Paraguay’s Ministry of Education has decided to ban all public schools from showing any material focusing on gender ideology or any type of LGBTQ content.
Education Minister Enrique Riera spoke to reporters at a press conference to share the news of the ban that was officially issued on October 10, and talked about how the government wants to focus on “traditional values,” and the “traditional family” made up of a “father, mother and children.”
“We naturally respect different options, but we’re not going to instill them in our public schools,” said Riera according to NBCNews.
As you would guess, there are several people against this decision. Some believe this will bring out discrimination against women and LGBTQ people. In addition, some are pointing out that this contradicts Paraguay’s agreements with international parties on sexual health and gender discrimination.
Specifically, this is in conflict with the Montevideo Consensus, which was Paraguay agreed to in 2013. The consensus was built to demand that countries stop discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and offer information on sexual health services.
Keep in mind that it is legal to be gay in Paraguay, but there is a ban on same-sex marriage and no real anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity laws.
