About Us

The Denver Principles (1983)

There is no better way to cite the history of the PWA self-empowerment movement

that to quote the principles articulated in Denver in 1983. They are as relevant and

powerful today as they were then.

THE DENVER PRINCIPLES

(Statement from the advisory committee of the People with AIDS)

We condemn attempts to label us as "victims," a term which implies defeat, and we

are only occasionally "patients," a term which implies passivity, helplessness, and

dependence upon the care of others. We are "People With AIDS."

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL PEOPLE

1. Support us in our struggle against those who would fire us from our jobs, evict us

from our homes, refuse to touch us or separate us from our loved ones, our

community or our peers, since available evidence does not support the view that

AIDS can be spread by casual, social contact.

2. Not scapegoat people with AIDS, blame us for the epidemic or generalize about our

lifestyles.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS

1. Form caucuses to choose their own representatives, to deal with the media, to

choose their own agenda and to plan their own strategies.

2. Be involved at every level of decision-making and specifically serve on the boards

of directors of provider organizations.

3. Be included in all AIDS forums with equal credibility as other participants, to share

their own experiences and knowledge.

4. Substitute low-risk sexual behaviors for those which could endanger themselves or

their partners; we feel people with AIDS have an ethical responsibility to inform their

potential sexual partners of their health status.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS

1. To as full and satisfying sexual and emotional lives as anyone else.

2. To quality medical treatment and quality social service provision without

discrimination of any form including sexual orientation, gender, diagnosis, economic

status or race.

3. To full explanations of all medical procedures and risks, to choose or refuse their

treatment modalities, to refuse to participate in research without jeopardizing their

treatment and to make informed decisions about their lives.

4. To privacy, to confidentiality of medical records, to human respect and to choose

who their significant others are.

5. To die--and to LIVE--in dignity.