Homosexuals in Cuban politics

[Karl Marx's Camel]

Are there any homosexual politicians in Cuba?

[Rosario Central]

Man what is with you, posting all this shit about Cuba , Is kissing allowed in public, is homosexuality allowed, just give it up, its not your concern. Unless your a Homosexual who is intending on going to Cuba and making out in public.

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

I think it's a valid question; there are a few homosexual people in Canada's Parliament.

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by Rosario Central+Mar 17 2006, 09:37 PM--> (Rosario Central @ Mar 17 2006, 09:37 PM) Man what is with you [....] just give it up, its not your concern. [/b]

On the contrary, this is an internet board for both learning and theoretical discussion. Therefore, as long as a member doesn't violate any board guidelines and/or rules, they are free to ask whatever they wish!

As to the original question, I would imagine homosexuals are allowed into the Cuban Communist Party -- after all, Catholics are. However after quickly searching google using the words "cuba homosexual communist party"....

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=cub...ist+party&meta= (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=cuba+homosexual+communist+party&meta=)

I found this....


Originally posted by Peter Tatchell+--> (Peter Tatchell)Homosexuals are still deemed unfit to join the ruling Communist Party, because being gay is supposedly contrary to communist ethics. This can have an adverse impact on a person’s professional career in a society where all senior appointments depend on party membership.[/b]

http://www.galha.org/glh/213/cuba.html

However, the wikipedia article has a disputed tag thingy, which leads to this....


Walter [email protected]
I've asked at a very authoritative level here in Havana and have been told that there is no provision against gays being members of the Cuban Communist Party and been told by others that they personally know gay party members. The man who told me this said that if someone wanted to vote to NOT admit someone into the party, because they were gay, or religious, or whatever, they might do that, but there is no formal prohibition of gays being members of the party.

http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/mar...47/msg00339.htm (http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2002w47/msg00339.htm)

And this thingy seems to agree with that position....


Gay Life in Cuba
Are lesbians and gay men still forbidden to join the Communist Party?

"A typical Cuban homosexual’s life is far more likely to be constrained by the state’s political-ideological structure than by the repressive apparatus itself."

There is no written law, but residual machismo can still be a factor in preventing gays from being included. This is a social problem and not a legal one.

http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/markburton/gaycuba.htm

Like all things on Cuba, the sources do conflict quite a bit. However, I suspect that gay people are allowed into the Communist Party, in theory at least, but that there's still a large amount of "social stigma" involved with being gay in Cuba.

[rouchambeau]

I wouldn't think so. I have heard that Castro had many of them sent off to reeducation camps when he took power.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

However, the wikipedia article has a disputed tag thingy, which leads to this....


I added that! :D :lol:



I wouldn't think so. I have heard that Castro had many of them sent off to reeducation camps when he took power.

I believe they were closed in 1968, due to widespread pressure from the Cuban population.

[~*HastaLaVictoriaSiempre*~]

I wouldn't think so. I have heard that Castro had many of them sent off to reeducation camps when he took power.

^^True but that was what, 1958 or 59 correct?

Back then almost all gays were discriminated against no matter what country they lived in. Times may have or have not changed in Cuba, not sure :huh: .I can imagine they are allowed to run but may not be elected simply because there are gay. However this does not make much sense due to "equality amongst all" in communist ethics.

[sabotabby]

If, statistically, one in 10 people is gay, then we might assume that approximately 10% of Cuba's politicians are gay. (Perhaps a bit less, adjusting for discrimination, but the Vatican discriminates against gay men too and there isn't exactly a shortage of gay priests.)

Whether they're out of the closet is a different story.

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by Rosario Central+--> (Rosario Central) Man what is with you, posting all this shit about Cuba , Is kissing allowed in public, is homosexuality allowed, just give it up, its not your concern. Unless your a Homosexual who is intending on going to Cuba and making out in public. [/b]

So the living conditions of the international working class are none of his concern?
This makes me wonder, what you think should be.

Serious communists are internationalists!


~*HastaLaVictoriaSiempre*~


I wouldn't think so. I have heard that Castro had many of them sent off to reeducation camps when he took power.



^^True but that was what, 1958 or 59 correct?

Can you post some link to prove that? I'd really like to hear from someone that this is only propaganda. :(

Is it certain they were actually sent there for being homosexuals, and weren't just counter-revolutionaries who happened to also be gay? And maybe were discriminated in the camps for that, then exaggerating and making shit up later on.

If it's true that they were sent there to be "made straight", this is really embarassing for Castro.

Then again, was he already a communist in '58? He made the socialist character of the revolution public later, at least, although that might have been of strategic reasons.

I've got the impression that he was "pushed" to the left by Che and Raul, after starting out as more of a left leaning nationalist leader.

I'm certain however that Castro isn't a homophobe anymore, if he ever used to be.

[Black Dagger]

Man what is with you, posting all this shit about Cuba , Is kissing allowed in public, is homosexuality allowed, just give it up, its not your concern. Unless your a Homosexual who is intending on going to Cuba and making out in public.

So only gay people can be/should be/are interested in homophobia and the discrimination faced by queer people internationally?



If, statistically, one in 10 people is gay, then we might assume that approximately 10% of Cuba's politicians are gay. (Perhaps a bit less, adjusting for discrimination, but the Vatican discriminates against gay men too and there isn't exactly a shortage of gay priests.)


Umm, except that polis aren't a 'perfect' cross-section of any society, and you're also ignoring the effect that homophobia will have on someone's political mobility.


However this does not make much sense due to "equality amongst all" in communist ethics.

This is precisely why social revolution is a crucial partner to class revolution.

but the Vatican discriminates against gay men too and there isn't exactly a shortage of gay priests

:angry:

Paedophiles are not 'gay men'

[chebol]

First, the issue of the UMAPs in Cuba has been dealt with time and again here on RevLeft- I advise people to do a search on gays in cuba from this boards archives. As a precis- they (the UMAPs) were an initiative of the Cuban military around 1965, and lasted about 2 years before they were shut down after pressure from Fidel. They didn't only target gays, and were not designed for 're-education'.

To the initial respons to this question- this IS our concern. It is, however, our responsibility to also research this stuff honestly, and analyse it properly, so as not to misunderstand the evolution of Cuban society.

There is "residual" homophobia in Cuba. And, like racism and sexism, it increased during the Special Period, when economic trouble affected the entire population. These social problems have largely decreased since the resurgence of the Cuban economy in the last few years, but as problems they still exist (and will continue to do so until the limitations on the Cuban revolution- ie. the spread of successful revolution globally, or at least regionally- are fixed). A good book to read on this is Isaac Saney's "Cuba: A Revolution in Motion".

Fidel was already a Marxist and a Leninist before he finished University, let alone by 1959.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

Fidel was already a Marxist and a Leninist before he finished University, let alone by 1959.


Do you have any documentation for backing that part up?


Thanks,
Curious NWOG