Homosexuality in Cuba

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Geographical location of Cuba

Homosexuality isincreasingly acceptedin Cuba after years of discrimination .

legality

From 1938 a law for the protection of society was in force, which was derived from the corresponding legislation in Spain, which allowed the preventive detention of homosexuals and other alleged deviants. Article 490 of the Cuban Law of 1938 also provided for prison sentences of up to six months or fines for habitual homosexual acts or for causing a public scandal by displaying homosexuality. This law remained in effect practically unchanged until 1979 , even after the victory of the revolution. Between 1965 and 1968, numerous homosexuals were forcibly sent to re-education camps where they had to do field work (the so-called UMAP / Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Producción). As recently as 1971, the official decision document of the state's First Congress on Education and Culture said that homosexuality was a disease that had to be combated.

Homosexual acts among adults have been free from punishment in Cuba since 1979. Until a criminal law reform in 1987, however, it was forbidden to publicly show a "state" of homosexuality and to carry out homosexual acts in the face of third parties. In addition, adults could be punished much more severely for homosexual acts with minors than for corresponding heterosexual acts. Although homosexuality has not been explicitly criminalized since then, it is still counted under the general category of "exploitation or a socially reproachable evil" or "antisocial behavior", as described in Article 73 of the Criminal Code, along with behaviors such as drinking and drug addiction and can lead to an entry in the police files.

The 1987 reform, preceded by a three-year discussion, actually increased the threat of punishment for causing a public scandal. The age of consent is 16 years, while before 1984 it was 12 years for heterosexual contacts. Anti-discrimination laws to protect sexual orientation do not yet exist in Cuba.

Recognition of same-sex marriages

State recognition of homosexual partnerships has not yet taken place in Cuba. A corresponding proposal has been discussed in the Communist Party and in Parliament since 2008 without a vote so far (as of 2012).

In September 2010, Fidel Castro personally assumed responsibility for the gay persecution that took place in Cuba. He regretted not having received the necessary attention to this problem due to wars and political problems. However, Castro had by no means just overlooked or tolerated discrimination against homosexuals, but actively promoted it. In the first few years of the revolution, for example, he had made negative comments about homosexuals and denied them the ability to be “real revolutionaries”.

On July 22, 2018, the Cuban parliament passed a new constitution in which, among other things, marriage is no longer stipulated as a union of man and woman, but as a voluntary union between two people. In November 2018, a referendum is to be held on the constitution.

Social situation

El Mejunje cultural center

There is an LGBT community in the capital Havana , as well as in the provincial capital Santa Clara , especially in the vicinity of the local cultural center El Mejunje . The Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX) campaigns in Cuba for tolerance towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues on the island. Non-governmental LGBT activists, however, are often hindered and put under pressure in their activities by CENESEX and the authorities. The director of this center, Mariela Castro , daughter of Raúl and niece Fidel Castros , has been campaigning for the improvement of LGBT rights for many years and has started campaigns against homophobia. In 2008 gay pride parades were broken up by the authorities. In 2011, an officially approved event was allowed to take place for the first time. In August 2011, the first wedding between a transsexual and a gay took place. Same-sex weddings are still not possible, but Wendy Iriepa , who has become a woman, is no longer considered a man by law, so this marriage became possible. Nevertheless, homosexuals complain of continued discrimination.

Literature and film

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : LGBT in Cuba  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e I. Lumsden: Machos, Maricones and Gays , page 82ff
  2. ^ Bert Hoffmann : Kuba, Munich: CH Beck (2000), p. 143
  3. ↑ Vale la pena pensar con psicología ( Memento of the original from May 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Spanish) Interview with the psychologist Manual Calviño, IPS May 2011, accessed May 17, 2011  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ipsnoticias.net
  4. ^ A b Calvin Tucker: Havanna rights in The Guardian , March 28, 2007
  5. ↑ Emily J. Kirk: Cuba's Gay Revolution: Normalizing Sexual Diversity Through a Health-Based Approach. Lexington Books 2017, ISBN 978-1498557665
  6. ↑ a b Freedom House : Cuba Report 2012 , from March 22, 2012, accessed on October 11, 2012 (English)
  7. ↑ Progreso Weekly: Change of sex will be free ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.progresoweekly.com
  8. ↑ Queer.de: Gay marriage in Cuba? , January 22, 2008
  9. ↑ Blu.fm: Fidel Castro takes responsibility ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , September 1, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.blu.fm
  10. ↑ We all have one gender In: ila from May 2007, accessed on August 18, 2015
  11. ↑ FAZ.net: Cuba gets a new constitution
  12. ↑ Glasnost for homosexuals and transsexuals In: NZZ Online from July 14, 2009, accessed on May 17, 2011
  13. ↑ Cuba: Gay Pride march banned ( Memento of the original from May 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.permanentrevolution.net archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated July 10, 2008
  14. ↑ First gay parade Gay Pride in Cuba  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.stern.de   , stern.de of June 29, 2011
  15. ↑ Cuba: primer matrimonio entre una transexual y un gay , BBC Mundo of August 13, 2011
  16. ↑ Matrimonio en Cuba transexual-gay con coro de Disidentes , AFP in El Nuevo Diario on August 14, 2011
  17. ^ State CSD in Havana , queer.de from May 14, 2012