Trans People Are Officially Classified As ”Mentally Disorder” In Peru

The government of Peru has officially changed law rules to classify transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people as having mental health disorders. This move has caused outrage among groups backing the LGBTQ+ community.

The decree signed by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte describes “transsexuality” and “gender identity disorders in children” as mental health issues. It also puts under this group “dual-role transvestism”, “fetishistic transvestism”, and “other gender identity disorders”.

The Peruvian Ministry of Health says that this change aims to “guarantee a full range of medical care in the field of mental health” for transgender people. At the same time, it stresses that it will not force transgender people to experience conversion therapy.

Meanwhile, the LGBTQ+ community rejects Peru’s choice.

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The decision was met with strong criticism from many LGBTQ+ rights supporters worldwide. Jheinser Pacaya, head of OutfestPeru, said that Peru’s trans community will not rest until the order is repealed. 

He stressed that the government “has nothing better to do” than attack trans people, adding that this is happening more than a century after the legalisation of homosexuality in Peru in 1924.

The group supporting LGBTQ+ rights, Red Peruana, also condemned the government for further stigmatizing the Peruvian trans community, claiming that this policy is based on an “outdated” view of gender identity.

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Medical researcher Percy Mayta-Tristán from the Universidad Científica del Sur in Lima pointed out the lack of knowledge of the complicated problems facing the LGBTQ+ group in the context of Peru’s ultra-conservative society. “Labeling them as mentally ill opens the door to reparative therapies,” which, according to the study, is unacceptable.

A 2023 Ipsos study showed that 81 per cent of Peruvian citizens think that transgender people are currently facing significant discrimination in society.

The new classification also causes debate due to lacking consultation with the LGBTQ+ group. 

Transgender celebrity Dylan Mulvaney took a health break to Peru last year after her campaign with Bud Light was met with a wave of online hate and led to financial losses for the famous beer company.

Mulvaney shared a video from the South American country where she talked about her sense of security and the kindness of Peruvian culture. 

Therefore, the change in the new law is even more shocking. June is Pride Month, and the LGBTQ+ group in Peru does not rule out protests against the discriminatory label.

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