Prep School: Kramer/Fauci

The fact that Larry Kramer and Anthony Fauci eventually considered each other friends is at odds with their early interactions, which include a 1988 op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle that calls him not only a murderer but an “incompetent idiot” and a Kramer-penned flyer distributed by ACT UP at a dinner honoring Fauci: “Anthony Fauci, you are a murderer… you should not be honored at a dinner. You should be put before a firing squad.” (You can read the full flyer here.)

Larry Kramer was the co-founder of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), and AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). His grief and rage at the lack of adequate response from the US government (and for years, the lack of any response at all aside from mockery) was not abated by Fauci’s initial work on AIDS, which was a marked improvement than the initial official policy which more or less amounted to cheering the virus on; but Fauci is still inadequate, and this pressure from ACT UP is enormously influential in pushing for more effective resources in education, prevention, medication and messaging. Arguably, ACT UP’s work was instrumental in achieving any kind of resources for a disease that was largely, wrongly seen as just deserts for immoral, unnatural gay lifestyles.

Anthony Fauci‘s continued prominence as the face of public health for two once-in-a-lifetime, world-changing pandemics (will he go for a hat trick?) means that many audience members may know him in a very different context than the adversary of righteous queer activism. A markedly different open letter to Fauci, published in McSweeney’s for Passover 2020, starts with an apology – “I’m really sorry to bother you … You’re busy saving the world on four hours of sleep” – and reflects Fauci’s position as a benevolent, trusted figure. Revisiting this history, as we continue to grapple with the ongoing public health crises of both of these viruses, is an opportunity to consider the weight of history in our own lived experience, and the power of our shared rage and grief against the open hostilities we face from our government.

The performance “Kramer/Fauci” is based on a 1993 debate between Kramer and Fauci on C-SPAN, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. We’ve put together some resources on AIDS activism, plus interviews with Kramer and Fauci throughout the years. Go down the rabbit hole – there’s so much to read, this is just a starting point. Plus, a new interview with Daniel Fish – the Tony Award-winning director bringing their 1993 encounter to the stage in this world premier work.