INTE 398 Chapter 5.4: Denver Principles Reading Summary
Document Summary
[5. 4] how the denver principles changed aids forever [reading summary] We must know this story; for it has already changed our lives. 1983, a year after aids became a feared name in the gay community: hiv had just been identified. A group of activists met in denver at a conference: among them a dozen men with aids. The activists asked to address the attendees: not with a report, but to speak for themselves. A bill of rights & declaration of independence rolled into one. This document would become known as the denver principle: we condemn attempts to label us as victims," which implies defeat, and we are only occasionally patients," which implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others. This would go on to become a historical marker of speaking not as victims of a cruel killer. Outlined 17 principles that covered everything from health care to civil right.