About 200 people marched on Saturday in Havana to the sound of the conga, a popular Cuban dance, against homophobia and transphobia and to celebrate the equal marriage that was approved on the island seven months ago.
Under the slogan “Socialism yes, homophobia no,” this community celebrated the approval of the Family Code in September, a progressive piece of legislation that has allowed the legal union of at least 745 same-sex couples across the country, according to official data.
“This was a debt that the revolutionary process owed the Cuban LGBTQ community,” said Ana Clara Leon, a 21-year-old sociology student, as she paraded with a rainbow flag tied around her waist and a purple bandanna around her neck.
A group of men held a sign that read “I’m gay and God loves me,” surrounded by trans people swaying to the beat of drums.
The demonstration covered several blocks in the downtown Vedado neighborhood and culminated with a party at a recreational center near the sea.
The parade, which was guarded by police and state security agents, was led by Mariela Castro, daughter of revolutionary leader Ral Castro and promoter of the Family Code, as well as Lis Cuesta, wife of President Miguel Daz-Canel.
This new regulation also legally recognizes non-biological fathers and mothers, as well as non-profit surrogacy, and adds other rights for the benefit of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
The legalization of equal marriage has been a sensitive issue in a society still marked by machismo, which intensified in the 1960s and 1970s when the government marginalized and sent many homosexuals to militarized agricultural labor camps.
Yoilan Balón, vice national coordinator of the Transcuba network, also celebrated this achievement. “It was something that all gay people were waiting for; they wanted to be able to consolidate their couple relationships,” she said.
“This is the conga of pride. We Cubans are very given to partying, conga, and fun, and this is how we can express our diversity,” said Diana Pea, 31, in charge of youth participation in Transcuba.