Former Cuban lear Fil Castro said he acknowledg the persecutn of gays and lbians durg the Revolutn his untry, acrdg to a newspaper terview published Tuday.
Contents:
- FIL CASTRO TAK BLAME FOR PERSECUTN OF CUBAN GAYS
- CASTRO ADMS 'JTICE' FOR GAYS AND LBIANS DURG REVOLUTN
- DID FIL CASTRO TRIGGER THE US GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
- FIL CASTRO ADMS PERSECUTN OF GAYS 1960S WAS 'UNJT'
- THIS IS HOW FIL CASTRO PERSECUTED GAY PEOPLE
- FIL CASTRO’S HORRIFIC RERD ON GAY RIGHTSPINKWASHCONCENTRATN MPS FOR GAYS. POLIL PRISONS WHERE THEY WERE TREATED LIKE ‘BEASTS.’ LISTEN UP, LIBERALS: BEFORE YOU CELEBRATE CASTRO, REMEMBER HIS VICTIMS.JAM KIRCHICKUPDATED APR. 13, 2017 2:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED NOV. 27, 2016 2:23PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ELIZABETH BROCKWAY/THE DAILY BEASTFIL CASTRO WAS MANY THGS: A REVOLUTNARY, A MUNIST, A GARLO ORATOR. AMID THE FAWNG ENIA RELEASED UPON HIS LONG-OVERDUE ATH AT THE AGE OF 90, SHOULD NEVER BE FOTTEN THAT HE WAS ALSO AN OPPRSOR, TORTURER, AND MURRER OF GAY PEOPLE. “WE WOULD NEVER E TO BELIEVE THAT A HOMOSEXUAL ULD EMBODY THE NDNS AND REQUIREMENTS OF NDUCT THAT WOULD ENABLE TO NSIR HIM A TE REVOLUTNARY, A TE MUNIST ANT,” CASTRO TOLD AN TERVIEWER 1965. “A VIATN OF THAT NATURE CLASH WH THE NCEPT WE HAVE OF WHAT A ANT MUNIST SHOULD BE.” IN THE EY OF CASTRO AND HIS REVOLUTNARY RA CHE GUEVARA—WHO EQUENTLY REFERRED TO GAY MEN AS MARIN, “FAGGOTS”—HOMOSEXUALY WAS HERENTLY UNTERREVOLUTNARY, A BOURGEOIS NCE. TO A TRADNAL LAT AMERIN MACHISMO THAT VIEWED GAYNS PEJORATIVELY, THEY MARRIED AN IOLOGIL FIXATN TREATG AS POLILLY UNSIRABLE. IT WASN’T LONG AFTER CASTRO ME TO POWER THAT POLICE BEGAN ROUNDG UP GAY MEN. IN 1965, THE REGIME TABLISHED PRISON WORK MPS KNOWN AS MILARY UNS TO AID PRODUCTN (UMAP), TO WHICH POSED HOMOSEXUALS, JEHOVAH’S WNS, AND OTHER “UNSIRABLE” ELEMENTS. ALERT TO THIS NEWS, THE MATTACHE SOCIETY—ONE OF THE EARLIT GAY RIGHTS ANIZATNS THE UNED STAT—HELD MONSTRATNS OUTSI THE UNED NATNS AND THE WHE HOE SUCCSIVELY OVER TWO DAYS. FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE WORLD-FAMO STONEWALL RTS, THE WERE TWO OF THE FIRST GAY RIGHTS PROTTS HELD THE UNED STAT. THAT SAME YEAR, ALLEN GSBERG WAS EXPELLED OM CUBA FOR SPREADG MORS THAT RL CASTRO—FIL’S BROTHER AND SUCCSOR AS PRINT—WAS GAY AND CLAIMG THAT GUEVARA WAS “CUTE.” PUTTG GAYS TO NCENTRATN MPS IS NOT THE ONLY PRACTICE CASTRO BORROWED OM THE NAZIS. DURG THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, ACRDG TO RECENTLY RELEASED GERMAN TELLIGENCE FIL, THIS SO-LLED ANTI-FASCIST ATTEMPTED TO HIRE FORMER SS OFFICERS TO STCT HIS ARMY. THOUGH THE CUBAN REGIME CLOSED DOWN THE UMAPS THE LATE 1960S, NTUED TO REPRS GAY MEN AS IOLOGILLY SUBVERSIVE ELEMENTS. OPENLY HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE WERE PREVENTED OM JOG THE COMMUNIST PARTY AND FIRED OM THEIR JOBS. ONE OF THE UNTRY’S MOST DISTGUISHED WRERS, REALDO ARENAS, REUNTED THE PRISON EXPERIENCE HE AND UNTLS OTHER GAY MEN ENDURED HIS MEMOIR BEFORE NIGHT FALLS. “IT WAS A SWELTERG PLACE WHOUT A BATHROOM,” HE WROTE. “GAYS WERE NOT TREATED LIKE HUMAN BEGS, THEY WERE TREATED LIKE BEASTS. THEY WERE THE LAST ON TO E OUT FOR MEALS, SO WE SAW THEM WALK BY, AND THE MOST SIGNIFINT CINT WAS AN EXCE TO BEAT THEM MERCILSLY.” GAYS PRISED A SIGNIFINT PORTN OF THE 125,000 CUBANS (“WORMS,” FIL CASTRO’S WORDS) PERMTED TO LEAVE THE ISLAND FOR THE UNED STAT AS PART OF THE 1980 MARIEL BOATLIFT. (THE 1984 DOCUMENTARY IMPROPER CONDUCT, WHICH TELLS THE STORI OF GAY AND STRAIGHT MARIELOS, REMAS ONE OF THE STARKT DICTMENTS OF THE CASTRO REGIME.) WHEN THE HUMAN IMMUNOFICIENCY VIS H THE ISLAND’S GAY MUNY THE MID-1980S, THE REGIME’S RPONSE WAS TO QUARANTE ALL HIV-POSIVE PEOPLE SANARIUMS, REFERRED TO AS “PRETTY PRISONS” BY THE FOUNR OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATN’S GLOBAL PROGRAM FOR AIDS. NO DOUBT ATTUNED TO THE WAY WHICH GAY RIGHTS HAS BEE CENTRAL TO THE AGENDA OF A GLOBAL LEFT CREASGLY SENSIVE TO THE CLAIMS OF INTY POLICS, THE CUBAN REGIME RECENT YEARS HAS TRIED TO FASHN SELF AS BEG THE VANGUARD OF HOMOSEXUAL LIBERATN. IN 2010, FIL CASTRO BELATEDLY ADMTED THAT HIS REVOLUTN’S TREATMENT OF GAYS NSTUTED “A GREAT JTICE.” IT WAS, HOWEVER, A S OF OMISSN RATHER THAN MISSN, TRANSPIRG ONLY BEE HE WAS DISTRACTED, TOO BY FIGHTG OFF YANKEE IMPERIALISTS TO PREVENT THE ATROCI BEG MTED HIS REVOLUTN’S NAME. TODAY, FIL’S NIECE (RL’S DGHTER) MARIELA CASTRO HAS EMERGED AS AN LGBT ACTIVIST, HELMG AN ANIZATN LLED THE CUBAN NATNAL CENTER FOR SEX EDUTN. COCINTALLY, SHE IS THE FOC OF A DOCUMENTARY, MARIELA’S MARCH: CUBA’S LGBT REVOLUTN, PREMIERG MONDAY NIGHT ON HBO. MARIELA HAS BEEN LD BY MANY THE WT AS A FORCE FOR PROGRSIVE CHANGE, AND HER CISN TO PH FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LGBTS MAY BE HELPG ON THE MARGS. BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH LIFE FOR GAY CUBANS MIGHT HAVE IMPROVED OM THE DAYS OF FORCED LABOR MPS, ’S ALL OCCURRG WH THE NTEXT OF A TOTALARIAN SOCIETY WHOSE CIZENS NNOT VOTE, ARE NIED BASIC EEDOMS LIKE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OR PROTT EELY, AND NNOT FORM ANIZATNS PENNT OF THE ERNMENT. INED, TELLS YOU EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NTEMPORARY CUBA THAT THE UNTRY’S MOST VISIBLE LGBT ACTIVIST IS THE STRAIGHT DGHTER OF RL CASTRO. MARIELA IS A HARD-RE MUNIST WHO SKIRTS AROUND HER FAY’S HORRIFIC RERD OF OPPRSG LGBT PEOPLE, AND HER ERSATZ GAY RIGHTS CSA REEKS OF BEG A VANY PROJECT AND PERSONALY CULT.SOME WTERN PROGRSIV NOHELS FALL FOR THIS PKWASHG CHARA. TAKE CANADIAN PRIME MISTER JT T, A VOL ADVOTE FOR LGBT RIGHTS HIS OWN UNTRY, WHO RELEASED A FULSOME STATEMENT UPON FIL CASTRO’S ATH. WHILE ALLOWG THAT THE CEASED TYRANT WAS A “NTROVERSIAL FIGURE,” THE DPH PRETTY BOY ENTHED, “I KNOW MY FATHER WAS VERY PROUD TO LL HIM A IEND AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNY TO MEET FIL WHEN MY FATHER PASSED JO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA TODAY MOURNG THE LOSS OF THIS REMARKABLE LEAR.”THE ATH OF FIL CASTRO IS REASON TO CELEBRATE. BUT TE EEDOM FOR CUBAN GAYS WILL REMA ELIVE AS LONG AS POLIL EEDOM IS NIED TO ALL CUBANS. JAM KIRCHICK
- FIL CASTRO PUT GAY MEN LABOR CAMPS. HIS NIECE MARIELA IS LEADG CUBA’S LGBTQ REVOLUTN.
- DID FIL CASTRO PUT GAY PEOPLE TO NCENTRATN MPS?
- FIL CASTRO TAK BLAME FOR 1960S GAY PERSECUTN
FIL CASTRO TAK BLAME FOR PERSECUTN OF CUBAN GAYS
* fidel gay *
Image ptn, Mr Castro told Carmen Lira that he had not paid enough attentn to the treatment of homosexualsFil Castro has said that he is ultimately rponsible for the persecutn suffered by homosexuals Cuba after the revolutn of former print told the Mexin newspaper La Jornada that there were moments of great jtice agast the gay muny. In the 1960s and 70s, many homosexuals Cuba were fired, imprisoned or sent to "re-tn mps" Castro said homosexuals had tradnally been discrimated Cuba, jt as black people and women. But, neverthels, he adms he didn't pay enough attentn to what was gog on agast the gay muny.
CASTRO ADMS 'JTICE' FOR GAYS AND LBIANS DURG REVOLUTN
"In 1979, homosexualy was crimalised and, more recently, there have been efforts to legalise same-sex unns.
STORY HIGHLIGHTSCuba sent openly gay men to labor mps wh no charg the '60s and '70sFil Castro acknowledg "persecutn" of gays and lbians durg the RevolutnCastro says the U. Embargo agast Cuba enuraged his untry to be creative Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Former Cuban lear Fil Castro said he acknowledg the persecutn of gays and lbians durg the Revolutn his untry, acrdg to a newspaper terview published Tuday.
Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Cuba sent openly gay men to labor mps whout charge or trial. "We had so many and such terrible problems, problems of life or ath, that we didn't pay enough attentn, " Castro said of the way gays and lbians were treated.
DID FIL CASTRO TRIGGER THE US GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
In 1979, Cuba crimalized homosexual acts and more recently, there have been efforts to legalize same-sex unns. The dictator's belated acknowledgment and disavowal of his persecutn of homosexuals prompted this fascatg email om Frank Kameny, the most important activist the early gay rights movement:While, Castro had no notn, of urse, of what he was dog this ntext at that time, my view and my terpretatn of the dynamics of the 1960s Gay Movement, he triggered Stonewall and all that has followed. News of Castro's rceratn of gays tentn mps Cuba me out early 1965 -- probably March or very early April.
FIL CASTRO ADMS PERSECUTN OF GAYS 1960S WAS 'UNJT'
One or more of our signs said ( gross paraphrase, here, om memory) "Cuba persecut Gays; is Ameri much better? ", and others specifilly addrsed ernmental and private anti-gay discrimatn here, and other gay-related problems of the so, on April 17, 1965, ten of gathered Lagayette Square, marched across Pennsylvania Avenue to a se amongst the other monstrators signated by the police officer on duty, and picketed. By his 1965 tentns of Cuban gays, Fil Castro precipated and triggered Stonewall and all that we have gaed om sce.
So, if you enter to a same-sex marriage, or are helped by a gay-protective anti-discrimatn law, or n for elective office an an open gay, thank Fil.
Mariela Castro led the annual para agast transphobia and homophobia Havana, May 2015. (Photo: Dmond Boylan/AP)The moment me toward the tail end of an eveng of good food, mic and well-aged m sponsored by HBO celebratn of Jon Alpert’s documentary “Mariela Castro’s March: Cuba’s LGBT Revolutn, ” about Castro’s emergence as the most proment gay rights advote all the unexpected facts about Cuba today, perhaps none is more so than that the 53-year-old Castro dghter — straight, married, a mother of three — has bee s most vol polil advote on behalf of gay, lbian, bi and trans traveled wh Castro four tim to tell that story a 47-mute film that plet the work of the late filmmaker Sl Land, famo sce his ntroversial 1968 movie “Fil!
THIS IS HOW FIL CASTRO PERSECUTED GAY PEOPLE
June 2016, the film is sure to tapult Castro om a slightly ntroversial figure even Cuba — where she is director of the Cuban Natnal Center for Sex Edutn, or CENESEX, and a member of parliament — to one of the island natn’s most ternatnally visible polil is surprisg to fd the dghter of a stg print leadg the fight for gay, lbian, bi and trans rights a natn still stgglg wh a macho, often homophobic culture and where, unr the learship of her uncle, gay men were once sequtered ary mps — well, wele to Cuba. In the Uned Stat, the gay rights movement was one of the new social movements of the 20th century, a grassroots civil rights fight agast the ernment and social nventns that only began to draw the support of powerful policians after s of anizg work. (Photo: Garance Franke-Ruta/Yahoo News)In fact, far om beg a break wh Cuba’s revolutnary legacy, Mariela Castro suat her gay rights advocy work wh Cuba’s history of left-wg polil transformatn even as she is seekg to ph forward social and polil chang that would have been nceivable at the revolutn’s lnch.
And maybe to make a revolutn n be a utopian project, but to make perfect is impossible, ” she said remarks before the Havana screeng of the HBO film, which was attend by senr cultural figur the ernment as well as by the trans and gay men and women featured . “Though we were fightg and tryg to make important chang for social jtice, the issu of homophobia and transphobia were not clear, and they had to be put on the agenda. ”*****I sat down wh Castro at CENESEX, loted a lovgly rtored buildg pated shas of yellow amid the shabby gentily of Havana’s Vedado neighborhood two days after the movie screeng for an exclive nversatn about how she me to be the leadg gay rights advote Cuba, about social change her homeland and about her famo Castro name.
Her father “has told me he supports me, that he supports the personal rights of homosexuals, ” she told the New York Tim.
FIL CASTRO’S HORRIFIC RERD ON GAY RIGHTSPINKWASHCONCENTRATN MPS FOR GAYS. POLIL PRISONS WHERE THEY WERE TREATED LIKE ‘BEASTS.’ LISTEN UP, LIBERALS: BEFORE YOU CELEBRATE CASTRO, REMEMBER HIS VICTIMS.JAM KIRCHICKUPDATED APR. 13, 2017 2:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED NOV. 27, 2016 2:23PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ELIZABETH BROCKWAY/THE DAILY BEASTFIL CASTRO WAS MANY THGS: A REVOLUTNARY, A MUNIST, A GARLO ORATOR. AMID THE FAWNG ENIA RELEASED UPON HIS LONG-OVERDUE ATH AT THE AGE OF 90, SHOULD NEVER BE FOTTEN THAT HE WAS ALSO AN OPPRSOR, TORTURER, AND MURRER OF GAY PEOPLE. “WE WOULD NEVER E TO BELIEVE THAT A HOMOSEXUAL ULD EMBODY THE NDNS AND REQUIREMENTS OF NDUCT THAT WOULD ENABLE TO NSIR HIM A TE REVOLUTNARY, A TE MUNIST ANT,” CASTRO TOLD AN TERVIEWER 1965. “A VIATN OF THAT NATURE CLASH WH THE NCEPT WE HAVE OF WHAT A ANT MUNIST SHOULD BE.” IN THE EY OF CASTRO AND HIS REVOLUTNARY RA CHE GUEVARA—WHO EQUENTLY REFERRED TO GAY MEN AS MARIN, “FAGGOTS”—HOMOSEXUALY WAS HERENTLY UNTERREVOLUTNARY, A BOURGEOIS NCE. TO A TRADNAL LAT AMERIN MACHISMO THAT VIEWED GAYNS PEJORATIVELY, THEY MARRIED AN IOLOGIL FIXATN TREATG AS POLILLY UNSIRABLE. IT WASN’T LONG AFTER CASTRO ME TO POWER THAT POLICE BEGAN ROUNDG UP GAY MEN. IN 1965, THE REGIME TABLISHED PRISON WORK MPS KNOWN AS MILARY UNS TO AID PRODUCTN (UMAP), TO WHICH POSED HOMOSEXUALS, JEHOVAH’S WNS, AND OTHER “UNSIRABLE” ELEMENTS. ALERT TO THIS NEWS, THE MATTACHE SOCIETY—ONE OF THE EARLIT GAY RIGHTS ANIZATNS THE UNED STAT—HELD MONSTRATNS OUTSI THE UNED NATNS AND THE WHE HOE SUCCSIVELY OVER TWO DAYS. FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE WORLD-FAMO STONEWALL RTS, THE WERE TWO OF THE FIRST GAY RIGHTS PROTTS HELD THE UNED STAT. THAT SAME YEAR, ALLEN GSBERG WAS EXPELLED OM CUBA FOR SPREADG MORS THAT RL CASTRO—FIL’S BROTHER AND SUCCSOR AS PRINT—WAS GAY AND CLAIMG THAT GUEVARA WAS “CUTE.” PUTTG GAYS TO NCENTRATN MPS IS NOT THE ONLY PRACTICE CASTRO BORROWED OM THE NAZIS. DURG THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, ACRDG TO RECENTLY RELEASED GERMAN TELLIGENCE FIL, THIS SO-LLED ANTI-FASCIST ATTEMPTED TO HIRE FORMER SS OFFICERS TO STCT HIS ARMY. THOUGH THE CUBAN REGIME CLOSED DOWN THE UMAPS THE LATE 1960S, NTUED TO REPRS GAY MEN AS IOLOGILLY SUBVERSIVE ELEMENTS. OPENLY HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE WERE PREVENTED OM JOG THE COMMUNIST PARTY AND FIRED OM THEIR JOBS. ONE OF THE UNTRY’S MOST DISTGUISHED WRERS, REALDO ARENAS, REUNTED THE PRISON EXPERIENCE HE AND UNTLS OTHER GAY MEN ENDURED HIS MEMOIR BEFORE NIGHT FALLS. “IT WAS A SWELTERG PLACE WHOUT A BATHROOM,” HE WROTE. “GAYS WERE NOT TREATED LIKE HUMAN BEGS, THEY WERE TREATED LIKE BEASTS. THEY WERE THE LAST ON TO E OUT FOR MEALS, SO WE SAW THEM WALK BY, AND THE MOST SIGNIFINT CINT WAS AN EXCE TO BEAT THEM MERCILSLY.” GAYS PRISED A SIGNIFINT PORTN OF THE 125,000 CUBANS (“WORMS,” FIL CASTRO’S WORDS) PERMTED TO LEAVE THE ISLAND FOR THE UNED STAT AS PART OF THE 1980 MARIEL BOATLIFT. (THE 1984 DOCUMENTARY IMPROPER CONDUCT, WHICH TELLS THE STORI OF GAY AND STRAIGHT MARIELOS, REMAS ONE OF THE STARKT DICTMENTS OF THE CASTRO REGIME.) WHEN THE HUMAN IMMUNOFICIENCY VIS H THE ISLAND’S GAY MUNY THE MID-1980S, THE REGIME’S RPONSE WAS TO QUARANTE ALL HIV-POSIVE PEOPLE SANARIUMS, REFERRED TO AS “PRETTY PRISONS” BY THE FOUNR OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATN’S GLOBAL PROGRAM FOR AIDS. NO DOUBT ATTUNED TO THE WAY WHICH GAY RIGHTS HAS BEE CENTRAL TO THE AGENDA OF A GLOBAL LEFT CREASGLY SENSIVE TO THE CLAIMS OF INTY POLICS, THE CUBAN REGIME RECENT YEARS HAS TRIED TO FASHN SELF AS BEG THE VANGUARD OF HOMOSEXUAL LIBERATN. IN 2010, FIL CASTRO BELATEDLY ADMTED THAT HIS REVOLUTN’S TREATMENT OF GAYS NSTUTED “A GREAT JTICE.” IT WAS, HOWEVER, A S OF OMISSN RATHER THAN MISSN, TRANSPIRG ONLY BEE HE WAS DISTRACTED, TOO BY FIGHTG OFF YANKEE IMPERIALISTS TO PREVENT THE ATROCI BEG MTED HIS REVOLUTN’S NAME. TODAY, FIL’S NIECE (RL’S DGHTER) MARIELA CASTRO HAS EMERGED AS AN LGBT ACTIVIST, HELMG AN ANIZATN LLED THE CUBAN NATNAL CENTER FOR SEX EDUTN. COCINTALLY, SHE IS THE FOC OF A DOCUMENTARY, MARIELA’S MARCH: CUBA’S LGBT REVOLUTN, PREMIERG MONDAY NIGHT ON HBO. MARIELA HAS BEEN LD BY MANY THE WT AS A FORCE FOR PROGRSIVE CHANGE, AND HER CISN TO PH FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LGBTS MAY BE HELPG ON THE MARGS. BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH LIFE FOR GAY CUBANS MIGHT HAVE IMPROVED OM THE DAYS OF FORCED LABOR MPS, ’S ALL OCCURRG WH THE NTEXT OF A TOTALARIAN SOCIETY WHOSE CIZENS NNOT VOTE, ARE NIED BASIC EEDOMS LIKE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OR PROTT EELY, AND NNOT FORM ANIZATNS PENNT OF THE ERNMENT. INED, TELLS YOU EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NTEMPORARY CUBA THAT THE UNTRY’S MOST VISIBLE LGBT ACTIVIST IS THE STRAIGHT DGHTER OF RL CASTRO. MARIELA IS A HARD-RE MUNIST WHO SKIRTS AROUND HER FAY’S HORRIFIC RERD OF OPPRSG LGBT PEOPLE, AND HER ERSATZ GAY RIGHTS CSA REEKS OF BEG A VANY PROJECT AND PERSONALY CULT.SOME WTERN PROGRSIV NOHELS FALL FOR THIS PKWASHG CHARA. TAKE CANADIAN PRIME MISTER JT T, A VOL ADVOTE FOR LGBT RIGHTS HIS OWN UNTRY, WHO RELEASED A FULSOME STATEMENT UPON FIL CASTRO’S ATH. WHILE ALLOWG THAT THE CEASED TYRANT WAS A “NTROVERSIAL FIGURE,” THE DPH PRETTY BOY ENTHED, “I KNOW MY FATHER WAS VERY PROUD TO LL HIM A IEND AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNY TO MEET FIL WHEN MY FATHER PASSED JO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA TODAY MOURNG THE LOSS OF THIS REMARKABLE LEAR.”THE ATH OF FIL CASTRO IS REASON TO CELEBRATE. BUT TE EEDOM FOR CUBAN GAYS WILL REMA ELIVE AS LONG AS POLIL EEDOM IS NIED TO ALL CUBANS. JAM KIRCHICK
(Photo: Alejandro Ernto/EPA)Interviews wh gay and trans people Havana reveal a picture of daily life that has improved markedly for sexual and genr mori the 21st century, and pecially the last five years.
Where gay bars and clubs were once illegal, they are now permted, and some — like most rtrants and other bs Cuba — are even n by the ernment. Laws that crimalized gay people and ma same-sex displays of affectn an object for police attentn have been repealed. Mar Martez Moral, 23, a part of the youth group Red Joven por los Salud y los Derechos Sexual, n name six different bars where he n go out as a gay man but says he wouldn’t feel fortable walkg hand hand wh his boyiend on the street, even Havana.
FIL CASTRO PUT GAY MEN LABOR CAMPS. HIS NIECE MARIELA IS LEADG CUBA’S LGBTQ REVOLUTN.
Outsi the Las Vegas nightclub up the street om the rner of 23rd and Malecón, a hangout for gay men and trans women Havana — a sort of Christopher Street piers area — two young men scribed their difficulti jt survivg. *****In the HBO film, Castro tak an opportuny to apologize directly to Luis Perez, who had been one of the ary’s UMAP mps, where dissints, relig mori and homosexuals were sent to work the fields. Many people wh wealth said they were gay to avoid servg, but sce homophobia was very strong at the time wh the army and the ernment, was cid to put the gay people to separate army uns, fact all targets of prejudice went to the uns.
In those years, homophobia was worse society, when me to studyg, to gettg a cent job or a place to live. The rt of the world was as homophobic as we were, or ntued, returng to the prent and to the future: “The most important thg for me is banish homophobia, [to foster] the sense of personal pennce that wh emancipatn. Sign up to our Eveng Headl email for your daily gui to the latt newsSign up to our ee US Eveng Headl emailFil Castro took the blame for a wave of homophobia lnched by his revolutnary ernment the 1960s, but said happened bee he was distracted by other problems, an terview published yterday a Mexin former Cuban print told La Jornada the persecutn of gays, who were round up at the time as supposed unter-revolutnari and placed forced labour mps, was a "great jtice" that arose om the island's history of discrimatn agast said he was not prejudiced agast gays, but "if anyone is rponsible, 's me.
"Official persecutn of gays ntued to the 1970s before homosexual acts were crimalised 1979. Homosexuals were viewed as herently unter-revolutnary and homosexualy was clared a “viatn patible wh the revolutn” by Castro’s regime. LGBT people, particularly gay men, were routely sent to prison whout charge or trial by the state.
DID FIL CASTRO PUT GAY PEOPLE TO NCENTRATN MPS?
In 1965, the regime tablished prison work mps known as Milary Uns to Aid Productn (UMAP), where homosexuals, Jehovah’s Wns, and other “unsirable” peopl emed out of le wh the Communist iology were forcefully sent. Homosexuals and men who were perceived to be homosexual were separated and put to mps apart om other tae. Extreme opprsn of gay Cubans ntued after the UMAPs: beg sent to prison for homosexual acts, fired om their jobs and banned om jog the Communist Party.
Many former mps ntued unr the guise of ‘ary trag’ wh a wage equivalent to the st of one meal a month, and gay men still forced to work them. Some who had been sent to the mps for beg gay had their ernment ID rds brand to say they had been rcerated, preventg them om seekg any future employment or tn.
FIL CASTRO TAK BLAME FOR 1960S GAY PERSECUTN
Rpected wrer Realdo Arenas wrote of the treatment he and other gay Cubans faced prison: “It was a swelterg place whout a bathroom. LGBT stunts were expelled om universy and gay people prohibed om havg ntact wh children and young people.