Este artigo também está disponível em:
Attorney Susel Paredes (57) is the first openly LGBT+ person from Peru to be elected to Congress by the centrist Morado party. She won the seat on April 11, getting the highest number of votes among all candidates. The information is from O Globo.
As lesbian, she has vowed to wage a “strong battle” for LGBT+ rights in the country, as two conservatives face off in a presidential run-off in June: socialist Pedro Castillo and rightist Keiko Fujimori.
“We are in the middle of a crossfire between right-wing and left-wing fundamentalists” – said Paredes, who is also a lawyer specializing in the rights of women and LGBT+ people – “But we are going to fight a very strong battle. Strategic litigation will be crucial.”
In Peru, same-sex couples do not have the right to civil marriage, trans people cannot change their gender and there are no restrictions on conversion therapies, which here in Brazil have gained notoriety as a “gay cure”.
Paredes understands that Peru should have a quota system to guarantee jobs for transgender people and has called for tougher penalties for hate crimes related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Peru’s first-round winner of the presidential race, Castillo, has already expressed opposition to legalizing gay marriage, while Fujimore has said he is against unions as well as adoption.
“If any one of them is elected, it will be a problem for us LGBTs. It is necessary to move forward with judicialization to guarantee rights in the Supreme Court of Peru,” said the legislator, who is fighting in court for the recognition of her own marriage in the country, which had to be celebrated in the United States four years ago.
“We’ve already won the first trial and now we’re going to fight in the second. That’s why I believe in litigation beyond the walls of Congress,” she said. – “I always say that I hope my marriage will last longer than my lawsuit against the Peruvian state,” she said. “My life is the fight for our rights.”
Join our community of 15+ million guys
Find guys looking for the same thing with SCRUFF Match. Volunteer to be a SCRUFF Venture Ambassador to help out guys visiting your home city. Search an up-to-date agenda of the top parties, prides, festivals and events. Upgrade your game with SCRUFF Pro and unlock 30+ advanced features. Download SCRUFF here.
