The Peruvian government has officially classified transgender individuals as 'mentally ill' while simultaneously promising comprehensive health coverage for their condition. This decision, announced on May 15, 2024, has placed Peru at the center of a global debate surrounding the rights and healthcare of transgender people.
The decree, signed by President Dina Boluarte, states that 'transsexualism, dual-role transvestism, gender identity disorder in childhood, other gender identity disorders, and fetishistic transvestism' are now all recorded as mental illnesses. The government asserts that this classification is necessary to ensure the country's public health services can "guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health" for the transgender community.
Critics of the move argue that classifying transgender individuals as mentally ill stigmatizes an already vulnerable population. They argue that the decision could potentially lead to increased discrimination and harm, rather than the intended support and care. Jheinser Pacaya, director of OutFest Peru, expressed his disappointment on X, stating, "100 years after the decriminalization of homosexuality, the @Minsa_Peru has nothing better to do than to include trans people in the category of mental illnesses."
The Peruvian government, however, insists that the decision was made in good faith and with the intention of providing better healthcare access to the transgender community. The health ministry stated, "The decree will supposedly alter the language in the Essentials Health Insurance Plan to reflect that trans and intersex people have a mental disorder." It also clarified that trans and other LGBTQ+ people will not be forced to undergo conversion therapies, a concern raised by many following the announcement.
This decision comes amid a global conversation on transgender rights and healthcare. Advocates for transgender rights argue that healthcare should be inclusive and accessible without stigmatizing diagnoses. They point to the World Health Organization's decision to remove homosexuality from the list of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 100 years ago as a precedent for reevaluating the classification of transgender identities.
Peru's move to provide comprehensive health coverage for transgender individuals, despite the controversial classification, may serve as a case study for other countries grappling with similar issues. The global community will be watching closely to see the impact of this decision on the lives and well-being of transgender individuals in Peru.
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