GLBT RIghts in Cuba: 2011 Edition
by Byron Motley
The fight for equality for gays and lesbians in Cuba is stronger than ever. Great strides continue to be made across the island as LGBT advocacy and outreach has intensified and become a more serious discussion, not only on the streets in and around Havana, but also in the halls of the upper echelon of Cuba’s government.
From May 3 to May 19, Cuba celebrated its fourth annual International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) in Havana and Santiago de Cuba (Cuba’s second largest city, in its southern province). The two-week event included symposiums, lectures, films, art exhibits and a theatrical festival, headlined by Cuban superstar singer Haila Mompie.
Touting this year’s theme “Humanity is Diverse,” members from Cuba’s LGBT community and its supporters were out in full force to revel and participate in a show of solidarity for the campaign.
Cuba is far more progressive when it comes to social issues than one might realize. For years the island has been working to overcome racial issues that dogged the country in its pre-Revolutionary era. More recently, equal rights for the island’s LGBT community has been one of the most significant social and political issues.
Leading this revolution on behalf of the LGBT community is activist Mariela Castro-Espin, the 48-year-old daughter of Cuba’s president Raul Castro and niece of Fidel Castro. Heterosexual and a married mother of three, Castro-Espin is going into her tenth year as director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in Havana. Government funded CENESEX campaigns for LGBT rights and has been at the forefront on AIDS prevention education.
With Castro-Espin at the helm, Cuba’s LGBT community has made tremendous strides in terms of visibility, awareness and acceptance. Change, while slow and methodical, has become apparent over the years. Although there is much to be done, Cuba is arguably one of the most progressive Latin American countries regarding gay rights and societal tolerance.
Castro-Espin is an affable yet feisty intellectual, whose presence commands attention and inspires passion. Her political lineage no doubt gives her an edge in the fight for those who might otherwise continue to be overlooked or, worse, vilified. She is the ideal leader for the cause. As a “Castro” she is instantly recognizable, a celebrity known throughout the country. As a heterosexual, she is able to reach a wider audience of Cuban citizens. She evokes the power and passion of Eva Peron combined with the wisdom and insight of Hillary Clinton, yet she is remarkably accessible. Her girl-next-door demeanor and welcoming smile have earned her the nickname Sangreliviana (sweet blood). It cannot be understated how truly loved Castro-Espin is by the LGBT community and how much she loves them in return.
Before addressing the crowd at the initial gathering at the historic La Rampa theatre in the Vedado section of Havana, Castro-Espin privately told me that she was losing her voice and was feeling slightly under the weather. However, when she took the stage, there was no evidence of a weak throat or feeble body. Her delivery was powerful and passionate. She told the audience,
Homophobia is something that was identified recently which distinguishes aversions and prejudices discriminating hate against gays, lesbians and transgenders and bisexuals. Nevertheless, its roots are very old and they are not any different from other forms of discrimination which have been in human existence in other geographical territories.s
Poised and passionate, Castro-Espin instills a sense of urgency for tolerance:
Society has been based on discrimination. People have dominated other peoples based on what they believe in. We have to stop this! We have to continue to establish other types of relationships, not relationships based on superiority and inferiority between humans.
Proving that Cuba is in this fight for the long haul, she stated,
Gays are criminalized in 76 countries [throughout the world] and in five countries [gays] still get life sentences. This is one of the reasons why Cuba is committed with the International community to de-penalize the LGBT population and to continue to fight for equality. It is important for us here to be respectful of all human life.
Adding an international presence at this year’s IDAHO were the gay Belizean Ambassador to Cuba and Barbara Hoell, a former member of Germany’s parliamentary party who is heterosexual and is now the LGBT spokesperson of the parliamentary leftist party Die Linke. Representing the United States were Wilfred Labiosa, of the National Latino LGBT Human Rights Organization, and this writer/photographer.
left: Mariela Castro-Espin; right: festival performer
I was honored to be asked by the organizing committee to exhibit 30 of my male subject photographs in conjunction with this year’s IDAHO. My exhibit “Amantes, Amores y Pasiones—Lovers, Loves and Lusts” marks the first time an American photographer has been invited to participate in this event. Because of the erotic nature of the photos, the exhibit was called “scandalous yet a breakthrough.”
The purpose of IDAHO is to be as inclusive as possible and to offend as few people as possible; the ideal of “anti-homophobia” is a relatively new venture for a Cuban society rooted in machismo.
Although Castro-Espin is Cuba’s gay community’s most outspoken and staunchest advocate, in a revealing moment, she admitted,
I am just like everyone else, and have to face daily things that society doesn’t teach you. Sometimes I have thought of what would happen if some of my children were to come out as gay. I know it would be difficult for me, but I also know I would have to understand. I would have to ask other mothers “how did u do it?” What I am sure of however, is that I would not discriminate against my child. We are in a society that is going to make them suffer enough, so the one thing I would do is to help make them strong when facing those hostilities. As I have been working with others, I would also give (my child) confidence, love, and the resources to respect themselves.
While Cuba continues to recognize civil rights equality for all its citizens, Mariela and those dedicated to the LGBT cause know it will take more time to embolden others and install meaningful change. But they are happy to persist with the necessary work of breaking down barriers and building bridges. Before we parted company, Mariela reiterated her commitment to this fight for equality: “Why should there be discrimination when it comes to race, religion and sex? No differences should exist in any way. That is why we organize this International Day Against Homophobia. We do it to make people aware.”
In conclusion, her thoughts were even stronger and more opinionated, “I will continue to struggle on the streets as I have been doing. We have to destroy all forms of discrimination. Let’s do away with homophobia. Let’s defend the solution as a paradigm of emancipation for all human beings!”
Seeing the determined look on her face and hearing the resolute passion in her voice, one can’t help but believe Cuba’s gay rights movement is in the right hands and will result in impressive and unprecedented reforms in the years to come.
Read Byron Motley's article about last year’s IDAHO.
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