David was an outspoken supporter of the rights of people living with HIV, including through active involvement in IPPF’s work against stigma, discrimination and criminalization of people living with HIV.
He reached out to and showed his support for a wide range of people, demonstrating his passion for ensuring that human rights are not withheld from people living with HIV, people who are gay or lesbian, and people living in countries or circumstances less fortunate than his own.
David was a visionary parliamentary leader whose work on HIV will not be forgotten. He used his position to engage with diverse communities of people living with HIV in the United Kingdom to learn about the realities of life with HIV in this country, and actively advocated for enabling policy environments both in the UK and internationally. Recently, he eloquently expressed his concern about laws that criminalize transmission of HIV and how they are used to single out and stigmatize people living with HIV.
Our thoughts are with David’s partner, family, friends and colleagues at this time. David’s leadership, intuitive understanding of the issues and passion for human rights will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will take place on Wednesday, 18 May at 8pm at St Mary's Church, Clapham Common in London. In David's memory, please support the campaign against homophobia in Uganda with a donation to Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG): http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidCairnsMemorial
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