Protesters in Peru reject new insurance law that considers transgender people mentally ill

A recently passed law specifies that those who identify as transgender are considered ill and eligible for mental health care

LIMA, Peru – Hundreds of protesters in the Peruvian capital marched on Friday, May 18, to demand the scrapping of a new law that, among other things, defines transgender people as people with mental illness so they can access health care services.

About 500 protesters walked peacefully through the streets of central Lima, raising banners with slogans such as “No more stigmas” and “My identity is not a disease.”

The law, which was administratively approved last week by President Dina Boluarte’s government, specifies that those who identify as transgender, along with “transvestites” and “others with gender identity disorders,” are considered to have been diagnosed with “diseases” that occur in eligible for mental health care through both public and private providers.

The demonstrators reached the offices of the Ministry of Health, but no clashes were reported.

“Gender identities are no longer considered pathologies,” said activist Gahela Cari Contreras, who accused Boluarte’s government of trampling on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. “We won’t let them.”

Critics of the law have argued that the revision of the country’s PEAS health regulations was unnecessary as existing rules already allowed for universal access to mental health care.

Government officials have tried to portray the controversy as a misunderstanding.

In a statement released shortly after the law was promulgated, the Department of Health emphasized that it rejects the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people and that the legal language simply seeks more complete health care coverage.

The ministry “categorically affirms the respect for the dignity of the person and his free actions within the framework of human rights, and provides health services for their benefit,” the statement said.

Despite the ministry’s argument, protesters were not convinced and some medical experts called for the law to be corrected through an amendment.

“We do not see any need to include diagnoses or pathologies that no longer exist in health insurance plans,” said Pedro Riega Lopez, dean of the Peruvian Medical University CMP and a doctor himself. – Rappler.com