People With AIDS
People With AIDS (PWA) means "person with HIV/AIDS", also sometimes phrased as Person Living with AIDS. It is a term of self-empowerment, adopted by those with the virus in the early years of the pandemic (the 1980s), as an alternative to the passive implications of "AIDS patient". The phrase arose largely from the ACT UP activist community, however use of the term may or may not indicate that the person is associated with any particular political group.[citation needed]
Among the early confirmed uses was San Francisco nurse Bobbi Campbell, a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and later People With AIDS' San Francisco chapter. This group also was part of the formation of what became known as the Denver Principles out of the Second National AIDS Forum, which was held in Denver.[1][2][3]
The PWA self-empowerment movement believes that those living with HIV/AIDS have the human rights to "take charge of their own life, illness, and care, and to minimize dependence on others".[This quote needs a citation] The predominant attitude is that one should not assume that one's life is over and will end soon solely because they have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.[4] Although most of the earliest organizers have died, and organizations dissolved or reconfigured into AIDS service organizations (ASOs), the self-empowerment and self-determination aspects of the movement continue.[citation needed]
The New York Public Library holds the archives of the New York City chapter, as well as ACT UP New York's work in the field.[5]
The Denver Principles Project
[edit]In 2009, the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and POZ magazine announced a new initiative called The Denver Principles Project.[6] The Denver Principles Project aimed to recommit the HIV community to the Denver Principles and dramatically increase NAPWA's membership.[6] With a vastly increased membership, 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.[6]
See also
[edit]- Think Positive – organization in Lebanon
References
[edit]- ^ Highleyman, Liz (2005-05-27). "Dallas Voice - The Community Newspaper for Gay & Lesbian Dallas". Archived from the original on 2005-05-27. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Camuto, Alan (2023-06-15). "Forty Years Since the Denver Principles, Their Demands Remain as Pertinent as Ever". amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "HIV Caucus | The Denver Principles". www.hivcaucus.org. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Wright, Joe (October 2013). "Only your calamity: the beginnings of activism by and for people with AIDS". American Journal of Public Health. 103 (10): 1788–1798. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301381. ISSN 1541-0048. PMC 3780739. PMID 23948013.
- ^ Stinson, John D. (August 1998). "People with AIDS Coalition Records 1981-1993" (PDF).
- ^ a b c David Ernesto Munar (March 9, 2009). "NAPWA Aims to Reshape U.S. AIDS Advocacy". POZ. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
