On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, LGBT activists in Paraguay held a kiss-in in front of Congress. A group of evangelical pastors, who oppose the LGBT community, stormed in and assaulted the activists. By María Domínguez, from Asunción.  Photos: Courtesy of Somosgay. Nearly one hundred activists from the Paraguayan LGBT organizations Somosgay and Lesvos gathered this Wednesday in Asunción's Plaza de Armas, next to the Paraguayan Congress, to demand their right to express affection in public through kisses and displays of affection. The event, known as the Kiss-In, has been held for eight years, but this time it was marked by tension. A group of evangelical pastors stormed the plaza, approached the demonstrators aggressively, insulted them, and even tried to push and physically assault them, according to Simón Cazal, spokesperson for Somosgay, who spoke to Presentes . “Four or five religious fanatics approached us to attack us and try to expel us from the square. The activists reacted peacefully, and although they tried to disrupt the event, we were able to conclude our action, and the people were happy,” Cazal stated.

"This is not Sodom"

Juan Vera, a known opponent of the LGBT community, arrived with a megaphone and a Bible in hand, reciting biblical phrases and asserting that Paraguay does not want same-sex marriage. 'We do not want man-man unions, repent, this is not Sodom, this is Paraguay,'" He said. The Somosgay spokesperson explained that religious fanatics are becoming increasingly aggressive in Paraguay and have resumed their campaign to control public spaces and censor the LGBTI population. “There is a conservative resurgence. We already saw it with some mobilizations of these sectors on March 8th, and we will surely see it at the Pride March. They are emboldened by a social climate in Paraguay, which in recent months has intensified misogynistic and sexist discourse in the public sphere,” he stated.

"We will not back down"

The LGBTI community He reported attacks following the riots of March 31st andIn downtown Asunción, protests erupted against the amendment that would allow presidential reelection. The epicenter of the protests was the National Congress building and the Plaza de Armas, where the "Kiss-In" took place today. Several people reported that from there, the police moved several blocks to the Hollywood nightclub, an LGBTQ+ venue, where they beat and insulted several people. Cazal asserted that, despite this resurgence of hate speech and the attempted attacks during the Kiss-In, Somosgay activists are determined to continue with their “strategy of civilized social discussion.” “We are not going to back down into the closet. Fear will not defeat us,” Cazal affirmed.