This paper describes some preliminary attempts to formulate simple mathematical models of the transmission dynamics of HIV infection in homosexual communities. In conjunction with a survey of the available epidemiological data on HIV infection and the incidence of AIDS, the model is used to assess how various processes influence the course of the initial epidemic following the introduction of the virus. Models of the early stages of viral spread provide crude methods for estimating the basic reproductive rate of the virus, given a knowledge of the incubation period of AIDS and the initial doubling time of the epidemic. More complex models are formulated to assess the influence of heterogeneity in sexual activity. This latter factor is shown to have a major effect on the predicted pattern of the epidemic.