Peruvian government classifies transgender people as mentally ill
The Peruvian government on May 10 published a decree that classifies transgender people as mentally ill. Human Rights Watch on Wednesday noted the country’s Essential Health Insurance Plan that President Dina Boluarte, Health Minister César Vásquez and Economic and Finance Minister José Arista signed references “ego-dystonic sexual orientation.” The decree also notes, among other things, “transsexualism” and “gender identity disorder in childhood.
Human Rights Watch in its press release notes the Health Ministry subsequently said it does not view LGBTQ identities as “illnesses.” Peruvian LGBTQ advocacy groups, however, have sharply criticized the decree. “This decision is an alarming setback in our fight for the human rights of trans people in Peru, and it represents a serious danger to our health and well-being,” said Miluska Luzquiños, a trans activist who works with the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Trans People, which is known by the Spanish acronym REDLACTRANS, on her Facebook page.
A lack of legal recognition and protections has left trans Peruvians vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Luisa Revilla in 2014 became the first trans person elected in Peru when she won a seat on the local council in La Esperanza, a city in the northwestern part of the country.
She left office in 2019. Revilla died from COVID-19 in 2021. The post Peruvian government classifies transgender people as mentally ill appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
