Peru Congress votes to host OAS summit after outrage over gender neutral bathrooms
LIMA (Reuters) -Peru’s Congress on Friday voted to host the Group of American States (OAS) Basic Meeting, after outrage over the legislature’s preliminary choice to not approve the summit due to necessities to offer gender impartial bogs.
Peru’s Congress, managed by socially conservative events, on Thursday first rejected the federal government’s request to host the regional physique’s meeting in October over the requisite.
On Twitter, lawmaker Ernesto Bustamante, the top of Congress’s overseas relations committee, stated the OAS had “tried to introduce … gender ideology” into Peruvian regulation.
Peru, a deeply Catholic nation, is amongst Latin America’s most socially conservative nations, with years of infighting amongst lawmakers and activists over whether or not the state ought to acknowledge a number of gender identities or solely organic intercourse.
Authorities places of work in Peru don’t usually supply gender impartial bogs.
The OAS didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The theme for this 12 months’s Meeting is “Collectively in opposition to inequality and discrimination.”
International Minister Cesar Landa stated on Twitter that Congress’ choice “gravely impacts Peru’s worldwide picture” and requested that it rethink its stance.
Luis Almagro, the top of the OAS regional bloc, stated on Twitter he agreed with Landa’s place, thanking him for the federal government’s efforts. He stated he “hoped” the summit might nonetheless be held in Peru.
The biggest congressional bloc, Widespread Power, led by former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, voted unanimously to reject the OAS Meeting. Fujimori has beforehand criticized the OAS over an electoral controversy.
Fujimori misplaced the 2021 election by simply 0.2 proportion factors and declined to concede for weeks, placing ahead unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud.
On the time, Fujimori allies traveled to Washington to request that the OAS perform an audit of the outcomes. The OAS, nonetheless, declined their request.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun; Modifying by Alistair Bell and Tom Hogue)
