On June 3rd, Tuesday, Professor Claudia Mora (CLAM/IMS/UERJ) will present the open lecture “Biomedical Grammars and Desexualization in the Communication of New HIV/AIDS Prevention Technologies” at 2:00 p.m., in the auditorium of the Institute of Social Medicine at UERJ (6th floor, Block E, Room 6012).
The CLAM Seminars, promoted by the Latin American Center on Sexuality and Human Rights (CLAM/IMS/UERJ), bring together students, researchers, and others interested in the topics of gender, sexuality, and human rights, creating a space for academic development and the exchange of information based on research projects aligned with the Center’s work. The sessions are held in person and do not require prior registration.
Learn more about Professor Claudia Mora’s presentation:
Biomedical Grammars and Desexualization in the Communication of New HIV/AIDS Prevention Technologies
Abstract:
The beginning of yet another decade of an epidemic still far from under control globally stems from a progressive normalization of its discourse and media representations. The aim of this discussion on preventive campaigns from the most recent decade is to offer a unique perspective for generating social, political, and programmatic reflections. In relation to media representations, we observe a series of shifts in language, as well as various forms of erasure, framed by the implementation of international policies centered on the distribution of antiretroviral medications—namely: Test and Treat, Treatment as Prevention, and Combined Prevention (especially Pre- and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, PrEP and PEP, and the control of STIs). The silencing of non-heteronormative bodies and identities, together with the dominance of abstract and schematic language in official prevention messaging between 2010 and 2020, crystallized the desexualization of the response to the epidemic. These erasures also refer to the censorship of campaigns where sex workers and young gay men were featured in federal government-produced communication pieces. In short, based on a dimension central to the construction of social representations of health and illness—communication, especially public campaigns—this discussion aims to contribute to understanding the reconfiguration of Brazil’s political and academic AIDS agenda.
Suggested readings:
Mora, C. Transformações nas campanhas preventivas HIV/Aids no Brasil na quarta década da epidemia (unpublished)
Mora, C., Nelvo, R., & Monteiro, S. (2022). Peças de comunicação governamentais sobre as profilaxias pré (PrEP) e pós-exposição (PEP) ao HIV (2016–2019): análise de seus conteúdos e circulação entre gays, mulheres trans/travestis e trabalhadoras sexuais. Saúde e Sociedade, 31(4), e210855pt.
Additional readings:
Galvão, J. A Era Trump: Quando crueldade e destruição guiam políticas públicas. ABIA, 2025.
Nguyen, Vinh-Kim et al. Remedicalizing an epidemic: from HIV treatment as prevention to HIV treatment is prevention. AIDS, v.25, n.3, pp.291–293, 2011.
Address:
Institute of Social Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro (IMS/UERJ)
Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã
ZIP – 20550-013 – Rio de Janeiro – RJ – Brazil
Email – contatoclam@gmail.com
