October 20 - 22, 2011, Eli Coleman, PhD, and Joycelyn Elders, MD, presented at the VIII Congreso Nacional de Educación Sexual y Sexología organized by the Federación Mexicana de Educación Sexual y Sexología, A.C. (FEMESS) in Chiapas, Mexico.
More than 800 individuals attended the conference, including 150 people form the academic sector and health organization and 54 civil servants from the Ambulatory Centers of Prevention and Attention in AIDS and STI (Centros Ambulatorios de Prevención y Atención en SIDA e ITS or CAPACITS).
In a post-conference statement made by FEMESS, the organization thanked the government and university of the state of Chiapas for supporting the conference. The organization also commended the government for its commitment to reach the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The organization also reiterated its support of the 2008 Inter-ministerial Declaration which was adopted by all health and education ministries in Latin American and the Caribbean which advocated for comprehensive sexuality education starting in pre-school to stem the tide of the HIV pandemic.
FEMESS restated its goal to depathologize transsexualism as a mental disorder. The organization reaffirms the need for gender expression to be recognized as a fundamental human right of free expression. Further the group called on mental health professionals to support this position and join in the goal.
Videos from the conference:
Eli Coleman & Youth's Sexual Health in the 21st Century: Get involved!
Joycelyn Elders & Youth's Sexual Health in the 21st Century: Education, Empowerment & Resources
Photo: Joycelyn Elders, MD, Eli Coleman, PhD, with FEMESS conference organizers
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