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Anti-rights groups marched to the Ministry of Education and Science in Asunción, Paraguay, chanting slogans against sex education in schools. There, they were met by Minister Eduardo Petta, who, surrounded by his team, came out to assure them of his support for their demands to educate based on the “traditional family” model: “The family composed of a man and a woman will have a say in the decisions that education will make in the transformation process,” the Secretary of State said, as he was cheered.

Petta is one of several self-proclaimed evangelicals in the new government, which took office in August. He previously served as head of the Highway Patrol and had already declared himself “pro-family.” “We will sit down with those who think differently, but we will make them understand that the Constitution is framed around the family and that education must be protected accordingly,” he warned. He added, “We will respect all international organizations, but we cannot allow any ideology foreign to constitutional precepts to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of Paraguay,” while the demonstrators chanted, “Yes to life, yes to the family.”

Furthermore, he stated that education must be "promoted and supported by the family, composed of a man and a woman," and that "it is the foundation of Paraguayan society." Therefore, he announced that his government will initiate a process of educational transformation and that the curricula of basic and higher education will be reviewed to "preserve the values ​​established by the Constitution." Finally, he added: "We do not discriminate against anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, but we will not introduce ideologies into the curriculum that could influence a child's decisions, influencing them from a very young age. We will protect them because the child is a product of the Paraguayan family."

READ ALSO #Paraguay: the government banned gender-related content in schools

Anti-rights groups are gaining ground in the region: “They are not new, they are just becoming more visible.”

The main slogans of the groups that demonstrated and call themselves “pro-life” were for “respect for parental rights over our children,” against what they call “gender ideology,” and to demand “the protection of the family.” They also called for state intervention to defend themselves against organizations “that manipulate young people in favor of gender ideology and the legalization of abortion.”

Miguel Argandoña, one of the spokespeople for the march, said in his speech: “We don't want any gender ideology that disrupts the sexual identity of our children. We know that this ideology transforms what is natural, that it teaches children that they can choose their sexual identity from a young age, something we do not agree with,” he stated.

The new Minister of Education's words came as no surprise to those advocating for expanded rights and comprehensive sex education. “This was to be expected, because the Minister has always declared his affiliation with an evangelical church and his anti-rights stance,” Myrian González, director of the Center for Documentation and Studies (CDE) and a feminist activist, told Presentes. She added, “We were on alert, but we were shocked by his audacity: it's shameful how someone who is part of a state that declares itself secular in its Constitution is taking this position. In other words, he's a minister who is disregarding the legal framework of his own country, the very framework under which he was elected. Our laws stipulate that no policy should be dictated by any religious belief.”

For González, despite their growing presence in the streets and in public debates, these groups that call themselves “pro-life” are not new. “They are the same as always, they never left, but they have become visible in Paraguay and the region thanks to the rise to power of neoliberal, right-wing, conservative, and even fascist governments that give them a platform, in which they feel comfortable,” he says. He explains that these are movements with a regional agenda and organization, led not only by evangelical groups but also by the Catholic Church. And they have strong alliances; they are in Congress as legislators, in government as ministers, in the judiciary, etc.”

Similarly, David González, an LGBT activist with Somos Pytyvohára, points out that Petta's statements "forget" articles of the Constitution that address non-discrimination, the right to education, and the creation of tools to eradicate inequality between men and women, etc. He adds, "It's one thing for anti-rights groups to say that sex education is an ideology. But for a Minister of Education to say this? It's outrageous."

The activist turns the accusation on its head, saying, “Comprehensive sex education is necessary and fundamental to building a society where what's happening now—pregnant girls and abused children—doesn't continue. What they don't want is for children to know their rights, to be able to report abuse at school, at home, or in the church. They don't want children who know how to protect themselves, who are empowered. They're afraid of them.”

“The family they claim to defend is a minority in Paraguay”

The two activists also agree that presenting the "traditional family" as a model institution is absurd. "In Paraguay, the traditional family model doesn't exist. We have a majority of children born to single mothers, outside of marriage... It's a fallacy and a lie, compounded by linking this to the LGBTQ+ movement and the decriminalization of abortion," says David González.

Myrian González adds: “It only recognizes the family formed by a man and a woman in marriage, thus discriminating and ignoring Paraguay's history, where single mothers have always predominated: 35 percent of heads of household are women. Furthermore, statistics show that this 'institution' is where the most women and children suffer violence.”