A dispute over a gender-neutral bathroom has endangered Peru's plan to host the next gathering of the Organization of American States' top decision-making body.

Peru's congress is dominated by social conservatives, and it has voted to deny authorization for the scheduled Oct. 5-7 OAS General Assembly. It is supposed to bring together foreign ministers from across the hemisphere under the theme: "Together against inequality and discrimination."

The OAS had requested at least one gender-neutral bathroom be available. Peru's Foreign Minister César Landa issued an appeal on Twitter Friday urging lawmakers to reconsider. He said the action "seriously damages the international image of Peru."

“If they want to go to the bathroom here, they will go the bathroom that corresponds to their sex as it is: woman and man,” said Tania Ramírez, a Popular Front legislator.

The controversy struck gay lawmaker Susel Paredes as “a complete absurdity.” A gender-neutral bathroom is just “another bathroom that has a toilet, nothing more.”

A mummy estimated to be between 800 and 1,200 years old has been unearthed by archeologists in Peru, at a site near the country's capital city of Lima.

Researchers from the National University of San Marcos found the preserved body underground in the middle of a town square at the archeological site of Cajamarquilla, around 25 kilometers inland from Lima.

The mummy was tied with ropes and with its hands covering its face, in what researchers say is a southern Peruvian funeral custom. The age of the mummy means it dates back to pre-Hispanic times, and even precedes the Inca civilization who established Peru's best-known citadel of Machu Picchu in the 15th century.

"The discovery of this resident sheds a new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times," said Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the archeologists who led the excavation.

He told CNN the mummy was most likely a young man between 25 and 30 years old who had come from the mountains to Cajamarquilla, formerly a bustling commercial center in the pre-Columbian era.

The excavation work began in mid-October with a team of 40 people led by Van Dalen Luna and fellow archeologist Yomira Huamán Santillán, and the discovery came as a surprise because they were not searching for a mummy.

"The whole team was really happy because we didn't think this was going to happen," Huamán told CNN. "We didn't expect to make such an important discovery."

Another unexpected find were several marine molluscs outside the tomb of the mummy, which Van Dalen Luna said is unusual given that Cajamarquilla is around 25 kilometers from the coast.

"After the body is placed in the tomb, there are constant events and activities," Van Dalen Luna said. "That is to say, their descendants keep coming back over many years and placing food and offerings there, including molluscs."

Llama bones were also found outside the tomb, and Van Dalen Luna said this was commonly eaten by people of the time and so pieces of llama meat would have been offered to the deceased.

The circumstances of the discovery led the researchers to conclude this was no ordinary citizen, but likely an important person in contemporary society.

"The fact of finding a mummy with these characteristics in the middle of the plaza makes it clear that this is someone of high status," Van Dalen Luna said, adding that among other options, the person in question could have been a leading trader.

The team will now carry out further specialized analysis including carbon dating that will allow them to narrow down the time period during which the person lived and more details about their identity.

Several mummies have previously been found in Peru and neighboring Chile, with many being over 1,000 years old.

A Middletown man was in in a three-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on Interstate 75 that also involved a Jeep and an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser.

The crash happened at approximately 4:55 p.m. while Trooper Ryan Lamarr, 39, was conducting a traffic stop on northbound I-75 at milepost 116 in Auglaize County and he was outside of his 2020 Dodge Charger cruiser — which had its overhead emergency lights activated — talking with the driver he had stopped, according to a release from the highway patrol.

Gerald D. Pestana, 53, of Middletown, was headed north in a 2000 Peterbilt commercial tractor-trailer in the left lane behind a 2014 Jeep SUV driven Rachel M. Ott, 24, of Beavercreek.

Pestana and Ott attempted to merge into the right lane and the truck struck the SUV. The impact forced their vehicles onto the shoulder and both struck the unoccupied cruiser. There were no injuries but all three vehicles had to be towed after the crash, the OSHP said.

Pestana was cited for assured clear distance ahead, according to the patrol.

The right lane of I-75 North was closed for about two hours as crews worked to clear the scene of the crash, which remains under investigation. There is no indication that alcohol or drugs was a factor, and the drivers were wearing their seat belts.

The patrol said it is urging motorists to pay attention, slow down and move over when they see emergency lights.

The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO 9.