The decree was signed by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and also defines transsexualism, gender identity disorder in children, dual-role transvestitism, and "other gender identity disorders" as mental illnesses, per Pink News. It will officially change the language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to classify trans and intersex people as having a mental health disorder.
In July of last year, trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney, infamous for the "days of girlhood" videos, fled the United States for Peru, claiming to no longer feel safe in the US.
“I’ve seen a lot of llamas. The people here are so kind. I feel very safe here. It’s a little sad that I had to leave my country to feel safe but that will get better eventually," Mulvaney said in a video reposted by Libs of Tik Tok.
The move by Peru naturally drew the ire of trans activist groups in the country. Jheinser Pacaya, a director for OutfestPeru posted to X: "100 years after the decriminalization of homosexuality, the @Minsa_Peru has no better idea than to include trans people in the category of mental illnesses. We demand and we will not rest until its repeal."
Percy Mayta-Tristan, a medical researcher at Lima’s Scientific University of the South, stated to The Telegraph: "You can’t ignore the context that this is happening in a super-conservative society, where the LGBT community has no rights and where labeling them as mentally ill opens the door to conversion therapy."
