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

Contents:

• THERE’S A GAY BEACH HAVANA! DISVERG LGBT LIFE CUBA
• HAVANA CELEBRAT GAY PRI
• 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'S GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TAKE TO THE STREETS FIANT AND PROUD
• GAY PRI CRACKDOWN: 4 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ RIGHTS CUBA
• “GAY PRI” CELEBRATED CUBA WH SYMBOLIC “WEDDG”
• GAY PRI
• UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA
• IN HAVANA, GAY BARS HOLD THEIR OWN AGAST THE INTER

THERE’S A GAY BEACH HAVANA! DISVERG LGBT LIFE CUBA

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.

HAVANA CELEBRAT GAY PRI

"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.

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. On this weekday afternoon, the gay beach had maybe 100 people at most, but was still awome to see signs of gay life Cuba, where acceptance of gays is growg but still not nearly at the same level as most wtern natns. The are stereotyp, of urse, but they did hold te for many young Cuban gays, who were clearly open and weren’t tryg to hi their orientatns om anybody.

CUBA'S FIRST GAY HOTEL REOPENS AS HUMAN RIGHTS TERRATE

If you vis more upsle and seclud statns Cuba such as Vararo, which is known for s all-clive rorts, you may likely enunter other gay travelers and tourists, moro than lols.

Obvly, gay marriage is not legal Cuba, though Rters reported that the untry’s recent draft nstutn uld open the door for eventual same-sex matrimony. In the past few years, a number of onle articl seemed to give the imprsn that Cuba is some sort of utopia for gay men, but most of the were exaggerated.

Y, Cuba is gay iendly to a greater gree than many of s Caribbean neighbors, but a lot of those untri (Jamai, Tridad) have notorly homophobic cultur, so beg more progrsive than them isn’t necsarily a huge statement. As more lol policians warm to gay rights, tour pani expand their gay-themed tours Havana, and more Amerin gay tourists e to vis, I would expect LGBT life Cuba to grow and bee more public the g years.

DEFIANCE AND ARRTS AT CUBA’S GAY PRI PARA

Throughout this article, we will go through some ndid advice on safely travelg around Cuba, which of Havannas’s gay bars and clubs are the bt, as well as explorg Santa Clara’s liberal cy and Mi Cayo which is Cuba’s Gay Beach.

CUBA GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARRTED AT PRI MARCH HAVANA

It was once named after s historil ti to a late revolutnary figure Santa Clara, but has sce bee the polil re for LGBT activism and is also seen as Cuba’s ma gay landmark. Lbian, gay, transsexual and bisexual Cubans marched alongsi iends, fay members and supporters down the streets of Havana on Saturday, the eighth Annual March agast Homophobia and Transphobia. Although the Cuban LGBT muny has managed to atta unprecented achievements over the last few years, they are still object of so, this weekend, to the beat of nga dms, people of all ag marched down 23rd Street—one of Havana’s ma arteri—wavg rabow-lored banners, and shoutg slogans and holdg signs mandg for a more clive Havana Celebrat Gay Pri Got a tip?

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.

We chat ont of the Hotel Telegrafo, due to be unveiled soon as Cuba's send LGBTQ hotel as the state doubl down on s pursu of the gay tourist dollar.

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

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Cuba has seen a huge drop tourism bee of the panmicIn 2015, symbolic same-sex weddgs were held at Havana's ernment-sanctned gay pri march. 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. “This moment marks a before and an after for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny, but also for Cuban civil society more generally, ” Maykel González Vivero, an pennt journalist and L.

Activists said that they believed 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. A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 6 of the New York edn wh the headle: Defyg Officials, Gay Cubans Hold a Colorful March to the Sea.

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

Cuba is a popular LGBTQ+ travel statn thanks to s rich history and culture, unspoiled nature, and y, vibrant gay life – pecially pared to other islands the Caribbean. While the pri paras were stopped 2019, the ernment sanctned the openg of the untry’s first gay hotel, the Gran Muthu Rabow Hotel and there has been discsn of regnizg the rights of same-sex upl.

You’ll fd a visible queer scene Havana: the Vedado neighborhood, along the Malacón at Mi Cayo beach, which is popular wh gay men, and bars and clubs that reflect a more nocent, pre-Grdr time. X Y (formerly Bar Myxto) is one of our favore Cubano gay bars and Café Cantante Mi Habana, a club near Havana’s Revolutnary Square, hosts live mic.

Media ptn, People celebratg LGBT rights Havana are taedA number of gay rights activists have been arrted after clashg wh police at an unthorised pri march Cuba's pal, Havana. 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.

“GAY PRI” CELEBRATED CUBA WH SYMBOLIC “WEDDG”

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.

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. Activists lled for their own para after the state-n Natnal Center for Sex Edutn (CENESEX) earlier this week abptly nceled s 12th annual nga agast homophobia - Cuba’s equivalent of gay pri. 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.

GAY PRI

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. Sce was lnched 2007, has provid a moment for gay and transgenr people to celebrate their sexualy, inty and assert their right to exist public space.

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”. ”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.

Photograph: Ernto Mastrasca/EPALast year, Cuba’s evangelil church uned for the first time to mpaign agast gay marriage, which the Communist party hoped to legalise the island’s new nstutn. 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. ”Bishop Rirdo Pereira, of the Methodist Church of Cuba, who led unprecented protts agast gay marriage Febary, said he was glad the Communist thori had taken stock of public feelg.

UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA

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. Mariela Castro, the centre’s director and former print Raúl Castro’s dghter, prsed for the event at a time when public nversatn about gay rights on the island was negligible.

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. 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 state.

IN HAVANA, GAY BARS HOLD THEIR OWN AGAST THE INTER

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.

Today, many untri still ban same-sex acts, wh some ernments even threateng LGBTQ people wh the ath More: The 6 Countri Execute People for Beg Gay2. 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 TIMES — Cuban activists held a symbolic “relig marriage” at “Gay Pri” day Havana on Saturday, after a lorful para led by sexologist Mariela Castro, dghter of Print Rl Castro, reported dpa. More than a thoand people participated this year’s march, held for the eighth time this year, mandg work spac “whout homophobia or transphobia”.