People-First Language and the Use of Appropriate Terminology

People-First Language and the Use of Appropriate Terminology

CROI strongly advocates for the use of and strives to incorporate “people-first” language and acceptable terminology in all CROI-related written materials and presentations. We request that all abstract authors and session presenters apply the following basic principles of people-first language and terminology reflecting respect:

• Describe populations as “people, persons, or individuals with HIV” rather than “HIV-infected people, persons, or individuals.”
• Do not characterize people by their disease, infection, or condition; use “people who inject drugs,” “individuals with cirrhosis,” or other similar constructs.
• Do not describe people enrolled in research studies or clinical trials as “subjects” or “patients.” Acceptable terms are research or clinical trial “participants” or “volunteers.”
• Ensure the correct use of the terms “sex” (refers to biologic sex at birth) and “gender” (refers to psychosocial or cultural identity). Appropriate corollary terms are “cisgender” (people whose gender matches their sex assigned at birth) or “transgender” (people whose gender does not match the sex assigned at birth).
• Do not use the term “sterilizing” when referring to HIV cure; it triggers a negative perception in many people due to historic sterilization campaigns and may discourage participation in research.

For more information about appropriate terminology, please read this article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4199082/