“Homosexuality Isn’t a Danger; Homophobia Is” reads a sign held by an activist from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) community during a demonstration in the Cuban capital. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

By Ivet González
HAVANA, May 16 2015 (IPS)

During the events surrounding the eighth annual celebration of the Day Against Homophobia in Cuba, it emerged that a young transsexual had recently been killed in the city of Pinar del Río near the western tip of this Caribbean island nation.

While efforts to combat discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT) are stepped up in Cuba, this segment of the population remains vulnerable to harassment and violence – and even death.

The Apr. 26 murder of Yosvani Muñoz, 24, which is under investigation, as the legal advice office of the National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX) confirmed to IPS, raised questions about a sensitive and little-known issue in Cuba: hate crimes.

IPS asked experts and members of the LBGT community about the causes of killings of “men who have sex with men” (MSM), of which no official statistics have been published, but which have been reported periodically since 2013 by word of mouth, or in blogs or alternative media outlets.

Hate crimes include verbal abuse, threats, physical assaults and homicides motivated by prejudice based on questions like sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnic group or religion.

“We are fighting hate crimes together with the Interior Ministry (which the police answers to),” CENESEX director Mariela Castro said in exclusive comments to IPS. Castro is the most visible face of the national campaign in favour of freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“A thorough expert analysis is needed to determine what kind of killing it was because not all crimes involving LGBT persons as victims are motivated by hatred,” Castro, a sexologist, explained during the May 5-16 events surrounding the Day Against Homophobia.

With a big Cuban flag and smaller rainbow flags representing gay pride, LGBT persons participate in one of the events in Havana surrounding the eighth annual celebration of the Day Against Homophobia in Cuba. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

In Havana and the eastern province of Las Tunas, this year’s activities, focused on the right to work, had the support for the first time of Cuba’s trade union federation Central de Trabajadores de Cuba and the blessing of protestant pastors for more than 30 gay and lesbian couples.

The activities involved a festive conga line and demonstration with signs and banners, video clips, and debates on the rights of LGBT persons to information, freedom of thought, access to justice, personal safety, and violence-free lives.

They preceded the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, which is observed on May 17 because on that date in 1990, the World Health Organisation (WHO) general assembly removed homosexuality from the global body’s list of mental disorders.

Castro said “theft and common crime are more frequent aspects in murders of homosexuals, according to the data presented to us by the DGICO (criminal investigation bureau),” which receives advice from and collaborates with CENESEX.

“There might be a hate crime murder once in a while, but they are very few,” she said.

The sexologist added, however, that “the number of hate crimes is not completely clear because of the lack of a specialised institution dedicated to classifying them….and this classification is important because the old term ‘crime of passion’ hides gender violence, violence between men, and violence between couples.”

Violent crime is generally surrounded by silence in this island nation of 11.2 million people, and killings of LGBT individuals are no exception. The 1987 penal code does not specifically recognise hate crimes, or sexual orientation and gender identity as aggravating circumstances in murders.

The law provides for sentences of 15 to 30 years in cases of homicide, and the death penalty is still on the books, although it has not been applied since 2003.

“MSM are at greater risk of being killed than women,” Castro said, citing the results of DGICO investigations regarding a category of men that includes gays, bisexuals and transsexuals.

“Part of the gay population does not perceive the danger when they irresponsibly choose sexual partners, without information,” she said. “They seek out young men who work as prostitutes, some of whom are criminals and try to rob them, and even kill when they defend themselves.”

Along with its work raising awareness to prevent HIV/AIDS, CENESEX warns of other risks posed by irresponsible sexual practices in gay meeting and recreational places or community social networks.

Oneida Paz, a 59-year-old manager, has not heard of murders or rapes of lesbians, a population group she belongs to. “Violence among women can exist, but it’s not common,” she said. “I do have friends who have been injured, because they were married to men who beat them when they got into a relationship with another woman.”

CENESEX said the number of murders of MSM in 2013 and 2014 was high. At that time the issue came to the forefront because of the deaths of two high-profile openly gay cultural figures, who died in strange circumstances, according to activists.

The local media, which is entirely state-owned, gave ample coverage to the violent deaths of choreographer Alfredo Velázquez, 44, in September 2013 in the eastern city of Guantánamo, and theatre director Tony Díaz, 69, found dead in his Havana home in January 2014. But they only mentioned their careers in the arts.

“I haven’t seen statistics and I’m no expert, but the murders I know about were ruthless. We’re killed for some reason, like theft or vengeance, but also because we’re gay,” said Leonel Bárzaga, a 33-year-old chemical engineer who told IPS about the murder of his friend Marcel Rodríguez.

Rodríguez, a 28-year-old gay professional, was stabbed 12 times on Jan. 6 in his central Havana home. “The police haven’t shared the results of their investigation yet,” said Bárzaga, who preferred not to discuss the specific motives for the murder.

Veterinarian Manuel Hernández, 41, said “I haven’t heard of murders of gays. But verbal attacks are definitely common in small towns, and in the workplace there’s a lot of discrimination,” above all in the rural town where he lives, Quivicán, 45 km south of Havana.

“It wouldn’t be crazy to talk about ‘hate crimes’ against LGBT persons in Cuba,” said Jorge Carrasco, a journalist who investigated gay gathering places in the capital in 2013. “That’s a term used by the Cuban police, in fact, and it’s not a product of paranoia. But I know as little about them as any other Cuban.”

Based on his interviews conducted in lonely outlying parts of the city, like the Playa del Chivo, a beach frequented by MSM to talk, arrange meetings and have sex with strangers, Carrasco explained by email that “many criminals go to those places to steal, and there have been murders. That’s why the police patrol them.”

Edited by Estrella Gutiérrez/Translated by Stephanie Wildes

Mariela Castro speaking at the conference on population and development in Montevideo. Credit: David Puig/UNFPA

By Raúl Pierri
MONTEVIDEO, Aug 15 2013 (IPS)

Latin America and the Caribbean cannot hope to have truly advanced, progressive policies in sexual and reproductive health as long as women do not have the right to decide to interrupt their pregnancy, says Mariela Castro.

“To me it is shameful that many women in the region are still forced to decide between prison or death,” said Castro, director of Cuba’s National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX) and a member of the high-level task force for the International Conference on Population and Development.

The sexologist, who is the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro, said there is a “witch hunt” against women in Latin America and the Caribbean by governments that describe themselves as democratic.

Castro sat down with IPS during lunch break at the first session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is being held Aug. 12-15 in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

As director of CENESEX, Castro has led campaigns in Cuba against the spread of HIV/AIDS and to advocate the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

Thanks to a draft law she sponsored, Cuba became the first country in the region to offer free sex reassignment surgery to transgender people.

Excerpts of the interview follow.

Q: What do you think are the biggest advances in Cuba in recent years, in sexual and reproductive health and sex education?

A: Very important work has been done, starting with the efforts of the Federation of Cuban Women in the 1960s. In 1965, abortion began to be provided free of cost by the national public health system, carried out by experts in the health system’s institutions, with the woman’s consent.

Abortions were available in Cuba before the (1959) revolution, but the procedure was very expensive and was practiced in private clinics. Unsafe clandestine abortions were a major cause of maternal mortality.

So the Cuban state decided to make it a service provided by the public health system. There is no law on abortion. It was established by a Public Health Ministry resolution.

The National Family Planning Programme was created in 1964 and the National Sex Education Programme began to be designed in 1972.

When the Communist Party of Cuba held its first congress in 1975, sex education was established as a state policy, with the primary responsibility put on the family and schools.

In 1988 and 1989, the National Centre for Sex Education was created under the Public Health Ministry.

Q: What is the situation today in Cuba in terms of respect for sexual diversity?

A: Cuba, like the rest of the countries in the world, reproduced the homophobic system that cultures and the sciences also helped impose.

The medical sciences imposed the view that homosexuality was an illness and that these people should undergo therapy aimed at turning them into heterosexuals.

It wasn’t until May 17, 1990 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘depathologised’ homosexuality. My country was homophobic like the rest, but what is said about Cuba in that sense is exaggerated.

The idea of a project based on the principles of social justice and equality and solidarity among human beings created the foundations for us to continue the struggle against discrimination, within the revolutionary process itself.

In January 2012, when the Communist Party conference was held, the objective of fighting all forms of discrimination, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, was included for the first time.

Q: What can Cuba contribute to the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean?

A: Last year, Cenesex organised a meeting of experts on sex education from Latin America and the Caribbean with the aim of sharing experiences and forging alliances to help push these issues forward in the region, and we approved a declaration.

We also want to exchange materials and information. We keep a close eye on new legislation in the region, so that we can also incorporate elements that can be useful for us.

Q: Very important steps towards equal marriage have been taken in Latin America. What’s the situation in Cuba?

A: As a Latin American, I feel very proud that Argentina, Uruguay and the Federal District of Mexico City have legalised the right (to same-sex marriage). I think it’s fascinating. What I am constantly advocating is for this to also happen in other countries, including Cuba.

The thing is that in Cuba, marriage is not considered very important, since most couples just live together, and they enjoy the same rights as married couples.

So the LGBT movement doesn’t put an emphasis on this; they are more interested in defending their economic rights. But if we’re going to talk about rights, we have to talk about the same opportunities, including marriage.

Q: What role should the media play in sex education?

A: I advocate an ongoing strategy of education, accompanied by constant communication. We are training journalists, communicators and artists all the time.

One example that showed that the media are not prepared to deal with an issue was what happened in 1988, when the first free sex change surgery was performed in Cuba.

The doctors who did the operation presented their experience at a congress. A journalist who was there published it in his newspaper, which triggered a debate. Many people sent letters to the government saying it was appalling.

The Health Ministry, which didn’t have the tools to defend itself, decided to suspend the operations, and we had to wait 20 years.

Today we’re the only country that has a strategy for integral care for transsexuals, with free specialised sex services to carry out the transformations that they need in their bodies to bring them into line with their gender identity.

There is also an overall strategy to modify policies, awareness and laws, so that transsexuals are respected.

Q: What are the expectations for this conference in Montevideo?

A: It’s very important for our region to at least reach agreement on a declaration where (the countries) commit themselves to respect, protect, and comply with sexual and reproductive rights.

We want this conference to take a stance in favour of access to quality information, education and services, so that all young people have universal access to sex education provided within and outside of school.

We cannot accept crumbs when it comes to rights. We cannot expect advanced or progressive policies in health if we don’t mange to establish agreements on issues like these.

Q: And with regard to abortion?

A: My hair stands on end when I see that in our continent only Cuba, Guyana and now Uruguay have laws that respect women’s rights to decide about their bodies in situations involving reproductive health, such as the voluntary interruption of pregnancy.

To me it seems like a witch hunt. I think it is shameful that many women in the region are still forced to decide between prison or death, or that countries that define themselves as democratic talk about democracy without having advanced on issues like these.

Excerpt:

Marchers in a conga line ended four days of activities against homophobia in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

By Ivet González
CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba , May 20 2013 (IPS)

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Cuba has won advances on issues like the change of name of pre-operative transgender persons, while they continue to fight for the right to same-sex civil unions.

For the first time since 1997, a transsexual woman who had not undergone sex-change surgery was issued a photo ID card this year reflecting her chosen name and gender identity, Manuel Vázquez, a lawyer with the National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), a government-funded body, told IPS.

“We will continue supporting efforts to attain name changes in other cases, and we hope it will become the norm,” said Vázquez, who is head of the legal services unit in CENESEX, which reports that the family and the workplace are the spheres where the rights of LGBT persons are violated the most.

Up to now, the photo on the national ID card of trans women and men has had to reflect their biological sex.

In 1997, CENESEX managed to reach agreements with the ministries of the interior and justice to change the names and photos on the ID cards of 13 transgender people who had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery, although other civil registry documents, such as their birth certificates, were not modified. But that had not happened again until now.

Transgender people who have undergone sex-change surgery, which is provided free of charge in Cuba since 2008, are allowed to modify their ID cards. In Cuba, 19 people – two of them female-to-male transgender persons – have had sex-reassignment surgery so far, according to CENESEX.

“Now a trans person who has not had surgery is free to seek and win a name change, thanks to this precedent,” Vázquez said.

Speaking to IPS during the month-long events surrounding the International Day Against Homophobia, celebrated May 17, Adela Hernández, the only transgender member of a municipal assembly in Cuba, said she had started the process of applying for a name change on her ID card.

Hernández, a nurse and now a municipal assembly member in the city of Caibarién in the central province of Villa Clara, had to register as a candidate in the October-November 2012 municipal elections under the name José Agustín Hernández and with a photo that looks very different from the woman who won a majority of votes in her district.

Hernández is one of the special guests on this year’s agenda of educational, cultural and – for the first time – sports activities organised by CENESEX, which has led a month of anti-homophobia events every year since 2008.

On this occasion, the central activities took place May 14-17 in the city of Ciego de Ávila, 434 km east of Havana, ending with a festive march down the central avenue Libertad, with the demonstrators waving rainbow and Cuban flags and dancing in a conga line.

Mariela *, a 36-year-old mother, came to watch the conga line with her nine-year-old baby. “I haven’t taken part (in the activities), but I’m not against it,” she told IPS. “These events help families learn about sexual diversity and to respect it more, and help children and young people grow up better.”

But other people are still opposed to the campaign for respect for free sexual orientation and gender identity, which CENESEX carries out all year long, culminating in the May schedule of events, dedicated this year to families.

CENESEX director Mariela Castro said “the hardest thing is to change people’s mentalities,” in a country that is still heavily machista and homophobic. In fact, until the 1990s, “ostentatious public displays of homosexuality” were illegal.

Since 2012, the LGBT community and CENESEX have stepped up their activism demanding recognition of sexual rights as human rights in this country, which has no specific law against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Cuban parliament has not yet debated the bill for a new “family code”, sponsored in 2008 by the non-governmental Federation of Cuban Women and other institutions. Among other things, the bill, aimed at updating the family code in effect since 1975, would recognise same-sex civil unions.

In Latin America, same-sex marriage is legal only in Argentina and Uruguay, as well as Mexico City and three states in Mexico. In Brazil, meanwhile, civil unions that confer nearly the same rights as marriage are legal, and on May 14, the National Council of Justice ordered civil registries to allow same-sex couples who apply for a marriage license to marry.

Vázquez called for a law on civil unions in Cuba, and said he supported the creation of a law on gender identity, as advocated by legal experts and activists.

But until such legislation is approved, the 26-year-old lawyer’s strategy is to train attorneys and judges on how to take advantage of existing laws in cases of violations of LGBT rights

“People also have to be brave, and report these crimes,” he said.

He mentioned the first workshop on the question of LGBT rights for lawyers and judges, held in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. CENESEX also plans to expand its legal services to other parts of the country.

“There is no law on the rights of homosexuals. There is only very vague language about it,” said Raquel Fernández of the Red de Lesbianas Atenea, a network of lesbians based in Ciego de Ávila. Domestic violence and limited access to housing or jobs due to homophobia are among the limitations that lesbians suffer the most, she told IPS.

*The source asked that her last name not be used.