"Purtilo's data indicated that the most promiscuous men had the lowest CD4 [type of white blood cell] counts, while the monogamous participants in the study had normal numbers of the T-helper cells.
"The finding prompted Sonnabend and Callen [doctors] to speak out to New York's gay community, warning that continued promiscuity could be lethal. New York gay playwright Larry Kramer echoed their warnings, issuing pleas for a slowdown on the sexual fast lane. All three men were rewarded with cries of outrage, denounced as "anti-gay faggots," homophobes, fearmongers, and fools." (p. 292, emphasis mine)
This was around 1981 BTW. Haven't read far enough into the book, but this same attitude is still there in 1983 and some of the gays speaking up the most about AIDS are the ones most likely frequenting bathhouses.