Anti-Homophobia in Cuba

In March of this year, Cuba kicked off its “Campaign for the Respect of People’s Sexual Orientation,” led by the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX). Center Director Mariela Castro (above) explained that the campaign aims to “contribute to the education of the entire society, with an emphasis on university youth, in respecting free and responsible sexual orientation and gender identity as exercises in equality and social justice.” CENESEX aims to stimulate reflection and increase mutual understanding about sexual diversity through this initiative’s workshops, educational activities, debates and discussions.

Closely related to the initiative, the celebration of International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia was held yesterday (Saturday) in Havana. Mariela Castro led hundreds of Cuban gays and lesbians in a conga line around two city blocks in the capital in the most public of the day’s events, which also included educational panels and presentations for books, magazines and CDs about sexual diversity. Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón attended the conference kick-off, applauding Cuba’s advances in recent years in recognizing and furthering gay rights.

Indeed, the island’s treatment of the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual (LGBT) population has advanced considerably since the 1960s. In those early years of the revolution, the Cuban regime jailed homosexuals or sent them to forced work camps in an effort to turn these individuals, who were otherwise considered dangerous or inept, into “productive members of society.” Now the Ministry of Public Health in Cuba, as of June 2008, finances and performs sex change operations as requested by transsexual persons. And the Cuban National Assembly is considering Resolution 126 this year: a reform of the “National Family Code”—in effect since 1975—that would include legal recognition of same-sex unions (thereby granting the same rights to these couples as to heterosexual couples) and the creation of an integral health care center for people who are transsexual.

But gays and lesbians still face great discrimination in Cuba; gay rights organizations are banned, for example, and social attitudes toward these individuals are generally negative. Hence the CENESEX campaign theme, “Diversity is Natural,” which implies respect and support for sexual diversity and seeks to change deeply-embedded mindsets. This is leagues ahead of U.S. mainstream thought on the issue, which barely achieves tolerance or acceptance.

Interestingly, the campaign’s recent workshops and education outreaches are all state-backed, effectively putting the Cuban regime’s stamp of approval on the movement itself. State TV even broadcast the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain as a part of the events. Government involvement on this particular issue serves as another interesting Cuban counterpoint for Washington, this time with respect to the Obama administration’s current non-policy on LGBT rights.