The Peruvian government has officially designated transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals as “mentally ill.”
The Ministry of Health stated that this controversial decision aims to ensure that the country’s public health services can provide comprehensive mental health coverage for the trans community.
Additionally, the classification includes “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same category of mental illness.
The new regulation modifies the language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan to reflect this perspective, treating trans and intersex identities as mental health disorders. This move has been met with significant backlash from trans advocacy groups across Peru, who see it as a regressive step in the nation’s ongoing struggle with LGBTQ+ rights.
