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
San Pedro Department, Paraguay San Pedro Department, Paraguay San Pedro () is a department of Paraguay. The capital is the city of San Pedro de Ycuamandiyú. During the 17th and 18th centuries there was even greater political and population instability than in Concepción. The Mbayá and Payagua native tribes threatened all the area between the Ypané (in the north) and Manduvirá (in the south) Rivers and the valley by the Jejuí River. In 1660 the natives revolted in Arecajá against the postal parcel system, causing the disappearance of this town. To help regenerate this area, the Missions San Estanislao (1749), Villa del Rosario (1786)