MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peruvian Congress prevents the OAS General Assembly from being held for rejecting non-binary bathrooms

After a vote, they rejected an agreement between the Executive and the OAS, alleging that it allowed the installation of bathrooms for transgender people.

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) scheduled for October is at risk, as the Peruvian Congress insists on rejecting the installation of a “neutral” or non-binary restroom during the meeting, to be held in Lima, the capital of the country.

The Congress, dominated by the right-wing opposition, rejected on Thursday night an agreement between the government of President Pedro Castillo and the OAS, alleging that it allowed the installation of bathrooms for transgender people during the General Assembly, which they consider an allusion to “gender ideology”.

For the country's Foreign Minister, César Landa, this “seriously damages Peru's international image”.

Congressman Alejandro Muñante, of the ultra-conservative Renovación Popular party, defended the Parliament's decision, arguing that “when there are greater urgencies in our country and region, the OAS, with the excuse of its event, tries to smuggle in trans bathrooms that have not yet been legislated in Peru”.

The vote rejecting the installation of an inclusive bathroom was approved by 55 votes, 44 against and 16 abstentions.

The bathroom of discord appears as follows in the frustrated agreement: ”The government must guarantee adequate access to sanitary facilities (...) providing, in addition to common bathrooms, individual bathrooms and at least one neutral bathroom“.

The Ombudsman's Office also exposed on Twitter its criticism of the Legislative.

The Congress argues that a new agreement should be signed to concretize the Assembly in Lima, where the mention of the ”neutral bathroom“ is not included because it implies an intervention in Peru's domestic law, through what they consider ”gender ideology“.

”(We) agree with the Assembly only without a neutral bathroom (...), the only thing they have to do is to delete the bathroom paragraph,“ said Fujimorista legislator Ernesto Bustamante, president of the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee.

”They are facilities only for this Assembly, without generating international obligations in the future“, justified on his side the Chancellor.

Reversing the vote seems complex because religious and cultural convictions arise.

”Here God has to enter into our lives and we cannot allow under any circumstances the entry of these idelogies (of gender)“, assured Congresswoman Mery Infantes.

Communist congressman Guido Bellido, former prime minister of President Pedro Castillo, said that ”they (the OAS) have to come respecting our traditions“.

The vote rejecting the installation of an inclusive bathroom was approved by 55 votes, 44 against and 16 abstentions.

The bathroom of discord appears thus in the frustrated agreement: ”The government must guarantee adequate access to sanitary facilities (...) providing in addition to common bathrooms, individual bathrooms and at least one neutral bathroom“.

The Congress argues that a new agreement should be signed to concretize the Assembly in Lima, where the mention of a ”neutral bathroom“ is not included because it implies an intervention in Peru's internal law, through what they consider ”gender ideology“.

”(We) agree with the Assembly only without a neutral bathroom (...), the only thing they have to do is to delete the bathroom paragraph,“ said Fujimorista legislator Ernesto Bustamante, president of the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee.

”They are facilities only for this Assembly, without generating international obligations in the future“, justified on his side the Chancellor.

Reversing the vote seems complex because religious and cultural convictions arise.

”Here God has to enter into our lives and we cannot allow under any circumstances the entry of these ideologies (of gender)“, assured Congresswoman Mery Infantes.

Communist congressman Guido Bellido, former prime minister of President Pedro Castillo, said that ”they (the OAS) have to come respecting our traditions”.