Peru protesters slam new insurance law that deems transgender people mentally ill

LGBT community groups protest against a new government decree listing transsexualism as a "mental disorder", in front of Peru's Ministry of Health, in Lima, Peru, May 17, 2024. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda

LIMA (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters in Peru's capital marched on Friday to demand the scrapping of a new law that describes transgender people, among others, as having a mental illness so they can access health benefits.

Around 500 demonstrators peacefully walked the streets of downtown Lima, hoisting banners with slogans that read "No more stigmas" and "My identity is not a disease."