You're missing the other two thirds of the story where the LGBT community basically embraces him as a savior for his efforts in overhauling a beaurocractic nightmare of suffering into something that tries to give people hope and access to unproven treatments when there are no alternatives.

The same people who likened him to Hitler and Mengele in protests became his biggest fans

https://people.com/how-dr-fauci-made-peace-with-some-of-his-fiercest-critics-exclusive-8671230

I saw a pretty good documentary YouTube video on this way back when, but I can't find it under all the covid MAGA drama crap anymore; just wasted 30 minutes searching like "where the fuck..." Dude's completely burried in controversy and conspiracy propaganda now. Yikes.

Anyways, I'm sure there's some problematic shit about Fauci somewhere, but this ain't it. He absolutely was hated. Was. His history with the LGBT community is pretty famous; meeting with critics and advocates, creating meaningful change, winning over haters, then a bunch of academic accolades to boot. Guy's probably saved more lives than most people you've heard of, and not many people knew his name before Covid 19.

[–] mydude@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I agree that he turned a corner, but you need to understand what it took to push him:

The Scientist's May 21, 1990 report ("Demonstrating Discontent") describes roughly 1,000 activists storming the NIH campus, with signs ranging from "We're Fired Up" to "Fuck You, Fauci," and Fauci racing down the stairs of Building 31 (The Scientist, 1990).
The same 1990 event featured "Fauci's head on a stick" effigies, signs reading "120,000 AIDS Deaths, Courtesy NIH," air horns blasted every 12 seconds to mark AIDS deaths, and the chant "NIH, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide" (Zinn Education Project's account of the May 21, 1990 action).

It was lots of massive protests. Only after this massive pressure did he give. I would also like to add that in 1983 he gave an interview implying that household contacts can transmit AIDS, luckily Princess Diana's counter-gesture in 1987 is best understood as a response to the lingering stigma.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 days ago

but you need to understand what it took to push him

bullshit.

People wanted a quick fix. The quick fix was safer sex, but that's not what people wanted to hear.

[–] zabadoh@ani.social 10 points 3 days ago

Thanks for the great article! TIL

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works -5 points 3 days ago

Thanks for the information! In return I will tell you, it's the "o" in "bureaucratic" that's spelled with 3 letters (eau, which happens to also be the French word for water, and pronounced "o" as in Eau de Cologne) whereas the "yure" is just "ur" because... because French.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

AZT alone didn't work. The community refused to believe that.
The community wanted a quick fix and blamed Fauci because they didn't want to change their lifestyle, they wanted a pill.

I would leave my lab at midnight as a post doc and these assholes would be shouting "get back to work". Very hard to stay motivated. But by 1998 triple therapy was developed in NY through multiple efforts and a lot of that was coordinated by Fauci.

The amount of shit this guy had to withstand will only result in future NIH researchers being pointless administrators. USA has a long history of shitting on some of their best scientists.