HIV/AIDS became the highlighted disease of the '80s w/the mid '80s particularly in the public vision.
So this film on a son visiting his conservative church going religious parents & younger brother trying to find some last bit of love while debating how to tell them he's going to die.
Typical church reactions to those who stray. "No forgiveness in hell." "Whatever goes to hell, stays in hell."
A similar movie just watched "Transformer" about a transgender weightlifter covered many of the same intolerance issues.