"A lot of people in my world - in the acting world - have either lost friends to Aids or live with HIV because its origin in our culture, in New York for instance, was in the gay community"

In this quote, Emma Thompson is going over the effect of HIV and AIDS in the acting world. She points out that lots of people in her world, particularly the acting world, have actually either lost friends to AIDS or are coping with HIV themselves. She then discusses that the origin of this illness in their culture, particularly in New York, was within the gay community. This highlights the destructive impact that HIV and AIDS had on the gay community throughout the early years of the epidemic. Thompson's words likewise shed light on the importance of understanding the cultural and social aspects that add to the spread of illness.