2026 Conference Theme

Aquí y Ahora (Here & Now)

Join us Aquí y Ahora—Here and Now for AASECT’s Annual Conference in Puerto Rico, a gathering dedicated to honoring the island’s resilience through healing dialogue, intentional listening, cultural celebration, and the promotion of erotic empowerment in the face of ongoing social, economic, and environmental challenges. 

We acknowledge the circumstances of being a sexuality professional in a time when people are in a global fight for liberation and sovereignty. We also stand with Puerto Rico’s ongoing struggle for self-determination in the face of U.S. colonial control. 

By centering on AASECT’s mission and embracing pleasure as a form of resistance, we find grounding in the body, reconnect with the purpose of our work, and honor the wisdom of place and cultural knowledge. Above all, we affirm that pleasure is our birthright and a pathway to sovereignty, inviting us to reclaim freedom, embodiment, and self-determination. 

Through bilingual (English and Spanish) and multicultural connections, we aim to create intentional spaces for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, diasporic, and, in particular, Puerto Rican voices, honoring the intersections that shape how we heal, resist, and reclaim in our own contexts.  

Come to celebrate, to reflect, to learn—and to feel. 

¡Nos vemos en Puerto Rico! 

For Abstract Submitters:  

We invite submissions across all AASECT disciplines that ignite bold, pleasure-centered, and embodied approaches across education, counseling, and therapy. Share strategies that reclaim erotic power, disrupt shame, honor diverse sexual and gender expressions, and foster self-knowing, liberation, and relational integrity. Join us in creating transformative dialogues that celebrate pleasure, authenticity, and humanity—Aquí y Ahora. 

Below are some objectives for consideration: 

• Showcase innovative pedagogical strategies that center embodiment, pleasure, and cultural context in sexuality education, particularly within diverse, multilingual, or decolonial frameworks. 

• Share educational practices that cultivate personal and collective erotic power, encouraging learners to define their own sexual narratives, identities, and values. 

• Teaching methods that disrupt shame-based norms and uplift intersectional sexual expression across generations, communities, and settings. 

• Counseling and therapeutic interventions that support clients and communities reclaim pleasure, erotic power, and voice within their cultural and sociopolitical contexts. 

• Integrate multicultural perspectives in education, counseling, and therapy approaches that honor clients’ lived experiences of sexual and gender expression, especially in marginalized populations. 

• Present educational, counseling, and therapeutic models at the intersection of pleasure, trauma healing, and cultural identity, grounded in current clinical practice. 

• Demonstrate how embodiment-based practices foster self-knowing, erotic power, and relational integrity in both educational and therapeutic settings. 

• Illustrate decolonizing approaches to sexual health and wellness that resist pathologization of sexual and gender diversity, centering liberation and authenticity in our collective work as sexual health professionals. 

We warmly invite presentations that celebrate embodied knowledge, lived experience, and the transformative power of pleasure. By embracing diverse voices and approaches, we create a space where all identities, stories, and ways of knowing are valued and respected. Join us for bold dialogue, authentic connection, and the healing power of pleasure—Aquí y Ahora.