The last twenty years have witnessed the explosion of a worldwide epidemic. AIDS is a syndrome that crosses national borders and renders obsolete the distinctions between the public and private spheres. Researchers and historians who try to understand the social nuances of AIDS often classify it as a cultural illness that underlines national differences. In this way, "the AIDS epidemic is cultural and linguistic as well as biological and biomedical." This paper explores the cultural differences observed between France and the United States on the issue of AIDS prevention in the gay community. The study is based on participant observation conducted during two internships with AIDS prevention organizations targeting gay men: at AIDES in Toulouse, France and at the AIDS Community Alliance (ACA) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. AIDS, when examined in the context of homosexuality, highlights the social, cultural, and ideological differences between France and the US. Most striking is the disparate articulation of the gay community in these two countries.