Daring to do drag in socially conservative Paraguay

There is no overground alternative nor any of the thriving drag scene that is found in neighboring Brazil or Argentina.

"Drag is difficult to do openly," said Severa, describing the risks that performance can carry.

"You don't know what can happen to you in an Uber or a bus or if someone will yell at or attack you on the street."

Violence, discrimination and disdain are routine, according to members of a tight-knit LGBTQ+ community who spoke to the Thomson Reuters Foundation about their fight for equality.

This makes Paraguay an anomaly in Latin America on LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Equaldex LGBTQ Equality Index, which ranks countries out of 100 in terms of full equality.

The mention of gender studies and homosexuality is banned in public schools, and same-sex unions are not recognized.

The country's former president, Horacio Cartes, once said, he would "rather shoot myself in the balls than have a gay son".

Otherwise, life for LGBTQ+ Paraguayans feels much like it might elsewhere in the world. Dating apps flourish, Severa said.

But while the age of consent for heterosexual couples is set at 14, all gay sex is illegal under the age of 16, with violators facing penalties up to two years in jail.    

The country's general election on April 30 saw the governing Colorado party return to power with 43% of the popular vote after a race fought largely on ties with China and Taiwan.

LGBTQ+ issues were absent from the campaign agendas of both front runners.

Both parties campaigned on a socially conservative platform and hold anti-gay marriage stances.

Martín Vera, executive director of Paraguayan LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Somosgay, described a political landscape that offers neither support nor opportunity for LGBTQ+ people. 

"Individuals who openly assume their sexual orientation find it difficult to access decision-making positions in politics or community representatives in public spaces," Vera said.

"Not having people who can carry our voices in those spaces leads us to lack laws guaranteeing our rights."

Enrique Riera Escudero - the man who as education minister  banned discussion of gender identity from schools - said the country remained largely conservative due to its historic and cultural roots.

"LGBTQ communities have the same rights as everyone else, with limitations defined by our national constitution," Riera told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"'Gender ideology' is not accepted because in Paraguay the constitution only accepts two genders – man and woman, even though this has a broader vision in other cultures."

For Severa, drag is a career - and an investment.

Severa's real-life alter ego, Cuco Viveros, worked for a television station before deciding to do drag full-time.

But Severa said job openings for trans people were few and far between in Asuncion, and most resorted to sex work.

"The trans community is the most affected population without guaranteed access to decent work," said Somosgay's Vera.

"They also have less access to formal education, which forces them to resort to sex work, where they are exposed to violence, alcoholism and other (risky) situations."

The drag community sees drag as art - as well as activism.

"Drag is a political act, especially in a country as macho and homophobic as Paraguay," Severa said.

Severa thinks more open debate will help trans people stay safe, saying marches, events and shows such as "RuPaul's Drag Race" have brought drag to a wider public. 

However, Senator Riera is against the idea of any form of public demonstration.

As a trans woman and sex worker in this period, Cortaza  said she survived police brutality - head shavings, beatings and  assaults. She was arrested and jailed for being a sex worker.

Since the age of 13, Cortaza fought to change her name from Alberto to Liz, even calling a psychologist to testify at the Supreme Court that she was not crazy for claiming to be a woman. 

But Cortaza said today's democratic government was at times even more discriminatory and violent, with trans people most  affected.

Besides brief stints acting in the 1980s and 1990s, she has been unable to find employment beyond sex work so lives off donations. Her lot, she said, is that of most trans women.

"If you're gay, especially trans, looking for a job, employers will reject you," she said.