Share

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on WhatsApp

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

By Esteban Marchand, from Lima 

The data from the First Virtual Survey for LGBTI people conducted by the Peruvian State is now available and sexual diversity organizations have given their opinions on the results.

The objective of the survey, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI), was to generate data on the LGBTI population "that allows public authorities and civil society to implement policies, actions and strategies that guarantee their recognition and protection in different public and private spheres."

In Peru there is no gender identity law or same-sex marriage.

However, before getting to the results, some clarifications about the methodology.

• This is not a census that goes house by house.
• It was a voluntary, online survey.
• It was made only in Spanish.
• Shortly after the survey was launched, a debate arose regarding the security of the respondents' data.

[READ ALSO: #HateCrimes2017 Peru: main violence against LGBTIQ+, from the State]

The research sought to shed light through questions related to: geographical location; self-identification of informants; sociodemographic characteristics; discrimination and violence; knowledge of their rights; citizen participation; housing and perception of the condition of LGBTI people.

Young people only

The survey was completed by 12,026 people via an online website. Of this total, 71.8% (8,630 people) are between 18 and 29 years old.

In the following statistics, the INEI only considered the 18-29 age group, excluding the population aged 30 and over from this analysis. This publication attempted to contact a representative of the Institute, but received no response by the time of publication.

For Gabriel de la Cruz, director of the NGO Presente, the results should be taken with a grain of salt. “We must ask ourselves who was able to respond (to the survey). Perhaps it only reflects the reality of LGBTQ+ people with greater access to resources,” he told Presente.

[READ ALSO: First map of the LGBTI population published]

“If the trans female population lives with constant discrimination and invisibility, this is even more pronounced among older trans people. Only including data on those under 30 perpetuates the stigma surrounding age,” said representatives from Casa Trans Zuleymi.

52.2% of the participating population were born female and 47.8% male. The majority of survey participants identified as mixed race (69.1%), followed by white (16.4%), and 4.9% as Black or mixed race. Additionally, 3.1% of the LGBTQ+ respondents reported having a disability.

Fear of coming out of the closet

Regarding their environment, 56.5% of the survey respondents fear expressing their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. And when referring to their family environment, 71.5% said that a family member knew of their LGBTI identity; however, only 43.0% respect and integrate it into the family.

A mapping of privileged Lima

Of the total number of people surveyed, 65% live in Lima, 6% in Arequipa, 5% in Callao, and 4% in La Libertad. The remaining regions of the country had low participation, with percentages ranging from 2.2% to 0.1%.

61% of the LGBTI population participating in the survey stated that they have university higher education, 19.5% have non-university higher education, 14.5% have secondary education and 0.5% have only primary education.

Regarding employment, 37.3% are unemployed and 61.8% are employed. Of this group, 88.2% have not experienced any type of discrimination or violence, compared to 11.5% who have experienced workplace violence.

“This is not representative of trans people: there is a lot of evidence that trans women in Peru do not finish or only complete primary education,” they told Presentes from Casa Trans Zuleymi

Discrimination in public spaces and in schools

Outside of the workplace, 63% of participants reported having been victims of some act of discrimination and/or violence. These incidents occurred primarily in public places (65.6%), educational settings (57.6%), and on public transportation and in commercial and leisure spaces (42% and 41%, respectively).

Finally, another key finding of this report is that 65.5% of survey participants feel that Peruvian society is not more respectful regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Only 23.2% indicated that it is more respectful.

An effort that can be further improved

It is undoubtedly a step forward that the government has taken initiatives to understand the current situation of LGBTI people in Peru. Agencia Presentes sought the opinions of three LGBTI organizations to learn their perspectives.

The civil association Más Igualdad, through a spokesperson, told this media outlet that they were involved in the process of this initiative and pointed out that from the beginning it was known that, being a virtual survey, it was likely to "obtain results that were neither certain nor absolute."

Furthermore, they pointed out that it should be taken into account that 65% of those surveyed reside in the capital city of Lima and "do not represent the reality of millions of Peruvians, whether heterosexual, cisgender or LGBTIQ."

Finally, these last two groups (Presente and Más Igualdad) agree in recognizing the effort and call for this type of initiative to continue so that the needs and characteristics of the LGBTI population can be disseminated from an official platform.