Transgender people labelled 'mentally ill' in Peru. LGBTQ+ community outraged
Konrad Siwik,16.05.2024 10:30The Peruvian government has officially changed the law to classify transgender, non-binary, and intersex people as ‘mentally ill’. This action has sparked a wave of outrage among groups supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
The decree signed by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte defines ‘transsexualism’ and ‘gender identity disorder in children’ as mental illnesses. It also includes ‘dual-role transvestism’, ‘fetishistic transvestism’ and ‘other gender identity disorders’ under the same category.
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The Peruvian Ministry of Health explains that this change aims to "guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health" for transgender people. At the same time, it stresses that it will not force conversion therapy on transgender people.
LGBTQ+ community opposes Peru's decision
The decision has been met with harsh criticism from many LGBTQ+ rights activists around the world. Jheinser Pacaya, director of OutfestPeru, said that Peru's trans community will not rest until the decree is repealed. He stressed that the government "has nothing better to do" than attack trans people, adding that this is happening more than 100 years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Peru in 1924.
LGBTQ+ rights group Red Peruana also condemned the government for continuing to stigmatise Peru's trans community, saying the policy is based on an ‘outdated’ view of gender identity.
Medical researcher Percy Mayta-Tristán of Lima’s Scientific University of the South pointed out the lack of awareness of the complex problems of the LGBTQ+ community in the context of Peru's super-conservative society. "Labelling them as mentally ill opens the door to conversion therapy," which, according to the researcher, is unacceptable.
A 2023 Ipsos poll found that 81% of Peruvians believe that transgender people currently experience massive discrimination in society.
Possible protests during Pride Month
The new classification is also controversial due to a lack of consultation with the LGBTQ+ community itself. Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney went on medical leave to Peru last year after her campaign with Bud Light received "a ton of hate online", as TMZ reports, and led to financial losses for the popular beer company.
Mulvaney published a video from this South American country in which she talked about how safe she felt in Peru and the friendliness of Peruvian society. The new legal change is, therefore, even more surprising for the community. June is Pride Month, and the LGBTQ+ community in Peru has not ruled out protests against the discriminatory classification.
Source: thepinknews.com/tmz.com
