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Around 500 demonstrators peacefully walked the streets of
downtown Lima, hoisting banners with slogans that read "No more
stigmas" and "My identity is not a disease."
The law, which was approved administratively last week by the
government of President Dina Boluarte, specifies that those who
identify as transgender, along with "cross dressers" and "others
with gender identity disorders," are considered to be diagnosed
with "illnesses" that are eligible for mental health services
via both public and private providers.
The protesters reached the health ministry offices, but no
clashes were reported.
"Gender identities are no longer considered pathologies," said
activist Gahela Cari Contreras, who accused Boluarte's
government of trying to trample on the LGBTQ+ community's
rights. "We're not going to let them."
Critics of the law have argued that its update of the country's
PEAS health regulations was unnecessary, since existing rules
already allowed for universal access to mental health services.
Government officials have sought to chalk up the controversy as
a misunderstanding.
In a statement released shortly after the law was promulgated,
the health ministry insisted that it rejects the stigmatization
of LGBTQ+ people and that the legal language simply seeks to
ensure more complete health coverage.
The ministry "categorically reaffirms respect for the dignity of
the person and their free actions within the framework of human
rights, providing health services for their benefit," according
to the statement.
Despite the ministry's argument, the protesters were not
persuaded and some medical experts advocated for the law to be
corrected via an amendment.
"We don't see any need to incorporate diagnoses or pathologies
that no longer exist into health insurance plans," said Pedro
Riega Lopez, dean of Peru's CMP medical college and himself a
doctor.
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Additional reporting by Marco Aquino;
Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia and
Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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