one man is essentially the only reason there\u2019s been any major queer dramas in the past 20 years.\u201d
— Ben McGowan (@Ben McGowan) 1611355761

\u201cafter watching it's a sin i am so much more shocked at the current state of queer sex education. our community went through fear, tragedy, and loss, and 40 years on sex education in schools still so often doesn't represent us - and demonizes those with STDs\u201d
— ellie \ud83c\udf43\ud83c\udf44 (@ellie \ud83c\udf43\ud83c\udf44) 1611569635

\u201cRitchie and Ash lying in a hospital bed together is a beautiful moment of love.\n\nIt\u2019s reminiscent of Gideon Mendel\u2019s photo series where he visited an AIDS ward to show the loving relationships between the men who were dying and their partners.\n\nTo humanise HIV.\n\n#ItsASin\u201d
— Terrence Higgins Trust (@Terrence Higgins Trust) 1613768972

\u201cThe final hour of #ItsASin is sensational, heartbreaking television. Those long scenes featuring Keeley Hawes. I barely breathed.\u201d
— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1613770313

\u201cIt\u2019s A Sin isn\u2019t a drama about AIDS, it\u2019s about homophobia.\nIt illustrates how fear, hatred and intolerance of homosexuality combined with a virus to kill people like me and people like my friends.\nMy piece for Huff Post on the memories #ItsASin triggered.\nhttps://t.co/6ajI82y3W4\u201d
— Matthew Hodson (@Matthew Hodson) 1613720314

Even celebrities like Sir Elton John and Graham Norton joined in on this discourse.

\u201cTonight It\u2019s A Sin on @Channel4 The best five hours of television I\u2019ve seen in years. Your heart will be broken, warmed and lifted. Cast amazing. Soundtrack epic but most of all it\u2019s about the genius and compassion of @russelldavies63\u201d
— graham norton (@graham norton) 1611315579

\u201cIt's A Sin is one of the best things I\u2019ve seen on television \u2013 ever! So it was great to have @alexander_olly as my co-host for this week\u2019s #RocketHour. Tune in to @applemusic on Saturday to hear the show and in the meantime, make sure you watch #ItsASin on @hbomax & @Channel4 \ud83d\ude80\u201d
— Elton John (@Elton John) 1613664002

The series is inciting some real-world change. According to Dazed, orders for one organization's at-home HIV test kit have increased over 400% since the show's premiere. "I’m trying not to cry," said Alexander. "It’s amazing to see a real-time response to the show. I’m really moved by it."

Other HIV prevention and aid organizations in the UK have seen a massive uptick in people volunteering their time and money to stop the spread of the virus.

It's A Sin is already inciting some massive change overseas, hopefully, the stunning series has a similar effect on American viewers.

Watch It's A Sin on HBO Max now!