Cuba’s First Gay Marriage…ish
A Cuban man and transgender woman are set to marry in what is being seen as the country’s first “gay wedding”.
Same sex marriage is illegal in Cuba, but bride Wendy Iriepa is legally a woman after undergoing one of the first state sanctioned sex changes in 2007.
Her fiance, Ignacio Estrada, is a noted dissident and gay rights activist in Cuba and is also HIV positive.
The couple say the wedding, timed to coincide with Fidel Castro’s birthday, is a “gift” for the former leader.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people faced official discrimination for many years in Cuba, and in the early days of the revolution many were sent to labour camps to stamp out their “counter-revolutionary” values.
But since taking over from his brother as Cuba’s leader, Raul Castro has introduced a series of gay rights reforms, including legalising sex change operations.
Okay, so technically it’s actually one great big loophole, and gay marriage technically is pretty legal in some states. But it’s hard not to see this as Cuba at least trying to moving forward while American religion wants to dial the country back.