The Golden Girls did occasionally delve into serious subject matter, and AIDS came up more than once in the series. While the show did not include gay men with AIDS — both instances focused on HIV-infected blood from transfusions — Blanche's speech in "72 Hours" is a clear response to the discrimination faced by those suffering from AIDS, which at the time, was largely the gay community. "AIDS is not a bad person's disease, Rose," she says. "It is not God punishing people for their sins."