Left and Right
By labeling Duesberg homophobic, and by associating him with political enemies on the right, Project Inform sought to annul any credibility that Duesberg might enjoy in gay and lesbian communities. Duesberg himself, however, assiduously rejected any taint of homophobia: "In reality I've paid more … to them than … most of my fellow AIDS researchers, who're making millions of dollars by killing homosexuals by the hundreds of thousands with AZT. … It's actually absurd that I'm being labeled the homophobe, when I might in fact have found the real cause of their problem. …"[61] Whatever Duesberg's beliefs, it is certainly the case that the political configurations in the Duesberg controversy have been more complex than simple labels could suggest. For example, some left-wing commentators have supported Duesberg out of a principled objection to monocausal disease models. "Ruling classes embraced modern medicine because the germ theory blamed disease on invisible microbes and not hazardous conditions," according to one pro-Duesberg magazine article from 1989.[62] Yet the appeal of Duesberg's views to conservatives—certainly including those with little sympathy for the gay movement—cannot be denied.
Charles Thomas, the organizer of the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal, has described himself as "libertarian" and claimed that he left Harvard in disgust because the universities had become "totally corrupted by affirmative action, political correctness, the whole nine yards." He criticized the AIDS activist movement as one of "victimology": by portraying AIDS as an "act of God," rather than the consequence
of behavior, homosexuals generated sympathy and government funding.[63] Philip Johnson, the Berkeley law professor on the group's steering committee, has also been known for his conservative views. Bryan Ellison made no bones about why he sought to promote Duesberg in the Heritage Foundation's Policy Review , as well as in California Political Review , a journal that has also featured articles about "Hollywood's leftward tilt" and Republican California Governor Pete Wilson's "liberal surrender."[64] Tom Bethell, a columnist who has written in support of Duesberg in various publications, is well known for his right-wing positions, which have included endorsement of such political figures as Patrick Buchanan.[65] Bethell's columns in the Los Angeles Times include one entitled "We May Regret Going Along with This: The Gay-Rights Agenda Precludes Any Public Doubts."[66] Elsewhere he has expressed sympathy for homosexual "recovery" organizations (which encourage gays and lesbians to become straight).[67]