This interview was originally published in Spanish in Jacobin América Latina.
One year ago, Gahela Cari became the first trans woman to run for public office in Peru. Despite receiving high approval with 24,562 votes, she did not win a seat in the parliament because her coalition, Juntos por el Perú, did not pass the 5 percent threshold required by the electoral board at the national level. Even so, her candidacy was historic.
Now, in 2021, the situation is different. Recent protests awakened in the population a strong rejection of neoliberal and conservative politics that have dominated the country for decades. In this context, Peru will hold general elections again in April. Gahela will run for Congress again, as part of the Juntos por el Perú movement led by Verónika Mendoza.