Gay rights progress in Cuba
Campaign News | Tuesday, 7 April 2009
The Morning Star reports on a CSC public meeting with Aleida Guevara and Alberto Roque's
Cuban gay activist Alberto Roque has reported big advances in the fight against homophobia on the socialist island to a packed meeting in Parliament last night.
Nearly 200 Cuba solidarity campaigners gave a warm welcome to Dr Roque and to Aleida Guevara, daughter of Che Guevara.
Dr Roque said the debate in Cuba on gay rights and sexual diversity was "developing in a very positive way" with the support of the Communist Party there.
Measures were under way to give legal recognition to same-sex partnerships and to the rights of transexuals.
Cuba Solidarity Campaign director Rob Miller told a Commons meeting to mark the 50th anniversary of the revolution that it was "time to dispel the myth" that Cuba was a bad example in terms of gay rights.
Dr Guevara was applauded when she declared: "Many people think that once Fidel and Raul (Castro) disappear, the Cuban revolution will also disappear with them. This is a very big mistake."
The Cuban revolution was not a perfect work, she stressed.
"However, the most beautiful part of the revolutionary process is that we are capable of recognising our own mistakes.
And still more important is that we learn from them," she added.
In a flamboyant and forthright speech, she said: "The power of the people. That is what we have in Cuba. That is why we have been able to survive these last 50 years."
Tomorrow delegates at the TUC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference in London will be addressed by Dr Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban president Raul Castro.
Dr Castro will also speak in Trafalgar Square at Saturday's Gay Pride parade. She is a leading LGBT activist and director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education.
Over 200 events have been held across Britain this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the revolution, with around 3,500 people attending cultural events and concerts at London's Barbican last weekend.
