Romina Vargas Florentín, a 28-year-old trans woman, was murdered on Sunday, October 15, in San Lorenzo (Greater Asunción). Violence has escalated in the area in recent weeks. "We hold the Paraguayan State and the fundamentalist groups calling themselves 'Pro-Life' responsible for this latest hate crime and for continuing to sow hatred and violence." Expelled from the job market because of her gender identity, Romina was a sex worker in the town of San Lorenzo, in Greater Asunción. On Sunday, around 2:00 p.m., she was on the street when a man approached her and, without saying a word, stabbed her in the chest. Police officers patrolling the area found Romina wounded, lying on the ground. When she arrived at the Calle'i Maternal and Child Hospital, doctors confirmed that she had died. The PANAMBI , representing transvestites, transsexuals, and transgender people in Paraguay, condemned this hate crime. In a statement released today, Panambí stated that the crime was perpetrated "by an individual identified as Blas Enrique Amarilla Bobadilla , who confessed to the crime." She demanded that the Attorney General's Office "investigate the murder and indict Romina's alleged killer, who also confessed to several attacks and attempted murders of trans women." With Romina's death, the number of murders of trans people in Paraguay since the end of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship in 1989 has reached 58. Most of these cases remain unsolved. "We hold the Paraguayan State and the fundamentalist groups calling themselves 'Pro-Life' responsible for this latest hate crime and for continuing to sow hatred and violence with their rhetoric that legitimizes and promotes these violent acts," Panambí stated. The man who confessed to the crime was arrested A 21-year-old man was arrested as the alleged perpetrator of Romina's murder. Police said they found the suspect on a pedestrian street, a few blocks from where the attack occurred. Officers who searched the suspect said he had a bloody knife hidden in his pants, which he allegedly used to stab Romina. A witness to the attack identified the suspect. He is being held at the San Lorenzo police station, at the disposal of the Prosecutor's Office. He has a record for stabbing two other transgender women in early October in the same area. The first woman was stabbed twice, and the second, 20-year-old Sheyla Brítez, was stabbed ten times. Both survived the attacks.

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Some local media outlets claim that the detainee was known in the area for his hatred towards trans people, to the point that he had the nickname of “the transvestite knife-wielder”The man admitted to murdering Romina. He stated that he did it out of revenge, because he had been the victim of a robbery, allegedly committed by a transgender person from the area. Panambí warned: “Trans people are stigmatized, treated with violence, and criminalized. We are discriminated against by government entities, our right to justice is trampled upon, and we are declared guilty at the slightest suspicion.”  In statements to the media, The arrested man said he harbored hatred toward transgender people. The crime comes at a time of escalating hate speech against the LGBTI population in Paraguay, fueled by ultraconservative groups.

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On October 5th, thousands of people demonstrated in favor of the traditional family and against so-called "gender ideology." In response to this mobilization, the Paraguayan Ministry of Education banned the teaching of "gender" content in Paraguayan schools and vowed to burn any materials on the subject. The Panambí organization asked communicators, journalists and opinion leaders to address these events with respect for diversity. ]]>