Open the ACT UP New York PDF first. It carries the full text of the Denver Principles AIDS statement, written by people living with AIDS at a national health conference in Denver. The authors rejected the labels "victims" and "patients" and chose their own term, "People With AIDS." Four other publishers add the origin, the opening declaration, the background and the history. Read the PDF end to end, then pick the next source by what you still want: the origin, the opening declaration, the background or the history.
The Fifth Annual National AIDS Forum
The statement belongs to Denver. People living with AIDS drafted it during a national health conference held in the city, then read it from the stage themselves. NAPWA publishes the text together with its origin, which makes that PDF the best second stop for where the document came from.
The conference is the setting, and the authors are the subject. They were living with AIDS, and the document is written from inside that experience. It does not describe people with AIDS from the outside.
The Denver Principles site covers the history of the statement and what followed from it. Used together, the NAPWA PDF and that site tie the document to a specific city and a specific gathering, and then follow it forward from the room where it was read.
The name follows from the place. The statement is called the Denver Principles because it was written here, and that name is how it is cited and reprinted by every publisher on this page. For wider research into queer history in the city, see Denver LGBTQ+ Archives: Where to Research Queer History, which points to archives rather than to this one document.
The Words of the Denver Principles
The opening declaration is short and direct. As printed by the HIV Caucus, the authors condemn attempts to label people with AIDS as "victims," a term "which implies defeat." They add that they are "only occasionally 'patients,'" a term "which implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others." The same passage names the term the authors chose for themselves, "People With AIDS." The ACT UP New York PDF of the statement from the People with AIDS advisory committee carries that same term.
Taken one step at a time, the passage does three things:
- It rejects "victims" because the word implies defeat.
- It limits "patients" to an occasional role.
- It puts the authors' own term, "People With AIDS," in place of both.
The order matters. The statement clears away two labels and only then supplies its own. The argument is already in the opening lines: the words used for people with AIDS shape how they are treated. A label that implies defeat invites pity, and a label that implies helplessness invites others to decide on someone's behalf. The authors answer both by naming themselves.
There is no technical vocabulary and no long preamble. Each rejected word comes with its reason, and each reason is a single plain phrase. That economy is why the declaration is so often quoted on its own.
The HIV Caucus page also includes recommendations for health care professionals, and NAPWA publishes the "victims" and "patients" passage along with its recommendations. Start with the HIV Caucus page to get the argument quickly. Then open the ACT UP New York PDF to see how the same words sit inside the complete statement.
Colorado Community Response
The statement came out of a community, not a single author. The ASLD background PDF gives context on the statement and the setting in which it was written. The Denver Principles adds the history behind the document and how it has been carried forward.
Read side by side, the two sources describe the statement as part of the early organizing by people living with AIDS. The people on that stage put into one text a position that others in the same situation could use.
That is why the statement reads as a piece of organizing as well as a piece of writing. It names a term, "People With AIDS," that others could take up, and it sets out recommendations that follow the opening declaration. The term and the recommendations travel with the text wherever it appears.
The ASLD PDF suits anyone who wants the setting before the wording. The Denver Principles site suits anyone who has finished the text and wants to know what came after. Neither replaces the full statement, and both make it easier to read.
Where to Read the Full Denver Principles
Five publishers carry the text or its background, and each does it a little differently. Choose by what you need:
- For the complete statement, open the ACT UP New York PDF.
- For the origin of the document, open the NAPWA PDF.
- For the opening declaration and the recommendations, open the HIV Caucus page. It is the quick route when only those parts are needed.
- For background on the setting in which the statement was written, open the ASLD PDF.
- For the history and what followed, open thedenverprinciples.com.
The document did not stay in the room where it was read. The publishers above still carry it, which is how it can be opened today. The Denver Principles site treats the document as something still read and republished, not as an item sealed in the past.
Start with the ACT UP New York PDF, then open the NAPWA PDF for where the document came from.
They are a statement by people living with AIDS, drafted at a national health conference in Denver. The opening rejects the labels "victims" and "patients" and names the authors' own term, "People With AIDS." The HIV Caucus prints the opening declaration. What are the Denver Principles? People living with AIDS drafted the statement at the conference and read it from the stage themselves. That is why the document speaks from the position of the people it describes. NAPWA publishes the text with its origin. Who wrote the Denver Principles? The statement condemns the label "victims," saying the term implies defeat. It also calls "patients" a word that implies passivity, helplessness and dependence, and it offers "People With AIDS" in their place. What do the Denver Principles say about the word victim? ACT UP New York publishes the full text as a PDF. NAPWA publishes it with its origin, and the HIV Caucus carries the opening declaration and recommendations. Where can the full Denver Principles be read? The statement was written in Denver, during a national health conference. The city gives the document its name, and that name is how it is cited and reprinted. The Denver Principles site collects its history. Updated 2026-10-16: removed the first-person question and unsupported dates; quoted the opening declaration from the HIV Caucus; linked each publisher of the text. Why are they called the Denver Principles?
They are a statement by people living with AIDS, drafted at a national health conference in Denver. The opening rejects the labels "victims" and "patients" and names the authors' own term, "People With AIDS." What are the Denver Principles? People living with AIDS drafted the statement at the conference and read it from the stage themselves. That is why the document speaks from the position of the people it describes. NAPWA publishes the text with its origin. Who wrote the Denver Principles? The statement condemns the label "victims," saying the term implies defeat. It also calls "patients" a word that implies passivity, helplessness and dependence, and it offers "People With AIDS" in their place. What do the Denver Principles say about the word victim? ACT UP New York publishes the full text as a PDF. NAPWA publishes it with its origin, and the HIV Caucus carries the opening declaration and recommendations. Where can the full Denver Principles be read? The statement was written in Denver, during a national health conference. The city gives the document its name, and that name is how it is cited and reprinted. The Denver Principles site collects its history. Updated 2026-10-16: shortened the meta description, added a link to a related page, and re-cited each source. Why are they called the Denver Principles?
A statement written by people living with AIDS at a national health conference in Denver. It turns away from the labels "victims" and "patients" and puts forward the authors' own term, "People With AIDS," followed by recommendations. What are the Denver Principles? The authors were themselves people living with AIDS. They drafted the text at the conference and delivered it in person. NAPWA publishes the statement alongside its origin. Who wrote the Denver Principles? The opening declaration, printed by the HIV Caucus , condemns the label "victims" because the term implies defeat. What do the Denver Principles say about the word victim? ACT UP New York publishes the complete statement as a PDF. For only the opening declaration and the recommendations, the HIV Caucus page is the shorter read. Where can the full Denver Principles be read? Because the statement was written in Denver. The city gives the document its name, and The Denver Principles site collects the history of what followed. Updated 2026-10-16: removed duplicated text and unsupported dates; shortened the meta description; cited each source inline. Why are they called the Denver Principles?
A statement by people living with AIDS, drafted at a national health conference in Denver. It turns away from the labels "victims" and "patients" and puts forward the authors' own term, "People With AIDS," followed by recommendations. What are the Denver Principles? The authors were themselves people living with AIDS. They drafted the text at the conference and read it from the stage. NAPWA publishes the statement alongside its origin. Who wrote the Denver Principles? The opening declaration, printed by the HIV Caucus , condemns the label "victims" because the term implies defeat. What do the Denver Principles say about the word victim? ACT UP New York publishes the complete statement as a PDF. For only the opening declaration and the recommendations, the HIV Caucus page is the shorter read. Where can the full Denver Principles be read? Because the statement was written in Denver. The city gives the document its name, and The Denver Principles site collects the history of what followed. Updated 2026-10-16: removed the duplicated text and unsupported dates; quoted the opening declaration from the HIV Caucus; cited each publisher inline and linked the related archives page. Why are they called the Denver Principles?
A statement by people living with AIDS, drafted at a national health conference in Denver. It turns away from the labels "victims" and "patients" and puts forward the authors' own term, "People With AIDS," followed by recommendations. What are the Denver Principles? The authors were themselves people living with AIDS. They drafted the text at the conference and read it from the stage. NAPWA publishes the statement alongside its origin. Who wrote the Denver Principles? The opening declaration, printed by the HIV Caucus , condemns the label "victims" because the term implies defeat. What do the Denver Principles say about the word victim? ACT UP New York publishes the complete statement as a PDF. For only the opening declaration and the recommendations, the HIV Caucus page is the shorter read. Where can the full Denver Principles be read? Because the statement was written in Denver. The city gives the document its name, and The Denver Principles site collects the history of what followed. Updated 2026-10-16: removed duplicated FAQ text and unsupported dates; shortened the meta description; quoted the opening declaration from the HIV Caucus and cited each source inline. Why are they called the Denver Principles?
