[maxbond]

This is too far a leap, that haven't said anything overtly homophobic. It's likely they aren't homophobic, who knows.

When we make leaps like this we risk the conversation devolving into something where the germane criticisms are lost. It's a lot easier to critique their position and rhetoric than to interrogate the content of their soul, and they will always have the home court advantage there.

I'm not the rhetoric police, but that is my advice.

[gillytech]

You got it exactly right. Simply stating a fact is not an attack on anyone. In any scientific inquiry one needs to consider all the similarities and differences in the data. Most notably, if HIV is spread through sexual contact, why was it most prevalent in gay men of a particular lifestyle in a particular place? If it were straight white Amish people that it was attacking, I would say the same thing.

Not that it matters, but my sister is gay and I am going to be in her wedding this October. I have a much more nuanced understanding of homosexuality as my twin falls into this category.

[maxbond]

> if HIV is spread through sexual contact, why was it most prevalent in gay men of a particular lifestyle in a particular place?

You've answered your own question. Because they were a community of people in sexual contact with each other, and/or sharing needles.

Please consider that, whether or you are homophobic, you are repeating homophobic talking points. The idea that HIV was caused by "lifestyle" rather than a virus was invented to discredit the idea that it was an epidemic requiring urgent medical intervention. It's rhetoric which was invented to frame a disease as a moral failing in order to deny or delay the development of lifesaving care to a population some would prefer to see suffer and die (as well as deny or delay interventions like educating people and distributing protection). This is "gay plague" stuff. Frankly, I can understand why the other commenter took the impression you are homophobic.

Sincere congratulations to your sister. I hope the wedding is lovely.