Peru classifies trans people as mentally ill

Peru’s government has officially classified transgender people as suffering from mental illness, prompting praise from some and outrage from others. A decree signed by President Dina Boluarte last week defines ‘transsexualism’ and ‘gender identity disorder in children’ as mental illnesses, with the Health Ministry explaining that this was to ‘guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health’ under the national health insurance plan. LGBT groups have raised concerns that this could lead to stigmatization and persecution of people with gender dysphoria, and leading activist Jheinser Pacaya has accused the government of having ‘nothing better to do than to include trans people in the category of mental illness.’