Bold Reflection Scholarship

As a child, I understood my sexual orientation made me vulnerable to violence, put me at risk, forced me to hide. This made me afraid of being a queer Peruvian. I must admit I am still afraid of what will happen if I am the victim of a hate crime because the Peruvian legal system will not protect me. I am afraid of having a girlfriend and not ever being able to legally share my life with her. I started coping with these fears through my activism. During last year’s pride month, parades and protests were canceled due to the pandemic. Consequently, we had to adapt and I organized a month of online webinars on LGBTQ+ rights. Congresswomen and activists were invited to share their experiences and knowledge. A transgender student shared that Peruvian universities forbid transgender students from using their preferred names. Congresswomen shared how they are insulted every time they present a project to protect LGBTQ+ rights. A transgender lesbian who ran for congress shared how difficult it is to enter the political atmosphere. Even with all of these testimonies, comment sections were flooded with messages saying that the pandemic was God’s punishment for “the gays”. That is Peru and that is why I care and fight for this cause. Additionally, recently I helped develop Diversxs, a project that gives LGBTQ+ activists a platform to raise awareness and create campaigns to promote LGBTQ+ rights. This project has launched an LGBTQ+ dictionary and used art to raise awareness of the disappearances of transgender women during the lockdown. I am now pursuing an undergraduate degree so I can continue fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Peru. I want to come back to Peru, stand against the best Peruvian professionals, and tell them they are wrong: LGBTQ+ Peruvians deserve human rights.