Tony's Diary Package — page 157

him they were all conquered, this was a career-killer move. Not long after, AIDS hit." Fauci's role in the AIDS epidemic changed him. At first, he tackled the growing crisis with a measured, data-driven approach to trying to find a treatment. But that methodical tack infuriated gay activists watching friends die daily. "Initially, Fauci was very rigid in his approach to AIDS and people like (gay rights activist and playwright) Larry Kramer got in his face, calling him the worst things," says Baruch College professor Engel, who wrote "The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS." "And to Fauci's credit, he got it and he changed." Fauci had been seen as the detached scientific face of an uncaring administration led by President Ronald Reagan, late to understanding the scope of the AIDS crisis. Fauci started to meet with members of the gay rights community and quickly understood the need to include those who were suffering in finding a solution.