LGBT rights in Paraguay binding on Costa Rica and sets a binding precedent for other Latin American and Caribbean countries including Paraguay. There is currently a lawsuit to recognize same-sex marriage that relies on the IACHR ruling pending with the courts. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Paraguay since 1880. The age of consent in Paraguay is 16 for homosexuals and 14 for heterosexuals. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner from 1954 to 1989, LGBT people faced heavy persecution and were forced to maintain secret lives. On 1 September 1959, a fire broke out in the capital city of Asunción. Bernardo Aranda, a
Concepción, Paraguay Concepción, Paraguay Concepción () is a city & district in northern Paraguay and capital of the Concepción Department. It lies next to the Paraguay River. Founded by a Spanish Governor, named Agustín Fernado de Pinedo, the town prospered in the early years of the 20th century, as a centre for the north of the country, exploiting the new wealth of the Gran Chaco, and a river port. The town was also a centre for the Paraguayan Civil War of 1947. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Concepción en Paraguay. Route 5 "Gral. Bernardino Caballero" connects