From June 9 to 12, 1983, the Fifth Annual National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference and Second National AIDS Forum convened at the Executive Tower Inn — now The Curtis Hotel at 1405 Curtis Street. The hotel refused to display the words "gay," "lesbian," or "AIDS" anywhere in the lobby.

About a dozen gay men living with AIDS gathered during the conference: Richard Berkowitz, Michael Callen, Bobbi Campbell, Dan Turner, and Bobby Reynolds among them. Mark Feldman, who helped draft the document, died days before it went public. The denver principles aids movement that emerged from this room would reshape global health advocacy. LGBTQ+ Denver Guide

On June 12, 1983, eleven men stormed the plenary stage before keynote speaker Virginia Apuzzo, carrying a banner reading “Fighting for Our Lives.” They read aloud the document that became known as the Denver Principles.

The opening declaration: “We condemn attempts to label us as ‘victims’...We are ‘People With AIDS.’” This was the first time people sharing a disease organized collectively for political rights. The document has been called the “Magna Carta of AIDS activism” and directly influenced the WHO's 1986 Ottawa Charter and the Greater Involvement of People Living with AIDS (GIPA) Principles adopted by 42 countries in 1994. Denver's LGBTQ+ History Before Stonewall

The Denver Principles opened: “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.’”

The Colorado AIDS Project (CAP) was founded in 1983 by Bob Engel, Donna Cecere, Tim Timmons, and Phil Nash. Julian Rush directed operations from St. Paul's Methodist Church. The first AIDS Walk Denver in 1987 raised over $150,000. CAP eventually became the Colorado Health Network, now headquartered at 6260 E. Colfax Avenue.

By the end of 1982, only 8 Coloradans had been diagnosed with AIDS. By 1990, that number had reached 2,027 cumulative cases. The toll on Denver's queer community was devastating — Pride attendance plummeted, with the 1989 twentieth anniversary of Stonewall drawing only about 250 people.

Capitol Hill was the epicenter of Denver's LGBTQ+ community during the AIDS crisis and remains so today. The Colorado Health Network's Colfax Avenue headquarters sits in the heart of the neighborhood. The area has changed dramatically since the 1980s — the median home list price in Capitol Hill now sits at $589,000, with homes selling at a median of $550,000 and spending roughly 32 days on market (FRED/Zillow, 2026). The neighborhood has also recorded approximately 20,000 crime incidents in recent data, reflecting ongoing urban safety challenges even as the area gentrifies. Denver Crime Map | Denver Housing Market

Project Angel Heart was founded in 1991 by Charles Robbins. The first meal was a pan of lasagna from Racine's restaurant, delivered to 12 clients. The first kitchen operated out of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. By 2023, the organization had delivered its 10 millionth meal from its facility at 4950 Washington Street.

The Grove at Commons Park (2101 15th Street) was dedicated on August 12, 2000, as Denver's AIDS memorial. Inspired by Doug McNeil and designed by Ruth Murayama, the grove stands as a permanent site of remembrance. The 40th anniversary of the Denver Principles was observed June 11–12, 2023, at The Curtis Hotel — the same building where the original document was written. Denver Parks Map

More from LGBTQ+ Denver: Denver PrideFest: From 50 People in a Park to 550,000 in the Streets · Cheesman Park: Denver's Queer Gathering Place Since the 1950s

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