|
|
|
|
SUBSCRIBE The leading Copyright |
Query: What are the conditions currently faced by sexual minorities in
Peru? Response: CONDITIONS IN PERU Though there are no laws prohibiting sexual activity between
civilians of the same sex, authorities frequently invoke vague laws
aiming to uphold "public morality" as a tool to repress sexual
"deviance." Moreover, Section 269 of the Military Penal Code of 1988
provides for penalties ranging from 20 days to 20 years in jail for
"dishonorable acts of carnal knowledge against the order of nature"
(ILGA). The Lima Homosexual Movement (Movimiento Homosexual de Lima, MHOL)
was founded in 1983. But Peru’s first gay pride parade was not held
until 2002, when a scant few hundred marchers braved Lima’s unwelcoming
atmosphere. Marchers wore masks to hide their identities as they bore
signs saying "we want to be visible, but intolerance suppresses us."
Rosa, a 33-year-old woman who declined to give her last name, said "I
am sure that if I marched without this mask, come Monday I would show
up for work without a job." Larry LaFontain, a professor of Puerto
Rican and Caribbean Studies at Rutgers University in the United States,
said "It’s noticeable that lots of people in the parade are scared and
concerned… I have friends who are not openly gay and are uncomfortable
with being here" (Benson 7 Jul 2002). Peruvian-born fashion photographer Mario Testino, who wore flashy
clothes as an adolescent in Lima, says he could not safely walk the
streets of the capital city. "Either my mother lent me her driver, or I
spent my allowance on taxis. I couldn’t walk on the street because
people threw eggs or shouted at me. In Peru, if you do anything even
slightly feminine you’re considered a faggot" (Ross 9 Jul 2001, 1). Between 1996 and 2000, the government of President Alberto Fujimori
carried out a massive sterilization program aimed at poor indigenous
women and men, including homosexual men. A quota system rewarded public
health physicians with promotions in return for persuading members of
these groups to agree to irreversible sterilization. More than 215,000
indigenous women were sterilized. Another 15,000 vasectomies were
performed on poor indigenous men. According to gay rights groups,
homosexual men were particularly targeted. When seeking treatment for
other conditions, they were offered alcohol or other incentives to have
a vasectomy. One of those men, Colmer Rengijo, said "they told me 'this
will make you more feminine and sexy'" (Mcdermott 25 Jul 2002, 10). In 1997, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service granted
asylum to a male-to-female transsexual from Peru who had been "taunted,
humiliated, and physically attacked by her family, classmates,
teachers, and strangers on the street," and "arrested and detained by
the Peruvian police for being a gay man" (Solomon 26 Mar 2002, 28). The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, in Lima, has barred a
gay student organization from holding any events. The organization,
Parenthesis Collective (Colectivo Paréntesis) was formed by two third-year students, Rodrigo Vecco and Bernardo Nieuwland. In addition, the
university has distributed a pamphlet, "Sexual Identity: Is It Possible
to Choose?," which describes homosexuality as an illness which can be
"cured." The pamphlet was prepared at the request of the university’s
chancellor, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Archbishop of Lima. Cipriani,
an arch-conservative, was politically allied with former president
Fujimori, who fled Peru and obtained asylum in Japan just before being
impeached for corruption (Chauvin 4 Oct 2002, 55). This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible
information currently available to the RIC within time constraints.
This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the
merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. References: Benson, Drew. Associated Press World Stream, "Peruvians March with
Caution in First Gay Pride Parade" (7 Jul 2002), NEXIS. Chauvin, Lucien. THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, "Lima Students
Decry Homosexuality Tract" (4 October 2002), p. 55. International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). WORLD LEGAL
SURVEY, "Peru,"
http://www.ilga.org/Information/legal_survey/americas/peru.htm
[Accessed 4 June 2002]. Mcdermott, Jeremy. THE SCOTSMAN, "Poor Targeted in Peruvian Mass
Sterilizations" (25 July 2002), p. 10. Ross, Deborah. THE INDEPENDENT, "Click! Mario Testino is the King of
Fashion Photographers" (London: 9 July 2001), p. 1. Solomon, Alisa. THE VILLAGE VOICE, "Nightmare in Miami" (26 March
2002), p. 28. |
Add to del.icio.us