According to official statistics, 745 same-sex couples have celebrated their union since the adoption of the new code.
Some 200 people marched in Havana on Saturday against homophobia and transphobia, celebrating to the rhythm of traditional conga music the legalization of same-sex marriage adopted on the island in September.
Chanting “Socialism yes, homophobia no”, the demonstrators celebrated the approval in September 2022 of the new Family Code which legalizes same-sex marriage, extended parentage and surrogacy, making Cuba the most progressive in this field in Latin America.
According to official statistics, 745 same-sex couples have celebrated their union since the adoption of the new code.
“It was a debt of the revolutionary process” to the LGBT+ community, 21-year-old sociology student Ana Clara León told AFP, with a rainbow banner tied around her waist.
“I am gay and God loves me”
Several of the themes included in the new code remain sensitive in Cuba, where society is still steeped in machismo and where the communist government ostracized homosexuals in the 1960s and 1970s, before making amends. The Catholic bishops have also rejected the text.
“I am gay and God loves me”, could we read on a sign brandished in turn by several demonstrators.
The daughter of former Cuban President Raul Castro, Mariela Castro, who has promoted the fight for the rights of the LGBT + community for more than three decades, led the procession under police protection.
“It’s something that all homosexual people have been waiting for, to be able to fully live their couple relationship,” said Yoilan Balon, national vice-coordinator of the Transcuba network.
“It’s the conga of pride: we Cubans love parties, the conga, fun and so we can express our diversity,” said Diana Peña, 31, youth mobilization manager. for Transcuba.
