Mission Statement for AIDSvideos.org

The mission of AIDSvideos.org is to prevent the spread of HIV and to help those who are affected by making all the world's HIV/AIDS prevention education videos in all the world's languages available for free online.

AIDSvideos.org is:

• committed to scientific and medical accuracy
  
• evidence based
• not for profit
  
• nonpolitical
  
• open to all people regardless of race, gender, religious belief or nonbelief, nationality, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.
• committed to the principle that all people's lives are worth protecting regardless of race, gender, religious belief or nonbelief, nationality, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.

AIDSvideos.org is focused on preventing the spread of HIV and on encouraging people to change their behavior in ways that will reduce or eliminate their risk of contracting or spreading HIV. AIDSvideos.org recognizes that not everyone will choose to live their life in a way that eliminates their risk of contracting or spreading HIV completely, so AIDSvideos.org focuses on reducing harm and risk as much as possible for people in all situations.

AIDSvideos.org notes that the best way to avoid contracting HIV is to abstain from sex until choosing a life partner, to never inject drugs, to choose a partner who made those same choices, and to be faithful after partnership. (Opposite sex-couples typically have the option to get their partnership legally recognized as a marriage; in most places, same-sex couples do not have this option.) AIDSvideos.org recognizes that some people will choose to be sexually active before choosing a life partner. If people choose to be sexually active before choosing a life partner, AIDSvideos.org strongly urges them to reduce their risk of contracting or spreading HIV by making sure both partners know their HIV status, using a condom or dental dam (as appropriate to the act) every time for every sexual act, minimizing the number of total lifetime partners, and being mutually faithful with a single partner.

AIDSvideos.org strongly urges people to never use illegal drugs and to never misuse prescription drugs. Using illegal drugs has many risks including: death from overdose; death, sickness, or injury due to impaired judgment while under the influence; severe (and sometimes permanent) physical and mental health effects; addiction; and incarceration. However, AIDSvideos.org recognizes that some people will choose to use illegal drugs, so AIDSvideos.org focuses on encouraging people who use illegal drugs to reduce their risk of contracting or spreading HIV as much as possible.

AIDSvideos.org does not take any position on questions such as:

• which sexual acts between which people are allowed according to various belief systems
• the origin and nature of sexual orientation or sexual preference and whether it is fixed or can vary over time
• the existence or nonexistence and nature of God
• which religion, if any, is the "right" one

AIDSvideos.org recognizes that people who are involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including those of us at AIDSvideos.org, do so for various reasons and are sometimes motivated by a personal belief system. Similarly, people who are HIV positive may find personal belief systems relevant in their effort to lead a healthy life. As a result, people interviewed by AIDSvideos.org may at times may make passing references to their own belief systems. Similarly, people who are part of an organization addressing HIV/AIDS may describe the nature of their organization and how addressing HIV/AIDS fits in to the organization's mission. However, such statements are the responsibility of the speaker only and do not necessarily represent the opinion of AIDSvideos.org.