The Denver Principles Project

Welcome to the
Denver Principles Project!

In 1983, a group of people living with AIDS got together in Denver and wrote a manifesto of self empowerment—known as the Denver Principles—for those living with HIV. The Denver Principles demanded that the voices of people living with HIV be heard. It asserted the right of people living with HIV to participate in the decision-making processes—at all levels—that would fundamentally affect their lives. The same people who wrote the Denver Principles then founded the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA).

Though we've made significant headway in the fight against AIDS, we still have a long way to go before HIV is eradicated. Many people still don't know that they are HIV-positive; many can't afford or access treatment and many don't seek the emotional support, medical care and treatment they deserve for fear of being stigmatized or criminalized for being HIV-positive.

That is why NAPWA and POZ are announcing a bold new initiative called The Denver Principles Project. The Denver Principles Project asks the HIV community to recommit itself to the Denver Principles and dramatically increase NAPWA's membership. With a vastly increased membership, the community and NAPWA will be better able to advocate for effective HIV prevention and care as well as to combat the stigma that surrounds HIV and impedes education, prevention and treatment of HIV.

This is a new era in America, one of great hope. It is vital that the voices and concerns of people living with HIV are heard in Washington, D.C. during these critical first few months of the new administration. The Denver Principles was a historic milestone for the AIDS movement; by joining us today, you will become part of a similarly powerful step forward in the history of the HIV community's fight to stop AIDS.