The Peruvian government has officially classified trans and intersex individuals as “mentally ill,” a move announced by the health ministry to ensure that public health services can provide complete mental health coverage. This decision has ignited severe criticism amid ongoing attacks on gender and LGBT rights in Peru, where there is notable hostility towards the LGBT community.
The backlash is part of broader societal tension, exacerbated by recent legislative actions such as the prohibition of gender equality references in school textbooks—a measure that has negatively impacted educational programs aimed at preventing domestic violence and femicides. Meanwhile, Health Minister César Vásquez has not addressed the controversy.
Last April, TikTok celebrity Dylan Mulvaney sought refuge in Peru, escaping the intense anti-trans harassment she had encountered.
The harassment, they said, increased after Mulvaney posted a sponsored Instagram video in April, where she promoted Bud Light. In the video, she revealed that the beer company had celebrated her “Day 365 of Girlhood” by sending her a Bud Light can featuring her face.
This endorsement sparked a significant backlash against both Mulvaney and Bud Light, leading Mulvaney to express that she now feels safest living outside the U.S.