Gaëtan Dugas . This is no surprise to me and I am angry that it has taken so long for the record to be corrected. I asked Randy Shilts directly about why he had singled out Gaëtan Dugas. His answer surprised me . He told me that he had not originally named Dugas as the cause of the Aids pandemic in US . He told me that his editor Michael Denney has insisted he personalize the story so readers could identify. Shilts told me he resisted but Michael insisted back. Randy was already sick and simply gave up the fight. He told me he regretted doing so in retrospect.
Two things i should add: 2: prior to the formal announcement of the discovery of grid an std epidemiologist conference in Washington State had a paper presented that showed the outbreak of a what was presumed to be a infectious agent among gay men. The study had traced sexual activity pf a closed circle of men in Los Angeles which included Gaëtan Dugas whose members had come down with this mysterious immune affected disease. They also discovered the same pattern in a group of men on fire island in ny who also were experience this unknow condition. Gaëtan Dugas becasue of his work as an airline steward had had sex with men in each group. It was concluded that what each group had in common besides dugas was extreme sex play which could involved blood,.When I spoke to Shults I asked him if he was familiar with this group study, He said yes, it was where he first learned of Gaëtan Dugas. I remeber suggesting to him that people who do similar rhings have similar results. He agreed.
2: Michael Denney also insisted that David Carter in STONEWALL RIOT use the word riot to describe the first night of the Stonewall Rebellion. Carter knew it was not a riot . What happened in no way fit the criteria for the use of the word riot. But the inexperienced writer was told it was important to use the word to help book sales by Denney. Carter told me this himself when i asked why the book was so titled. Carter now likes to use the word "uprising" but this too is not the correct use of the word uprising. Uprising implies pre-planning . This is why I use the word rebellion ... in this historical moment the actions of the people in the street were spontaneous ..It was not pre-planned,. No one can take credit for what happened . I know i was present in front of the Stonewall Inn from 10:30 pm that first night and the following three,,, this is documented in Martin Duberman's book STONEWALL
'Patient zero' Gaëtan Dugas not source of HIV/Aids outbreak, study confirms | Science | The Guardian
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