Accessible summary Relationships and sexuality are important for disabled people. Through the voices of 16 intellectually disabled adults, this paper shows what they consider to be important in areas such as education or personal relationships. Most of the people interviewed would like to have a partner and live together as a couple. Intellectually disabled people encounter many barriers to obtain certain basic rights. Summary This study starts from the premise that we are sexual beings, and therefore, sexuality is part of our lives and defines us as human beings. This is also true with regard to intellectually disabled people. Within the framework of broader qualitative research carried out in Spain, some partial results of an ongoing study aimed at finding out what a group of adults see as important in different areas of their lives are presented here. Through the personal narratives of 16 intellectually disabled people, this paper explores some of their ideas and demands about sexuality and their sexual lives. Most of the people interviewed expressed their desire to have a partner and to live as a couple. There is no doubt that many intellectually disabled people have greater control over their lives and the decisions that affect them, but as they tell us, the presence of old ideas can hinder them from securing their fundamental rights.

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This article focuses on the stories of women living with HIV concerning sexuality and well-being. Their stories counter the dominant perception of women's sexuality and challenge the social norms shaping their lives. Ten women between the ages of 28 and 55 were interviewed. At the interview time, five of the women were unemployed and one retired, four had a partner, and five had children. The semi-structured interviews were conducted following a face-to-face format in which the sex-affective area was explored, examining its relevance, the women's satisfaction, the difficulties they encountered, and the impact on their well-being. The results reflect the diversity of their experiences and the subordinate position they were in and their difficulties in meeting their sexual needs and achieving optimal levels of well-being. The data also reveals the status accorded to being a woman and being HIV-positive as factors affecting her sexual experience, as well as the difficulties she faced in obtaining satisfaction or care. Finally, this paper emphasizes the need to explore the obstacles in relation to living with HIV, including gender and sexuality, all of which must be taken into account in policy implementation and social policymaking.