US and
Cuban LGBTI Communities
Can Help Transform Our
Countries
Mariela
Castro Espín
loved the news that the
Gay Men's Chorus
of Washington
will travel to Cuba
next July. "Their visit
will be very
important in the
cultural, artistic exchange, because
here too there is a
gay choir,
that will participate in
the May 8th
Gala Against Homophobia
and Transphobia in the
Karl Marx
Theater, under the direction
of maestro Isaac
Delgado", she said.
April 28, 2015
Photo: René Pérez
Massola
"I
would very much like –she suggested
as an invitation– that
these two choirs meet
and do something together
on the days they will be here; that
they visit CENESEX [Cuban
National Center for Sex Education] and even
see other places
where the Cuban activist’s
movement carries out important activities."
The Director of the National
Center for Sex Education is
organizing the 8th
Cuban Drive
Against Homophobia, which
begins on May 5, with
a program of activities until
the 23 this month.
This Monday,
after concluding
the interview she gave
us for newspaper
Trabajadores on the central
theme of this 8th annual
edition which will focus
precisely on
discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender
identity in the workplace – you can
read it in next
Monday’s weekly–, I could not
resist the temptation to ask her
about the
possible role of the
issue of the rights of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex
(LGBTI) in the process of
reestablishing diplomatic relations
between Cuba
and the United States.
"The
LGBTI communities
of both countries joining in
their common struggles through common
efforts can contribute
to the transformation process
in our countries...
always with wisdom," she concluded
her remarks on the subject,
after a review of
the trajectory of this
progressive and fruitful
approach.
"For
several years now CENESEX has
had professional links with
scientific associations in
the United States in
the field of the various issues
of sexuality and sexual
health; as well as with some
other international associations where there
are many professionals from the US.”
"After I began visiting the United States
in 2012 for the meeting
of the
Latin American Studies Association
(LASA) in
San Francisco,
these links were also
strengthened with civil society
organizations, LGBTI
associations, women organizations that deal with
issues of domestic violence,
specific groups
that address issues
of transgender people ...
And as I’ve been going to New
York every year as a
member of the high-level working group
of the United
Nations International
Conference on Population and Development,
I always take the opportunity
to further strengthen
those ties.
"But
above all, since Obama
in his last term
has made it easier for the population of the United
States to get permits to visit Cuba, that has
also been very important for receiving
professionals, politicians,
activists in various fields,
not only
LGBT, but also
different aspects of
civil liberties. Many of these
people, institutions and
organizations often visit
CENESEX…students,
university professors ...
"This
has been very good; mainly
because they have told us about their
experiences, have directly
known about ours, and
have come in contact with
activists and professionals. That
is always mutually
enriching ...”
"The
fact that we are on the road
to restoring diplomatic relations
makes it much easier to
continue these exchanges."
Q: In
the Cuban Drives Against Homophobia, very curious things have happened
with Cubans who live in the United States and have been able to
participate...
“Exactly.
Since the first time –starting in 2009, we began arranging community and
artistic activities... and academic activities too... at Pabellon
Cuba as part of the Day Against Homophobia. Then, Cuban men and
women who live in different cities in the United States, and also in
other countries, began to come and have been increasingly coming...”
"Not only from the United States, but also from Canada, Mexico, Spain,
Argentina. Many people come, and they tell us, they approach us. Some
told me, ‘I left [Cuba] because of this; because I was discriminated
against.’ They left because their families had many problems and
suffered. Some have told me that they live in parts of the United States
where homophobia is very strong; they still have not come out of the
closet and they tell me that everything is not like in New York and San
Francisco in the United States. I felt very good because here in Cuba
this is changing; some have told me, ‘If we could get married in Cuba, I
would return.’ Some already have; they have been repatriated. There are
many people, you can look them up and interview them. And this year many
more will come ...”
On the presence of
US activists and
personalities at this
coming Drive, singer
Thelma Houston has confirmed her participation.
Also delegations
from
Puerto Rico and
Massachusetts, as well as
Bishop and Founder of the
Metropolitan Community Church,
Elder Troy
Deroy Perry, and
reporter Michael
K. Lavers, of
the Washington
Blade, a publication
specializing in LGBTI issues.
"Democratic
minority Congressman David
Cicilline, representative
from Rhode Island
who came to Cuba
with Nancy
Pelosi and met with us,
said he'd try to come to
the conference. He has to
ask for permission.
We still haven’t received his
confirmation, but he said he
really liked how
CENESEX is approaching
this work and that not even in
the United States there is anything similar,"
said Mariela.
"He praised the way
we are uniting in a movement led by CENESEX to facilitate the
participation of all of society; not only the LGBT population –because
heterosexual people are also in it– and not only do we focus on such
discrimination, but we stand in solidarity with other struggles, as the
LGBT groups in Cuba over the years expressed solidarity with the cause
of the Five ...”
"So the
Five will participate in the Gala Against Homophobia –she announced– and
will receive recognition by our LGBTHI community (this includes the H
for Heterosexual), that is, from all this movement of transformation of
the Cuban society.”
"They will
be there, because from US prisons they supported us with their messages,
and now here they continue support us. Moreover it was a cause that we
embraced with great honesty, sincerity, with great force, and they
received it and always thanked us from prison.”
"René
was already with us
when he arrived, and
Gerardo asked me, ‘when
will I meet with CENESEX and
the activists?’
I told him,
‘Gerardo, on the 8th
all of you will be with us,
because it will be a great
satisfaction for us to be able to
thank you for your
sacrifice, and also for you
to transmit in person your message
of appreciation, as you’ve
been doing all along from the distance’...”
EDITOR'S NOTE: LGBTI
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people and other
sexuality and gender diverse (LGBTI) people
––––––––––––––––––––––––
Comunidades LGBTI de Cuba y EEUU pueden contribuir a transformar
nuestros países
A
Mariela Castro Espín le encantó
la noticia de que el Coro de Hombres Gay de Washington viajará a Cuba
en julio próximo. “Que ahora nos visiten va a ser muy
importante en ese intercambio cultural, artístico; porque también aquí
hay un coro gay, que va a participar el 8 de mayo en la Gala contra la
Homofobia y la Transfobia en el Teatro Karl Marx, bajo la dirección del
maestro Isacc Delgado”, adelantó.
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