Unverg Gay Havana, Cuba -- PASSPORT Magaze

Contents:

• WHERE CUBA’S GAYS MEET UP
• UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA
• HAVANA GAY BARS
• GAY CUBA

WHERE CUBA’S GAYS MEET UP

In the early 1960’s, after Fil Castro took power, many gay people were sent to ernment work mps alongsi polil dissints. Though homosexualy was legalized Cuba 1979, many gay men and women said they still faced open discrimatn. Mariela Castro, the dghter of former Cuban print Rl Castro, has openly advoted through a ernment-fund center for improved rights for gays, lbians and transgenr people.

In 2018, Cuban legislators abandoned provisns that would have legalized same sex marriage amid fears that a homophobic backlash would have lowered turnout for a referendum to approve a new nstutn. Where Cuba’s Gays Meet UpWh s night clubs, bars and other social venu, the hip Vedado neighborhood Havana has bee a hotspot for the untry’s gay populatn. Studyg their performance on homoerotic circus Havana, the text analys how the pgueros when alg wh foreigners negotiate masculy and inty; also discs the lolly nstcted ncepts of genr and sexualy, on one hand, and natn and survival on the other.

Keywords: Cuban revolutn, male sexual work, pgueros, homoerotic ambienc, Sexual tourism Havana, la lucha, new man. I met him on a summer night 2008, while I was strollg Havana’s downtown wh a Cuban gay iend.

UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA

I am particularly terted examg their efforts to craft a legimate social space wh the work of Havana’s homoerotic ambiente [environment or scene]3as well as evaluatg how such experience fluence how they unrstand genr and sexualy. For some pgueros, the disurse of la lucha serv as an stment for homoerotic -intifitn and the negotiatn of masculy, but equently as a means for avoidg the tegory of sex worker.

Official disurse views pgueros rervedly, as do many homosexuals who nstct them siar ways, often perceivg them as lazy youngsters. In addn, homosexuals often nste pgueros as void of a genue homoerotic nfiguratn and a clear fn of their sexual inty (Sierra Maro, 2006; Stout 2008).

Followg the analogy between the sexed human body and the natnal rp, lonizatn has been theorized as an act of peratn (Sierra Maro, 2006) based on the tradnal mol of unrstandg homoeroticism7 and sexualy as a whole.

HAVANA GAY BARS

8 Acrdgly, both homosexuals and prostut symbolized bourgeois nce and lonial peratn. Wh the natnalist logic that predomat today unr Raúl Castro, pgueros should not be rejected for their potential homoeroticism, sce homosexualy has recently been -opted and assiated wh the amework of the “polilly rrect” sexual diversy, thanks largely to the efforts of Raúl’s dghter, Mariela, founr of CENISEX, a state agency voted to precisely that e.

GAY CUBA

Pgueros do not nform to a homogeneo uny; there are different typ of experienc and gradatns that notably fluence their mos of teractg wh foreigners. Even though pgueros allowed themselv to be perated, they say they are active and always try to hi the fact that they are passive bee if they accept , they would be admtg that they are homosexuals. At one time, I thought I was a big macho man and rejected anythg that smacked of homosexuals, but I realized that orr to survive, I had to beiend transvt, gays, lbians bee Yumas10 go lookg for their ambiente.

Therefore, an extremely plex and diverse group is reprented beforehand as a homogeno and predictable uny. The impact of globalizatn Cuba has been felt not only the rise of an emergent tourism enomy that has brought large divinds to some social el as a rult of plex procs of creasg social equaly and palizatn that affect the majory of the populatn, but has also generated an enomy of pleasure for gay tourists accsible to all e levels. The servic are featured talogu available to moneyed ternatnal gay ctomers.

Ángel, a young man and native of Havana, do not “do the streets, ” he offers a personalized service, exclive only to a select clientele of bsmen, tellectuals or foreign artists who want to have a homoerotic experience wh young Cuban.