The conservative evangelical countermovement in Peru (2009–2019): Allies, resources, and strategies

The fight against LGBT rights and the gender approach in Peru has been led mainly by the conservative evangelical countermovement. This article identifies the main allies of the countermovement and analyses the countermovement’s relationship with each one of them. It is argued that the backing of conservative congresspeople, the alliance with the Catholic Church, and the support of transnational pro-life and pro-family networks provided a series of institutional, political, organizational, and economic resources that increased the countermovement’s chances of success. On the one hand, congresspeople used their legislative faculties and prerogatives and political capital to stop pro-LGBT rights initiatives and legitimize the demands of the countermovement. Similarly, the Catholic Church sought to influence public policy and public opinion, and was the author of the term “gender ideology”, which was used by the countermovement to successfully frame its campaign against the gender approach. Finally, transnational networks sent political operators, created meeting and coordination spaces at the regional level, transmitted knowledge, socialized experiences, and funded the local conservative agenda. This study is based on a comprehensive review of secondary sources complemented with interviews to key actors.