Cubans march against homophobia
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press Writer
HAVANA -- Hundreds of gay and lesbian activists, some dressed in drag
and others sporting multicolored flags representing sexual diversity,
marched and danced through the streets of Havana on Saturday along with
the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro as part of a celebration
aimed at eliminating homophobia around the world.
Some of the marchers played drums and others walked on stilts as they
made their way down a wide avenue in the capital's hip Vedado
neighborhood, where they have held a series of debates and workshops
ahead of the May 17 celebration of the International Day Against
Homophobia, which participants say marks the day in 1990 when the World
Health Organization stopped listing homosexuality as a mental illness.
"We have made progress, but we need to make more progress," said Mariela
Castro, a campaigner for gay rights on the island and the leader of
Cuba's National Sexual Education Center. She is also the daughter of
Cuban President Raul Castro.
Cuba has come a long way in accepting homosexuality. In the 1960s,
shortly after the revolution, homosexuals were fired from state jobs and
many were imprisoned or sent to work camps. Others fled into exile.
But that began to change in the 1980s, in large part to the work of
Mariela Castro's center. Recently, the government has even agreed to
include sex change operations for transsexuals under its free national
health system, another project championed by the center.
The workshops and debates held Saturday dealt with issues such as
adoption by gay and lesbian couples and whether to legalize gay
marriages, a step Mariela Castro has been pushing for years, so far
without success. The week of celebrations culminates Monday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/15/1631241/cubans-march-against-homophobia.html
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