PARAGUAY: Mayor bans Encarnación's first LGBT march

The city's mayor, Luis Yd, denied them the necessary permit to carry out activities in public spaces, and rejected the loan of sound and lighting equipment.

September 28, 2018

By María Sanz, from Asunción

On Saturday, September 29, at 4:00 p.m., the Paraguayan city of Encarnación (southern Paraguay, bordering the Argentinian city of Posadas) is scheduled to make history with its first LGBTQ+ march. The date and time were chosen to coincide with the LGBTQ+ march that has been held for the past 15 years in Asunción.

In Encarnación, the chosen meeting point is the pergola at San José Beach, overlooking the Paraná River, with the march concluding in the Plaza de Armas. The event is organized by the Diversxs Encarnación and has the support of other NGOs such as It Gets Better Paraguay, Amnesty International, and the Paraguayan Network for Sexual Diversity (Repadis).

But the organizers face an obstacle: the city's mayor, Luis Yd , denied them the necessary permit to carry out activities in public spaces, and rejected the loan of sound and lighting equipment.

In a letter addressed to the organizers of the LGBTQ+ parade, Yd argues that, in 2017, a municipal resolution declared Encarnación a “Pro-Life and Pro-Family City.” The mayor states that, therefore, he is “completely prohibited from providing support or encouragement for the proposed activity” by Diversxs.

The resolution that Yd cites in his note states that the family “is an elementary principle, today absolutely attacked and fought against but, without a doubt, impossible to replace”, and names several articles of the Paraguayan Constitution of 1992, among them the one that defines the family as “the stable union between man and woman” together with their children.

The mayor's response was shared on the Facebook page of the ultraconservative organization Pro-Life and Family Movement – Itapúa. “We met on Tuesday with the Mayor of Encarnación, Mr. Luis Yd, concerned about the activities planned for our city, and he and his legal team provided a well-reasoned response to the situation,” the organization stated on its social media profile.

The first LGBTI march is “stronger than ever”

Belén Rodríguez , one of the coordinators of Diversxs Encarnación, told Presentes that the call for the Encarnación LGBTI Pride march is “stronger than ever.” “We want to show that there are many of us in the LGBTI community, that we are visible, that we exist and that we are organized, and above all, that we are here for the struggle and the resistance. On Saturday, we will be there to shine, to march, to shout our chants, and to celebrate in the Plaza de Armas,” she said.

Rodríguez explained that the mayor's response to Diversxs' request is based on pressure from religious groups and the persecution of the LGBTQ+ movement in Encarnación. Although she believes that ultraconservative groups may appear at the march to intimidate participants, she asserted that Encarnación's first LGBTQ+ march will not be stopped.

The Paraguayan LGBTI Coalition, a group of civil organizations and independent activists that defend the rights of LGBTI people, and which is the organizer of the march in Asunción , expressed in a statement that the mayor's response "criminalizes the LGBTI Parade" and violates freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate, protected by the Constitution.

The Coalition also expressed its “deep sorrow” for these kinds of “hateful messages issued by state institutions, which only perpetuate discrimination, violence, and hatred.” It recalled that this same hatred “has now ended the life of Nikol,” a 24-year-old trans woman, murdered early Thursday morning in Puerto Obligado, about 60 kilometers from the city of Encarnación.

For its part, Amnesty International stated in a press release that the mayor of Encarnación failed “in his constitutional duty not to discriminate,” and pointed out “his absolute intolerance toward any opinion different from his own.” The organization reiterated that the freedoms of assembly and demonstration are protected by international human rights instruments to which Paraguay is a signatory.

“We urge the authorities to defend human rights for all people and also to guarantee the safety of all, especially those who are victims of hatred fueled by intolerance and exclusion,” declared the Paraguayan section of Amnesty International.

“Letter from an amoral man”

In addition to Asunción and Encarnación, LGBTI marches are planned for this Saturday in other Paraguayan cities, such as Coronel Oviedo (central region) and Ciudad del Este (bordering Brazil). The march commemorates the publication in the press, on September 30, 1959, of " Letter from an Amoral Man ," a document that defends the right and freedom of individuals over their bodies and their sexual desires.

The anonymous letter was published a month after the murder of radio announcer Bernardo Aranda, which sparked the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people “suspected of being homosexual” by the authorities of Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship. It is known as “Case 108,” a number-word that continues to be used to refer to sexual diversity, and which today has become a symbol of pride for the entire LGBTI community in Paraguay and border areas of Argentina.

We are Present

We are committed to a type of journalism that delves deeply into the realm of the world and offers in-depth research, combined with new technologies and narrative formats. We want the protagonists, their stories, and their struggles to be present.