- Paraguay celebrates every September 30 the National Day of LGTBI Memory, in remembrance of the persecution of 1959 during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner.
- The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture asks the Senate to approve the law that officially declares the date.
- The institution warns that the LGBTIQ+ community continues to suffer stigma, especially trans women held in men’s pavilions.
The LGTBI Memory in Paraguay has a date and number. This September 30, the country remembers the so-called case 108, the persecution of men labeled as homosexuals that erupted in Asunción in 1959 during Stroessner’s dictatorship. Coinciding with the date, the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture has asked the Senate to officially recognize it and has denounced that discrimination continues.
What was case 108 in Paraguay?
Case 108 was a wave of police raids against men considered homosexuals, which began after the death of dancer and broadcaster Bernardo Aranda in 1959. Aranda, who worked at Radio Comuneros, died in the early hours of September 1, 1959 in the fire of his house in Asunción. The causes of the fire were never fully clarified.
The police investigation ended in raids against men who were considered homosexuals or of “dubious moral conduct”. On September 12, the newspaper El País published that there were 108 people linked to those operations. Under Stroessner’s regime, the investigation became a mechanism of social control against people with no proven connection to Aranda’s death.
The “Letter from an Amoral”, a pioneering document
On September 30, 1959, the “Letter from an Amoral” circulated anonymously, a text that questioned discrimination against homosexuals and defended the right to privacy. Today it is considered one of the first public documents defending sexual diversity in Paraguay, and the date recalls that first public protest against arbitrary detentions.
Why is the number 108 still an insult?
For decades, the number 108 has been used in Paraguay as an insult against gay men and the LGTBI community in general. According to ABC Color, the stigma left by that case continues to appear in “jokes, insults, family silences, school or work exclusion, and fear of speaking”.
The newspaper explains this effect with the concept of minority stress: the emotional burden generated by “repeated exposure to rejection, discrimination, or the expectation of being mistreated” due to sexual orientation or gender identity. And it makes clear that being LGTBI is not a health problem: the harm appears when institutions and environments punish or stigmatize diversity.
What does the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture ask for?
The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture asks the Senate to approve the project that officially declares September 30 as National Day of LGTBI Memory, “in tribute to the fighters and victims of human rights violations.” It also demands “to provide support for collective memory initiatives.”
The institution states that “from various sectors, in Paraguay, the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community continue to be stigmatized and denied”. According to the agency, this “has generated a social resistance that historically prevented, for example, the adoption of a law against all forms of discrimination.”
Trans women in men’s pavilions
The Mechanism also focuses on prisons, where it asserts that “manifestations of discrimination are observed” against LGBTIQ+ individuals. The most exposed are trans women, who are at risk of suffering aggression when housed in men’s pavilions. Therefore, it asks that, when assigning the place of detention, sexual orientation, identity, and gender expression be taken into account.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Day of LGTBI Memory in Paraguay?
Every September 30.
What does this date commemorate?
The 1959 persecution known as case 108 and the “Letter from an Amoral”, one of the first public texts in defense of sexual diversity in the country.
Who was Bernardo Aranda?
A dancer and broadcaster from Radio Comuneros who died in the fire of his house in Asunción on September 1, 1959.
Is the Day of LGTBI Memory in Paraguay official?
The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture asks the Senate to approve the bill that officially declares it.
