Fidel anti-gay

[FidelCastro]

is Fidel really anti-gay? He is a "Communist" so shouldn't he accept them as equals?

[FULL METAL JACKET]

Am not the biggest fan of Castro but:


From Face to face with Fidel Castro

Tomás Borge: Many people think that there is sexual discrimination in Cuba. What are your views on homosexuality?

Fidel Castro: I don't consider homosexuality to be a phenomenon of degeneration. I've always had a more rational approach, considering it to be one of the natural aspects and tendencies of human beings which should be respected. That's how I view it... I am absolutely opposed to any form of repression, contempt, scorn or discrimination with regard to homosexuals. That's what I think.
Fidel Castro on homosexuality (http://www.ratb.org.uk/html/cspeaks/face_to_face.html)

Unless you can give us proof gays are being discriminated, we'll have to stick to what he says.

[FidelCastro]

true but on wikipedia he is listed as gay opposition

[Edelweiss]

Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2006, 03:31 AM
true but on wikipedia he is listed as gay opposition
Than wikipedia, or morever the idiot who edited/wrote the article, is wrong.

[FULL METAL JACKET]

Wikipedia is not a trustworthy reference.

The U.S congress has edited Wikipedia pages of politicians.
Congress made Wikipedia 'changes' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4695376.stm)

Many fake stories and just plain false statements. For the wikipedia article on baseball player Manny Ramirez which is from my neighborhood, they said:


he grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City a short distance away from Yankee Stadium.
I live in Washington Heights, its no where near Yankee Stadium. Not even close. Trust me when I say no one walks from my neighborhood to Yankee Stadium, that will take the whole day.

But back to Fidel's view on gays.

He has another interesting comment:

Fidel Castro: There is still machismo in our people. I believe a much lower level than any other people in Latin America, but there is still machismo. That has been part of the idiosyncrasy of our people for centuries. I won't deny that, at a certain time, this machista thing influenced the attitude toward homosexuality. I, personally, do not suffer from that sort of phobia against homosexuals. I have never been in favor of, nor promoted, nor supported policy against homosexuals. That corresponded, I would say, to a particular stage and is very much associated with that legacy, with machismo
gay-cuba.com (http://www.gay-cuba.com/)

^ Check out that website, it's a very interesting quote. He himself says he does not discriminate against gays but doesn't deny the fact that gays are discriminated against in Cuba. Very interesting here where he admits the phobia:


I, personally, do not suffer from that sort of phobia against homosexuals.

In saying that he says he has no problems with gays, but admits Cuba does have a gay phobia problem. He defended himself not the Cuban people. Now to what extent is the xenophobia? In terms of socially or if gays suffer physical intimidation, I have no idea.

[TC]

Castro isn't anti-gay and there have never been laws or organized repression against homosexuals in Cuba. However the rumor probably started because there was reported police harrassement (local cops acting illigally, not something with any government support) at some Cuban gay bars that some prominant gay cuban writers complained on, and because people with AIDS were quarantined briefly before the link with the HIV virus was established and they knew how it was transmited, in the United States AIDS and HIV are associated with homosexual males and i think some rightists implied they were quarantining gays (in Cuba as in most of the world HIV is mostly a heterosexual STD so it had nothing to do with their sexual orientation they were just trying to contain an outbreak when they weren't sure how it was spread)

[Severian]

Read (http://www.blythe.org/bnf.html)

More detail (http://www.blythe.org/arenas.html)

[Zak]

Originally posted by Malte+Mar 3 2006, 03:08 AM--> (Malte @ Mar 3 2006, 03:08 AM)
[email protected] 3 2006, 03:31 AM
true but on wikipedia he is listed as gay opposition
Than wikipedia, or morever the idiot who edited/wrote the article, is wrong. [/b]
Yeah it's kinda scarry to think that anyone could go edit wikipedia, and people usually use it like it's a very authoritive source. I myself am guilty of this alot, but this is a good reminder to remember to confirm the information we get off the site.

[Enragé]

most of the time wikipedia is a good source

read an article that its almost as trustworthy as the "Encyclopedia Brittanica" which apparently is a good thing

though on controversial stuff wikipedia is bound to be full of flaws, like almost any other source.