Cuba's gay rights activists take to the streets fiant and proud | Cuba | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY PRI CRACKDOWN: 4 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ RIGHTS CUBA
• CUBA'S FIRST GAY HOTEL REOPENS AS HUMAN RIGHTS TERRATE
• DEFIANCE AND ARRTS AT CUBA’S GAY PRI PARA
• CUBA GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARRTED AT PRI MARCH HAVANA
• CUBA GAY PRI LLS FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE TO BEE LEGAL
• CUBA'S GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TAKE TO THE STREETS FIANT AND PROUD
• CUBA NCELS S ANNUAL GAY RIGHTS PARA, ‘CONGA AGAST HOMOPHOBIA’
• GAY PRI CUBA (A CONSTANT BATTLE)
• UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA
• GAY CUBA

GAY PRI CRACKDOWN: 4 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ RIGHTS CUBA

You n jo takg actn on equaly and more the past 11 years, the Cuban ernment has anized an annual march agast homophobia Havana, but a week before this year’s event rolled around, the natnal Center for Sex Edutn (CENESEX) abptly nceled cisn seemed to be a part of a broar rollback of LGBTQ rights throughout the untry, so lol activists cid to take matters to their own hands by stagg their own Pri march on May of people showed up to march, wave rabow flags, and nvey solidary the streets of the pal cy.

In recent years, LGBTQ activists have felt growg ristance to their fight for police ta gay rights activists takg part an unthorized march Havana, Cuba, Saturday, May 11, police ta gay rights activists takg part an unthorized march Havana, Cuba, Saturday, May 11, More: LGBTQ Groups Banned From Organizg Around the World: ReportHere are four thgs to know about LGBTQ rights Cuba. Cuba has ma progrs recent yearsCuba has largely end s state-sanctned opprsn of LGBTQ people, and has ma notable progrs toward equal ernment ma illegal to discrimate agast LGBTQ people 2010, and announced that genr nfirmatn surgeri would be ma ee unr the untry’s universal health re program 2008, acrdg to the More: Indonia's Persecutn of LGBTQ People Is Fuelg an HIV EpimicThe advanc put Cuba way ahead of the global norm, where equal rights for LGBTQ people are rarely enshred the LGBTQ people Havana report that they feel safe to go out public and var gay night clubs have popped up recent years, but harassment and ernment surveillance ntue.

The Inter is makg easier to anizeThe Pri march on May 12 was ma possible by the ter, which has opened up an unprecented space for anizg the ernment eased rtrictns on the ter recent years, activists have ed social media channels to advote for broar polil the aftermath of CENESEX ncelg the march, LGBTQ activists quickly nvened on social media and msagg platforms like WhatsApp to anize a unter event, even though they faced a potential gay rights activists arrted at pri march Havana — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 12, 2019Read More: As Egypt Contu Its LGBTQ Crackdown, Activists Say Media Can HelpThe ensug ternatnal media verage gave their e far more attentn than would have otherwise received, and uld help to move the needle toward greater reforms. HAVANA — Salsa mic blasted through the streets of Havana's Vedado neighborhood on Saturday as hundreds of people danced and waved rabow flags durg a march to mark the 11th annual Cuban Campaign agast homophobia.

CUBA'S FIRST GAY HOTEL REOPENS AS HUMAN RIGHTS TERRATE

"We are workg together wh the state, wh the party, wh civil society, to te the Cuban people, to change mdsets and to advance our rights, " Mariela Castro, a Cuban lawmaker and dghter of Communist Party chief Rl Castro, Satday, Castro was joed by Chilean transgenr actrs Daniela Vega, who starred the Osr-wng film "A Fantastic Woman, " and Mike Jackson, a proment LGBTQ activist, durg the march to end homophobia and, a longtime advote for LGBTQ rights Cuba, announced on Monday she would ph for same-sex marriage to be clud a nstutnal reform procs expected to beg march, known as a Cuban nga — the island's versn of an LGBTQ pri para — is part of a growg ph Cuba to allow the untry's once fiercely persecuted LGBTQ populatn to experience greater visibily.

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, The hotel is part of a strategy by the thori to attract ep-pocketed gay touristsA jot venture between Muthu Hotels and Gavta, Cuba's ary-n tourism pany, the Rabow Hotel was placed on a US ernment list of sanctned enti Cuba even before was gurated 2019. AdvertisementSKIP Lage/Agence France-Prse — Getty ImagMay 12, 2019HAVANA — Chantg “Long live a diverse Cuba” and rryg rabow flags, Cuban gay rights activists held an unthorized pri para Havana this weekend spe a warng agast by the Communist ernment, which lled subversive, a highly unual show of civil disobedience the one-party than 100 Cubans marched om Havana’s Central Park to the seaont boulevard before beg stopped by dozens of secury least three activists were arrted by placloth police officers, and others were orred to disperse bee the march did not have an official perm. Activists had lled for their own para after the state-n Natnal Center for Sex Edutn, or Cenex, last week abptly nceled s 12th annual nga agast homophobia, Cuba’s equivalent of gay natnal center nounced the alternative para as a “provotn, ” and several activists said that they had received threats eher anonymoly on social media or om state secury person not to attend — not that stopped march on Saturday was the send such event anized penntly of state stutns — prevly a rare occurrence Cuba — jt over a month.

DEFIANCE AND ARRTS AT CUBA’S GAY PRI PARA

HAVANA, May 17 (Rters) - Cuba draped s health mistry wh a giant rabow flag on Monday to mark Internatnal Day agast Homophobia, a key year for LGBT+ rights as the Caribbean untry cis on a new fay that uld approve same-sex, which sent gays to rrectnal labor mps the early years after s 1959 leftist revolutn, ma nsirable advanc LGBT+ rights the 2000s and 2010s, spe the wispread persistence of island natn troduced the right to ee sex-change operatns, banned workplace discrimatn on the basis of sexual orientatn, and started holdg annual ngas agast homophobia - Cuba's equivalent of gay to spend the nga this year due to the COVID-19 panmic, Havana add a touch of gay pri through the giant rabow flag stead. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghi Many members of the LGBT+ muny say, however, they have been trated by a slowdown the pace of change recent years while a handful of other Lat Amerin untri have moved forward wh approvg gay marriage. "Some LGBT+ activists pla that brgg about change society has been plited by the fact that grassroots mpaigng outsi state stutns is at bt tricky Cuba, and at worst n-s wh Communist years ago there was a schism the LGBT+ muny when a small group of activists held an pennt gay pri march, which eventually was dispersed by police.

Meanwhile, church that oppose gay marriage have powerful platforms for spreadg their msage which they wield to their advantage durg the nstutnal revamp, gatherg signatur for a petn agast the article that would have opened the door to gay marriage and railg agast at church gathergs. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, A number of people marchg whout perms were arrted the palAt least three activists participatg the gay para Havana were 's annual gay pri march is an important event for the island's gay and lbian muny, which spent s the shadows and unr persecutn, says the BBC's Cuba rrponnt Will such, our rrponnt adds, the cisn by the ernment to ncel this year's event was met wh disbelief by many of those who had tend to participate.

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, The annual gay pri march is an important event for Cuba's LGBT munyLast week, the state-n Natnal Centre for Sex Edutn (CENESEX) said the official Cuban Conga agast Homophobia and Transphobia march was ncelled bee of "new tensns the ternatnal and regnal ntext" rponse, activists set up Facebook groups llg for a gatherg the pal on Saturday holds events around this time every year ahead of the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia on 17 official events celebratg LGBT rights the untry will reportedly be gog ahead as planned.

CUBA GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARRTED AT PRI MARCH HAVANA

HAVANA (Rters) - Cuban gay rights activists held an unthorized pennt pri para Havana on Saturday spe the Communist ernment warng agast and llg subversive, an unprecented show of civil society the one-party LGBT activists participate an annual monstratn agast homophobia and transphobia Havana, Cuba May 11, 2019. “This moment marks a before and an after for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) muny but also for Cuban civil society more generally, ” said pennt journalist and LGBT activist Maykel Gonzalez Vivero. CENESEX, head by Mariela Castro, the dghter of Communist Party lear Rl Castro, said a statement that certa groups were planng to e the event to unrme the ernment, embolned by the latn of aggrsn by the Tmp admistratn agast Cuba and s leftist ally Uned Stat has for s fanced often vert programs to promote mocracy on the island and unrme the Communist many LGBT activists said they felt the ernment was reactg more to prsure om evangelil church, which have a growg followg Cuba and have mpaigned agast the expansn of gay rights.

CUBA GAY PRI LLS FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE TO BEE LEGAL

Activists promoted the march on social works thanks to the expansn of the ter Cuba recent years that has more broadly seen creasg numbers of Cubans mobilize onle over certa issu, sometim apparently managg to fluence ernment for example postponed the full implementatn of a cree clampg down on the arts after an onle mpaign prottg the law, and stepped back on regulatns erng the private sector after entreprenrs and experts far, however, the ernment has retaed tight ntrol over physil public spac, mostly rtrictg march to exprsns of support for the ernment, like the recent Labor Day nga Havana was an exceptn that beme a regular occurrence, and a remr that the ernment, which once sent gays to work mps the early days of Fil Castro’s 1959 revolutn, had ma nsirable advanc LGBT rights recent untry guarante rights such as ee sex-change operatns and forbids discrimatn on the basis of sexualy, a regn where some untri still have anti-sodomy LGBT activists say they felt the ncellatn of the nga was a sign those rights are beg erod, possibly bee a recent public nsultatn over a new nstutn revealed that there was more opposn to the muny than prevly Cubans exprsed their opposn to a change the draft nstutn that would have explicly opened the door to gay marriage.

Media ptn, As Will Grant reports, the symbolic gay weddgs were held to protts that same sex marriage is still illegal CubaMore than 1, 000 lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Cubans have marched through the streets of Havana to prott agast event was anised by Print Rl Castro's dghter, Mariela Castro. Although same-sex marriage remas illegal, dozens of upl took part symbolic gay weddgs prid over by relig lears om Cuba and the years ago, Cuban law banned workplace discrimatn based on sexual orientatn. The weddg ceremoni at the Eighth Annual March agast Homophobia and Transphobia were a form of prott at the fact that gay marriage and same sex unns are still illegal source, APImage ptn, Cuba's gay pri march get bigger and more nfint every yearImage source, RtersImage ptn, Print Castro's dghter, Mariela, has been a champn of LGBT rights Cuba for many yearsCuban LGBT anisatns hope gay marriage will bee legal before their march tak place next all the areas which Cuba has changed sce Fil Castro left power, the steps towards improved gay and lbian rights on the island are some of the most signifint, says the BBC's Will Grant Havana.

CUBA'S GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TAKE TO THE STREETS FIANT AND PROUD

About 100 activists becked rabow lours marched jt four blocks om the heart of Havana’s lonial district towards the Malecón seawall on Saturday before they were rralled and dispersed by police and pla-clothed state secury, for Daniel Triana, 21, a gay drama stunt who had e to the march wh fay and iends, the march was “a betiful moment”.

CUBA NCELS S ANNUAL GAY RIGHTS PARA, ‘CONGA AGAST HOMOPHOBIA’

”The pennt march was anised at the last mute, after the thori ncelled the official annual gay pri para, drivg a wedge between progrsive elements of the munist-led state and gay rights activists on the and foreigners participate the gay pri para durg the celebratn of the day agast homophobia and transphobia Havana. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagThe Natnal Centre for Sex Edutn, better known as Cenex, which had been anisg the 12th annual “Conga agast Homophobia and Transphobia”, issued a statement last Monday sayg that “ternatnal and regnal tensns” meant the para uld not be rried out.

The church’ vigoro mpaign – which clud petns, flypostg, and even public monstratns – rocked the nstutn that Cubans ratified this Febary had a ntroversial article that opened the door to gay marriage removed.

GAY PRI CUBA (A CONSTANT BATTLE)

The Cuban ernment argu the ultimate goal of the vtments is regime most untri where LGBT activism emerg tonomoly, the Cuban state – which once sent gay people to labour mps – has led the fight for LGBT rights recent years. Though claims of orchtrated attacks on protters might sound far-fetched, years of US-backed terrorism, enomic strangulatn, as well as more recent attempts to create “smart mobs” to stir unrt have ntributed to a siege they share the upset, proment gay rights activists on the island were divid about whether pullg the event was jtifiable. We n return wh many experienc to share om this si and show that Cuba there is a very strong muny, ” said years ago, May 2017, Anton Ménz, better known as Queef Lata and one of the most famo drag queens Miami, traveled to Cuba the first CubaOne group foced on the LGBTIQ muny, to teract and tablish lks wh entreprenrs, artists and activists, as well as to learn more about Cubans om the gay and queer that time Queef Lata published on OnCuba: “I grew up wh many misnceptns about Cuba, s ernment and s people” and then add that “not only did we learn about the rich history of the untry, but we returned home wh a pletely transformed perceptn of Cuba, s policy and the lol populatn, as well as wh iendships that will last a lifetime.

(Dmond Boylan / Associated Prs) Reportg om Havana — The Cuban ernment announced Tuday that has nceled this year’s edn of a para wily seen as a sign of progrs on gay rights on the state-n Center for Sex Edutn head by Mariela Castro, the dghter of Communist Party First Secretary Rl Castro, said a Facebook post that the Conga Agast Homophobia schled for an unspecified date this month had been nceled on orrs of the Mistry of statement attributed the ncellatn to “new tensns the ternatnal and regnal ntext that directly and directly affect our untry and have tangible and tangible impacts the normal velopment of our daily life and the implementatn of the polici of the Cuban state. And Cuba’s enomy is stricken by shortag basic goods attributed large part to a cle subsidized oil om was unclear how eher of those factors required the ncellatn of a gay pri march, although Cuban officials tend to impose more ntrols of all typ moments when the untry is perceived to be unr threat. The issue of gay rights has bee unually ntroversial Cuba recent months bee of ristance om the untry’s growg ranks of evangelil Cuban ernment persecuted gays the 1960s and 1970s but has sce outlawed discrimatn and e to be seen as relatively progrsive on the rights of lbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenr people.

UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA

The ernment funds genr reassignment surgeri, discrimatn on the basis of sexual orientatn is outlawed, and police receive trag signed to avoid disrpectful treatment of homosexuals and transgenr nga, a para of hundreds of LGBT people wavg rabow flags and dancg down one of Havana’s ma thoroughfar, beme an ternatnally ld symbol of Cuba’s acceptance of gay and transgenr rights. ”The ernment had proposed legalizg gay marriage a nstutnal reform that was approved a Febary referendum but the em was removed after wispread ristance om a wi range of Cubans cludg Leon, print of Cuba’s Evangelil League, said her church and others years past had requted perms to hold march favor of tradnal genr rol at the same time as the gay rights march. Here, we have well-rooted sexist and homophobic iologi, characteristic of Lat Amerin and displayed pecially by our male patrts, where prejudice and looks of aversn have always been directed toward men and women who are different om others for the sole “s” of havg a sexual preference that’s not the norm.

I n only image what would have been the exprsn of Virgil Piñera (1912-1979), our most famo playwright, if he had seen wh his own ey the social openg and acquicence that is practiced today Cuba toward gays. Engagg sex secretive plac and unr poor ndns, the high rate of promiscuy (which shows how the prohibed temps) rulted extremely high numbers of HIV posive adolcents, gays and bisexuals across the untry. I unrstand that gay people have their needs, but right now the ndns of health centers are worse than poor; ’s necsary to repair hospals and clics though we’re spendg an enormo amount of rourc on mpaigns agast homophobia.

GAY CUBA

The ballotg followed a lengthy nsultatn procs featurg 79, 000 neighborhood meetgs that triggered an outpourg of more than 300, 000 suggtns om addn to approvg same-sex marriage, the legislatn will allow gay upl to adopt, and crease the rights of women, the elrly and children. ”The 100-page fay reflects a sea change official attus toward gay rights the 1960s, after the triumph of Fil Castro’s revolutn, the Communist ernment exalted the “new socialist man” and reprsed dissints of all kds. She ns a ernment sex-tn stute and is a proment advote of gay, workplace discrimatn based on sexual orientatn is outlawed, and the public health system provis genr-reassignment surgery ee of new law will expand not jt gay rights but also protectns for women, children and the elrly.