THE CARIBBEAN
Cubans in Havana conga with Raúl Castro's daughter for gay rights
HAVANA -- (AP) -- President Raúl Castro's daughter led hundreds of Cuban
gays in a street dance Saturday to draw attention to gay rights on the
island.
Participants formed a carnival-style conga line around two city blocks
to beat the of drums, accompanied by costumed stilt-walkers.
Events also included educational panels and presentations for books,
magazines and CDs about gay rights and sexual diversity.
''We're calling on the Cuban people to participate . . . so that the
revolution can be deeper and include all the needs of the human being,''
said Mariela Castro, an outspoken gay rights advocate who directs Cuba's
officially sanctioned Sex Education Center.
Attending the program's opening, Parliament speaker President Ricardo
Alarcón said that Cuba has advanced in recent years in the area of gay
rights.
The communist government discriminated against homosexuals -- even
sending some to work camps -- in the early years of the 1959 revolution
led by Mariela Castro's uncle Fidel.
But tolerance of homosexuality on the island has grown in recent years.
Duan Mena, 29, said it was great to celebrate his homosexuality in
public without fear of censure.
Cubans in Havana conga with Raúl Castro's daughter for gay rights -
Americas - MiamiHerald.com (17 May 2009)
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