Proponent and opponents of gay marriage
will stage dueling rallies in Paraguay on Saturday.
Just days after Argentina became the
first country to legalize gay marriage in Latin America, gay rights
group SOMOSGAY
(we are gay) announced they would lobby in October for passage of
a similar bill in neighboring Paraguay.
With the backing of the Roman Catholic
Church, opposition to the yet-to-be-introduced bill quickly
mobilized.
“We are going to put out an intense
educational campaign on Christian values, to avoid the law of
marriage between people of the same sex that was approved in
Argentina from coming to Paraguay,” Bishop Adalberto Martinez of
San Pedo told La Nation in
July.
Saturday's Festival Por La Vida Y La
Famalia (Festival For Life & Family) urges opponents of gay
marriage to protest the institution at town squares throughout the
nation. The
group's Facebook page has attracted more than 13,000 followers.
The loudest protest is expected to take
place in Asuncion, the nation's largest city and its capital, just a
stone's throw away from Argentina.
Gay marriage advocates are gathering in
front of the Pantheon of Heroes, Asuncion's memorial to the country's
fallen soldiers.
“This festival would not be taking
place, if not prompted by the Queremos
Papa y Mama (We want a mother and a father) campaign,” Simon
Cazal, president of SOMOSGAY, told UltimaHora.com.
At
the event's Facebook page, over 1,000 people had agreed to attend
Saturday's demonstration.