From the first brick at Stonewall to Patient Zero, here is a list of mistruths about the queer community, its history, and its members.

Many mistruths and stories surround LGBT history, even many tall tales widely believed within the community. With a recent study debunking the notion that a single Patient Zero could launch the AIDS epidemic, now seems a good time to look at the myths that have confused people about queer culture.

1. Patient Zero

The idea that the entire AIDS crisis in the United States could be traced to a single promiscuous flight attendant held tantalizing appeal to people trying to understand “gay cancer.” The seeming identification of Gaetan Dugas (pictured) and his inclusion in The Band Played On, a book by Randy Shilts and later an HBO film, cemented the myth into public consciousness. The story seemed to start with revelations that Dugas had sex with numerous men in Africa and various parts of the United States. But researchers at the time had no understanding of how widespread HIV already was in Africa. A new genetic analysis released in October shows the virus was in New York in 1971, years before Dugas was working and living in the city. The realization the virus can incubate for years before patients develop symptoms also undermined the possibility that many of Dugas’s partners were infected by him.

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