Cancún LGBTQ+ Community Urges Public to Dismantle HIV Myths

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Medical advances have transformed the outlook for people living with HIV, but prejudice has not kept pace. In Cancún, members of the LGBTQ+ community say they are still routinely singled out as the group most associated with the infection, even though the virus can affect anyone.

Nohamy Hermida, director of Attention to Sexual Diversity for the Benito Juárez municipal government, warned that misinformation remains one of the biggest obstacles to building a culture of prevention free of discrimination.

Hermida said the creation of the Municipal Council for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS offers an opportunity to coordinate work among city departments, health institutions and community groups in order to strengthen information, prevention and testing efforts.

She argued that the notion that HIV only affects people of diverse sexual orientations must be left behind, noting that the risk of infection depends not on sexual orientation but on the circumstances of exposure to the virus.

For that reason, she said it is essential to bring clear information to the entire population and to reinforce protective measures, including condom use and wider awareness of medical options such as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which must be administered as soon as possible and within the first 72 hours after a possible exposure.

Hermida also acknowledged that discussing sexuality in schools remains a challenge because of taboos that persist in some sectors of society.

Her office is therefore seeking to join the educational programs run at local schools, in coordination with other agencies, to widen access for children and young people to accurate prevention information.

The official stressed that tackling HIV also means confronting the discrimination and prejudice faced by people living with the infection, so that prevention and health care take priority over stereotypes.