A gay pride march planned in Havana yesterday was broken up by police just minutes before it was to have started. Cuba has seen progress toward a freer society since Raul Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as President, but the authorities weren’t quite ready for that. Reports say that two of the organizers have been detained, and Queerty reports that “[s]ome are also saying that police beat organizers.”
Mariela Castro Espín, the President’s daughter and the head of the National Center for Sex Education, has long been an outspoken proponent of gay rights, and held a rally against homophobia last month. However, the pride march scheduled for yesterday had not been officially sanctioned.
Predictably, the Catholic Archdiocese of Havana had objected to the planned march and the government’s growing support for LGBT rights.
The AP reports that the Cuban parliament is studying proposals to give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples.
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To read in the same article that gays in Cuba were planning the first gay pride parade along with news the Cuban Parliament is, “studying proposals to give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples” is quite encouraging, especially given Cuba’s past.
I was surprised to read Castro’s daughter has been an avid supporter of gay rights for many years. I’m sure that made for some interesting conversations with her father. :p