Tips for Gay and Lbian Travelers Cuba | Frommer's

Contents:

• CUBA'S FIRST GAY HOTEL REOPENS AS HUMAN RIGHTS TERRATE
• THERE’S A GAY BEACH HAVANA! DISVERG LGBT LIFE CUBA
• THE BEST CUBA GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS CUBA
• UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA
• IS CUBA GAY IENDLY UNTRY? - CUBA FOM
• GAY CUBA TRAVEL GUI
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS CUBA
• CUBANS APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE BY LARGE MARG REFERENDUM
• CUBA WEL GAY RIGHTS AS PROGRSIVE FAY CO TAK HOLD
• GAY HAVANA

CUBA'S FIRST GAY HOTEL REOPENS AS HUMAN RIGHTS TERRATE

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.

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

Above the entrance, the rabow flag, the ternatnal symbol of gay pri, fluttered the warm Caribbean breeze.

While guts enjoyed the five-star service by the pool or a walk along the priste sands, Cuba has not always been so welg to the gay muny. In the early part of munist lear Fil Castro's le, homosexual men and women were sent to work mps for supposed "re-tn".

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. Amid such harsh treatment, some Cuban gay rights' activists say the Rabow Hotel is an attempt by the state to mask s poor human rights rerd.

THE BEST CUBA GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS CUBA

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. " The guratn of gay hotels as the ernment is about to put a change to the untry's "fay " before the people.

UNVERG GAY HAVANA, CUBA

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. They jt hope all visors - whether gay or straight - make themselv aware of the wir human rights ntext of their trip. My iend and I had arrived at Mi Cayo beach Cuba, a stretch of shorele 15 east of Havana, search of gay Cuba travel experienc.

It looked as though the beach extend que a distance both directns, so we were unsure where to fd the gay sectn of beach that supposedly existed. Our hope that the du would lead to the gay beach were realized when, after five mut of walkg wt, we spotted the rabow flag.

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. There ed to be a Cuban gay bar lled Humboldt 52, but that place appears to have been closed for many years now.

IS CUBA GAY IENDLY UNTRY? - CUBA FOM

Asi om Cabaret Las Vegas, if you’re lookg for the LGBT+ populatn Cuba, you’ll mostly have to e mon sense and gaydar. 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. 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.

This did not seem to be jt a ‘gay men’ thg – lots of dus holdg their girliends’ hands were rockg lf stubble.

GAY CUBA TRAVEL GUI

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.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS CUBA

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. So is entirely possible to meet and hang out wh gay folks on the island if that’s somethg you are terted . 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.

Still, the new LGBT protectns are great for lols and for gay tourists who want to spend their money plac that are iendly and receptive. So this gui hop to offer some sight to LGBT rights Cuba to help gay travellers who are thkg of gog there. Before this, there was a long perd of tolerance; after the 1959 revolutn gay people were imprisoned “rehabilatn” mps and discrimatn was rife.

CUBANS APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE BY LARGE MARG REFERENDUM

This was due to pre-existg machismo culture that was further strengthened by a revolutn that saw difference as a danger and felt gay men were products of nt palism. In 1993 Fil Castro, the then-Print, stated his opposn to anti-LGBT polici; he took rponsibily for the persecutn of homosexuals 2010. While there have been large grassroots movements for gay marriage, there have also been those agast ; church, for example, have released statements clarg marriage as exclively “between a man and a woman” and put up posters wh this msage.

The history for trans people Cuba is equally as dark and shameful as that for gay people; machismo also has a big impact as trans women are seen as ‘renouncg’ their masculy.

In more nservative areas gay travellers uld be met wh some surprised or hostile rpons, although there are almost no reports of this.

CUBA WEL GAY RIGHTS AS PROGRSIVE FAY CO TAK HOLD

As discsed above, if gay travellers are lookg for somewhere that they n be open about their sexualy (and fd a great gay nightlife! Havana is the hub of the LGBT muny, although there are also gay havens plac like Santa Clara and Mi Cayo beach (about 15 east of Havana).

Usually this sectn, we say that ternatnal brand cha hotels are the saft bet for gay travellers who want a strs-ee trip. If gay travellers are headg to a tourist rort then the upsle hotels there will be welg and open.

We would remend dog some rearch before partg, however, to see what hotels or gutho are remend by other gay travellers.

GAY HAVANA

AirBnb is also beg more popular wh lols as a way to make money, so ’s worth checkg out the optns there and readg the reviews to see if they are gay-iendly. For gay travellers who want to experience the LGBT scene of the untry, headg to the gay bars and clubs of Havana is a great place to start.