Different artists and artisans will meet at the 2018 Besatón Festival to celebrate diverse love from art. This year, the already traditional event of SOMOSGAY, invites us to claim with art and culture the visibility of lesbian and gay couples, the dignity of trans and bisexual people as well as the diversity of Paraguayan families.

It should be noted that this year the Besatón has the support of the model Ana Livieres as a central image, who is added by a more egalitarian and just Paraguay for all people.

As is now traditional, the Day will be celebrated in Paraguay with a Kiss-in. This year, the motto is “Love is not a disorder. Love is health, equality and rights”. It is organised by the organisations SOMOSGAY, LESVOS, GayLatino and the Paraguayan LGBT federation.

via GIPHY

Around 12:00 pm.  the activity initiated where activists, LGBTs, straight partners and supporters attended with a wide media coverage. The theme of this year was titled “Kisses for Rights”.

To give the opportunity for people to participate from different parts of the country, SOMOSGAY also launched a campaign through social networks that encouraged Internet users to upload a selfie a kiss using the hashtag #MismoAmor (Same Love).

“We join the global initiative that seeks to demystify homosexuality as a disease. Gay couples, lesbians, we are part of society and have the same rights as straight couples. With the Besatón, SOMOSGAY claims for equality and for the right to love and be loved, ”  Juan Sebastian Cabral said, a spokesman for the organization in an interview for the portal Ejempla digital .

On this occasion, the National Deouty Karina Rodriguez he added her support to the event , and declared that “structural changes in a conservative society like Paraguay should give blows visibility” and also agreed on the urgency to formulate, from the grassroots , laws to protect so-called “minorities” recalling that Paraguay is one of the countries in the region that does not have a law against all forms of discrimination.

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia remember the May 17, 1990, when the World Health Organization (WHO) stopped considering homosexuality a disease. As every year, the social discussion SOMOSGAY installed with great strength, and the voices in favor of equality and against homophobia added where trailing fear is part of this process progresses and is writing history.

As in previous years, activists organised a Besatón (kiss-in) outside of the National Congress building in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The initiative was organised by the group SOMOSGAY, at the Plaza de Armas, opposite the Paraguayan Congress, where participants (both LGBT and straight allies) dressed in the colors of the rainbow for this celebration.

Paraguayan LGBTI activists and allies hold a kiss-in outside of the National Congress for IDAHOT 2014

Under the slogan “All we need is love” and in a campaign which courted both national and international press, the IDAHOT 2014 Besatón was attended by Paraguayan Congressional deputies, who year after year demonstrate their support for LGBTI rights.

“Today, like every year is an invitation for people to join us in front of the National Congress, which is the residence of the power of a republic, to demand that the Republic of Paraguay recognizes full equality of rights for all” said Simon Cazal , CEO of SOMOSGAY in an interview for the newspaper Ultima Hora.

“The only thing Paraguay has different in relation to the Middle East is that homosexuality is not punished by law between adults, but we also have no legislative framework to protect us”, concluded the director SOMOSGAY in an interview for the digital portal.

The event captured the attention of national and international media.

Through this and other actions, SOMOSGAY sought to fight hatred of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and to sensitize the public, in an act which stands as a symbol of hope and diversity.

This event which has been conducted since 2010, has its focus on the promotion of the extension of rights for the LGBT community, the struggle against HomoLesboTransPhobia, the visibility and the demand for the right to be in the mark of Freedom of Expression. The density that the event gained has been the focus of discussion of the more conservative political parties of Paraguay who tried to prohibit the event through the law but who have not been successful thanks to the tireless work done by civil society organisations.

The “Besaton” will take place in front of the National Congress of Paraguay in the city of Asunción on May 19, 12pm.

The organisation SOMOSGAY aims towards building a association of solidarity which is committed to the innovation of effective strategies against Homophobia, to improve the prevention of HIV/AIDS, to defend the rights of people affected by HIV/AIDS and to advance Human Rights in Paraguay.

For more information you can visit their website or Facebook page.

Kiss-in outside the Paraguayan Congress

The organisation SOMOSGAY held a “besatón” (a marathon kiss-in), outside of the Paraguay Congress to denounce discrimination against homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people in the country.

With music and rainbow flags, gay and straight couples, and activists who support Human Rights kissed in downtown Asuncion to call for equal rights for people of all sexual orientations.

Photos of the event

(courtesy of the organisers via facebook)

Events kicked off with a public kiss-in held in front the National Congress. This was followed by a meeting of activists, who later presented “Equis Magazine” – a magazine that contains useful information on fashion, health and activities for the LGBT community.

Also held were conversations on “Homophobia in the Classroom” and “The Role of Schools in the Fight against Discrimination and Homophobia.”

Lesbian activists in Asuncion broadcast a special live radio program entitled “In what are you stuck?” Speakers discussed the origin and meaning of IDAHO, addressed harassment in educational institutions and conducted interviews with relevant professionals. They also addressed the human rights violations against LGBTI people taking place in clinics that claim to “cure” sexual diversity by airing those spots produced in 2011 for the “Cures That Kill” campaign.