Simposio Internacional Every Body Todos los cuerpos: Salud Sexual y Derechos Humanos.

Summary of main points

1) Opening remarks: sexual health + human rights “for every body”

• The symposium’s motto “Everybody, all bodies: sexual health and human rights” frames the event as an effort to include all genders and body types, beyond stereotypes (including people who may not fit heteronormativity).
• The speaker argues that bodies are the first “territory” where identity is built—where people make life decisions. Because bodies have historically been targeted by prejudice, stereotypes, inequality, silencing, discrimination, and violence, the symposium aims to make these issues visible and train participants.
• The university’s commitments are highlighted: transforming information into knowledge, consciousness, and safe decision-making, including comprehensive sex education from a rights-based perspective.
• Emphasis is placed on creating safe spaces where individuals are recognized as rights holders and can access information and services without coercion or violence.

2) “Combined prevention” (HIV/STI): a three-pillar, biomedical–behavioral–structural model

• A presentation explains Combined Prevention as a strategic approach (aligned with UN AIDS/UNAIDS and PAHO/OPS) arguing that one prevention method alone isn’t enough to control HIV/STIs.
• The model uses three intervention pillars:
  1. Biomedical: condom and lubricant promotion; PrEP (before exposure) and PEP (after exposure; must start within 72 hours); promotion of timely rapid testing; and prevention of vertical transmission (mother-to-child) through HIV testing during pregnancy and treatment to prevent infection at birth.
  2. Behavioral: risk perception assessment, self-care promotion, comprehensive sex education, counseling for risk reduction, peer education/self-testing strategies, and social marketing to correct misinformation.
  3. Structural: creating favorable conditions through laws and rights (including health protection in Mexican constitutional terms), and campaigns to reduce stigma and discrimination.
• The session stresses that HIV can be transmitted silently during early/latency stages, making timely testing crucial.

3) HIV basics and myth-busting

• The presenters distinguish HIV vs. AIDS:
  • HIV is the virus (attacks CD4 T lymphocytes).
  • AIDS is an advanced stage marked by opportunistic infections and specific diagnostic criteria (e.g., CD4 < 200).
• HIV/AIDS stigma is framed as a barrier to testing and care.
• Several common myths are addressed, including false beliefs that HIV is transmitted through kissing/hugs, saliva, mosquito bites, sharing utensils, or that only certain “types” of people can get HIV.

4) Treatment and “undetectable” messaging

• Modern HIV treatment is presented as effective and increasingly simple (described as one pill daily).
• The concept of “undetectable” is explained as viral load being so low that transmission through sex is no longer possible, while emphasizing that this requires sustained treatment and medical confirmation.

5) Rapid testing practices and confidentiality

• Participants are encouraged to take rapid tests on-site.
• Rapid tests are described as presumptive and must be confirmed with additional laboratory testing when reactive.
• Testing logistics are described (available at health centers and community modules like parks/squares), and confidentiality is emphasized as a rights issue.

6) Hepatitis C and syphilis: free screening + curability + prevention

• Another presenter focuses on Hepatitis (A, B, C) and syphilis, highlighting:
  • Hepatitis C and syphilis are curable if detected early.
  • Hepatitis C often includes a silent latency phase; timely testing is stressed to avoid chronic damage (including cirrhosis risk).
• Transmission routes are clarified:
  • Hepatitis C primarily through contaminated blood (including unsafe needles/tattoos/piercings in non-sterile settings).
  • Sexual transmission is relevant when there is blood contact and no protection.
• Myths and stigmas are addressed again, emphasizing that prevention knowledge should be widely available—not limited to “some communities.”
• The presenter highlights that screening is free, confidential, and integrated with combined prevention (including HIV testing as well).

7) Keynote/Conference: technology-supported empowerment for transgender people living with HIV (Colombia)

• Dr. Olga Patricia Melo Barbosa presents research using participatory action research with trans women in Bogotá (200 participants), in a territory described as marked by street sex work, violence, substance use, and social exclusion.
• She reports an epidemiological framing: limited historical data on transgender women in Colombia and evidence of higher HIV risk relative to general populations (figures referenced in the talk).
• The project’s central output is “Alexia”, an interactive digital guide/avatar that provides accessible, non-technical information on:
  • What HIV is and how it works
  • Prevention (including PrEP)
  • How to navigate access to services amid bureaucratic barriers and stigma
• Methodology includes:
  • Territorial diagnosis
  • Co-design of educational materials with the community (including workshops)
  • Participatory interventions (workshops, peer learning, counseling, condom delivery, mapping body/territory)
  • Building empowerment and shifting from passive subject positions to agency
• The talk emphasizes that biomedical treatment alone is insufficient: stigma, exclusion from healthcare systems, low schooling levels, and misinformation influence adherence and risk.
• Challenges are acknowledged as structural: violence, limited state presence/data, economic constraints, and difficulties meeting daily needs while adhering to treatment.

8) Panel discussion (World Sexual Health Day 2026): mental health, body image, and “inhabiting the body”

• A panel centers on a holistic view of sexuality: the body is not only biological—it relates to identity, bonds, limits, and decision-making.
• Contributors discuss:
  • How identity is shaped through others’ gaze, early life experiences, and social norms.
  • The concept of “inhabiting the body” as opposed to detachment from one’s own body (linked to trauma, abuse, or gender dysphoria experiences).
  • The social learning behind restrictive myths (e.g., phrases that suggest women’s desire/consent is limited).
  • Enabling the body through mindfulness/connection with sensations, acceptance, and autonomy rather than constant self-evaluation against external standards.
  • The two-way relationship between mental health and body image: distorted self-perception, dissociation, self-criticism, and how improving self-esteem can support mental well-being and pleasure.
• The panel also stresses that people need the option to reflect on life projects (including parenthood choices) and that these choices may evolve over time.

9) Audience comments: stigma, education for healthcare workers, and inclusive practice

• Audience interventions reinforce:
  • The importance of early, accurate information to reduce taboo and improve care.
  • The need for healthcare professionals to be trained to work empathetically with diverse bodies and sexualities.
  • A recurring theme: social influences (family, media, community norms, social media) can strongly shape decisions—sometimes negatively—so critical reflection is necessary.
  • Questions arise about how to engage very conservative or stigmatized people; panelists respond that strategies for openness depend on readiness and self-awareness, and that questioning one’s own “anchors” is key.

Presenters / contributors

• Dr. Adriana Esmeralda del Carmen Acosta Toraya (Coordinator of Studies, L. gender; opening remarks)
• Psychologist Ana Guadalupe Rivera Castro (invited for the symposium activities; panelist/mentioned)
• Esteban Alberto, Esq. Vargas Narváez / Esteban Narváez (combined prevention; HIV/hepatitis C/syphilis testing content)
• Dr. Olga Patricia Melo Barbosa (keynote: technology strategy “Alexia” for empowerment of trans people living with HIV)
• Teacher Cintia del Carmen Gómez Gallardo (panel: mental health / body image / inhabiting the body)
• Dr. Gloria Ángela Domínguez Aguirre (panelist)
• Teacher Claudia Soledad de la Fuente Pérez (panelist)
• Teacher Viviana Valencia (mentioned as part of comprehensive sex education; credited in the panel context)
• Amelia Hernández (audience contributor / collaborator; thanked Dr. Melo and recognized symposium participation)
• Dr. Viviana (mentioned by name in coordination/acknowledgment during the event proceedings)
• Raúlito / Raulito (mentioned as assisting with taking a photo)