Call for Sign-ons: The Consensus Statement on HIV Bodily Autonomy, Surveillance, and Informed Consent (HIV BASIC)
Call for Sign-ons: The Consensus Statement on HIV Bodily Autonomy, Surveillance, and Informed Consent (HIV BASIC)
On March 16, a coalition of people living with HIV (PLHIV), privacy advocates, public health legal and policy experts, and abolitionists is raising the alarm about the risks of ongoing public health surveillance practices that lack sufficient safeguards to protect criminalized and marginalized communities in the United States.
The HIV Bodily Autonomy, Surveillance, and Informed Consent (BASIC) Coalition is urging HIV care and advocacy groups, reproductive justice organizations, LGBTQ+ justice groups, sexual health advocacy groups, privacy organizations, public health policy stakeholders, human rights and medical ethics organizations, HIV anti-criminalization coalitions, and individual advocates to endorse a new consensus statement. Starting today at AIDS Watch in Washington D.C., members of the HIV BASIC Coalition will rally around this consensus statement and call for it to serve as a guiding resource for efforts to rebuild our public health infrastructure in the wake of increasing stigma, state violence, and brazen data privacy violations.
The Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC calls for greater Meaningful Involvement of PLHIV (MIPA) in the development, consideration, and implementation of all HIV and public health data policies at both local and national levels. The statement also stresses the importance of educating medical and public health practitioners about the criminalization of people based on their health status, and links declining trust in public health institutions with the public health policies, practices, and legacy that undermine bodily autonomy, informed consent, and legal privacy standards for HIV and other stigmatized health data.
As we mark the 45th year of the HIV epidemic, the HIV BASIC Coalition is building on decades of activism, community leadership, and scientific progress that have transformed the HIV response. The Coalition invites organizations and individuals to endorse the Consensus Statement as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen a rights-based public health approach and end the HIV epidemic. Endorsements are requested by May 15, 2026.
Read the Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC.
“In a time of unprecedented government surveillance and weaponization of our personal health data, HIV BASIC stands ready to protect and defend the bodily autonomy, privacy, and self-determination of people living with HIV,” said Michael Scarce, HIV positive writer, researcher, and activist. “Deeply rooted in an intersectional and abolitionist approach to social justice, this initiative embodies an inspiring form of collective resistance and solidarity. Although this foundational document serves to outline our values and purpose, I hope others view it more as an invitation to partner and join with us in building a broad-based coalition for this crucial work in a rapidly changing world.”
“People living with HIV have long led the vanguard with clear and consistent calls for greater bodily autonomy rights, stronger privacy protections, and continue to be at the forefront building this liberatory framework for public health,” said Amir Sadeghi, Policy and Advocacy Manager with CHLP. “The commitments in the Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC represent the floor—not the ceiling—for what HIV justice, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ justice, racial justice, and disability justice advocates rightfully demand from the people administering over their lives. Healthcare providers and public health policymakers often lack even a basic understanding of criminalization, and are unaware that health data can be accessed and weaponized against our people. That status quo cannot continue, and we welcome all advocates concerned about health privacy and intensifying state violence to join us.”
“It’s no coincidence that communities most affected by HIV are also experiencing increased surveillance, policing, and criminalization. HIV is a symptom of racism, misogyny, poverty, and state neglect that overwhelmingly harm Black and Brown communities – the same forms of structural violence that have shaped public health and mass incarceration in the US,” said Kelly Flannery, Policy Director with Positive Women’s Network-USA. “Only solutions driven by the most impacted communities and grounded in human rights, bodily autonomy, and informed consent will keep us safe. We wrote the Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC knowing that our core principles are shared by racial justice, gender justice, reproductive justice, and abolitionist movements. We are committed to working in solidarity, in collaboration, and in principled struggle.”
“The work of leading a decriminalization organization is not about merely fixing a broken system; it’s about dismantling the structures that silence those most impacted by health policies. It is essential to ensure that people living with HIV hold the power to shape the policies that affect their health and quality of life - how we define it,” said Kamaria Laffrey, Co-Executive Director of The Sero Project. “The intersections of public health and criminalization are critical battlegrounds. Shifting the power dynamics to center the lived experiences of those affected is vital. Coalition-building through this consensus statement fosters a collective strength that rebalances the narrative; individuals are not victims, but powerful agents of change. With the goal towards liberation, there is a vision for a future where public health strategies prioritize these experiences. Through solidarity and compassion, it is possible to create a system that uplifts wellbeing and ensures that the voices of those impacted resonate in every decision that shapes their lives.”
"At a time when our very existence is being targeted by a hostile and cruel administration, we must remain steadfast in the fight for the rights and dignity of all people,” said Cecilia Chung, Senior Advisor at Transgender Law Center. “Our work is rooted in the liberation and freedom of all people, regardless of their race, gender, or health status. We know that heightened surveillance, criminalization, and attacks on bodily autonomy cause real harm and limit people’s access to safe housing, life-saving medical care, and the ability to live with dignity. At Transgender Law Center, we believe deeply that everyone deserves the power to make decisions about their own health, the care they need, and the lives they lead without fear, stigma, or shame. With this statement, we reaffirm our commitment to building systems that restore dignity, humanity, and agency. A better world is possible when we listen and follow the lead of those most impacted."
Read the Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC.
Endorse the Consensus Statement on HIV BASIC.
HIV BASIC is a group of advocates, including people living with HIV (PLHIV), abolitionists, researchers, racial justice and human rights organizers, and public health policy and legal experts working together to address the crisis connecting health status criminalization, public health, and the ever-broadening erosion of privacy and bodily autonomy in the United States.
