ABSTRACT
AY V O L U N T E E R I S M I N acqui red i m m u n e deficiency syn d r o m e ( A I D S ) is a un ique p h e n o m e n o n shaped comple te ly by its o w n exigen cies and social con tours . A I D S is still a disease o f minori t ies , the disinheri ted, and the s t igmat ized . Therefore traditional m o d e l s o f either social m o v e m e n t deve lopmen t (which is wha t A I D S volunteer ism essentially b e g a n as) or for mal organiza t ional g rowth (which is wha t successful voluntary c o m m u n i t y ef forts typically deve lop in to) cannot fully capture the significance o f h o w h o m o p h o b i a ( the inordinate fear o f homosexua l i ty and gay p e o p l e ) shapes the evolut ion o f volunteer ism as a r esponse to a b a n d o n m e n t .
