Summary

In Part 2, Chapter 1, the author returns to his home town in the Midwest. In contrast to his closeted childhood, France felt confident in his sexuality, but nonetheless like an outsider in the community. Upon returning to New York, he observed the Mayor Ed Koch was making limited attempts to reach out to the gay community, given that it was an election year. Koch alienated religious groups while requiring all city contractors to adhere to non-discriminatory hiring practices. He also appointed an AIDS coordinator for the city, though the position had an extremely small budget. The coordinator refused to run a poster campaign discouraging the use of public bathhouses, despite their apparent link to the spread of disease.

Medical research on the epidemic continued to advance in small steps, with research Jane Teas believing that the disease was caused by a mutated form...