Call to Count Gays in Cuba Census

Call to Count Gays in Cuba Census
September 2, 2012
Por Isaac Risco

HAVANA TIMES (dpa) — How many homosexuals are there in Cuba? How many
same-sex couples are living together? How many transsexuals does the
island have? And how many bisexual and lesbian households exist in Cuba?

Answers to these kinds of questions are being sought by Cuban journalist
and blogger Francisco Rodriguez*, a well-known government sympathizer
and gay activist on the island. He believes that an ideal opportunity
for collecting this information will be offered during the upcoming
population and housing census that will be conducted on the island from
September 15 to 24.

However the authorities have no intention of collecting data on the
Cuban gay community, as was requested earlier by Rodriguez, who is the
head of Information for the weekly Trabajadores newspaper.

Known colloquially as "Paquito el de Cuba," Rodriguez has spent years
advocating gay rights on the island and has launched an initiative to
protest what he sees as "homophobic research."

"An opportunity was missed for giving everyone a sign concerning the
progress that has been made in Cuba around the issue of sexual
diversity," Rodriguez told dpa.
In recent years the Cuban government has emphasized the fight against
homophobia, following the persecution of homosexuals that marked the
early years of the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

This past November, Rodriguez noticed that the census forms to be
collected were not asking for information about the gay community, so he
requested the inclusion of that option. His effort proved to be in vain.
In response, he received a refusal along with technical justifications
that the activist considers "unacceptable," according to what he has
written in his blog.

Image from the blog paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com

For the census, it isn't relevant that gay marriage isn't legal in Cuba
or that same-sex unions can't fall under the category of "marital
status," believes Rodriguez. Although they don't live together, he
himself has had another man as his partners for years.

"The census shows the reality of the nation," he explained. "It's even
one of those materials upon which legislation is later passed. You have
to describe reality like it is, and this was a good opportunity to
produce concrete information about real life."

His proposal asked for support from entities that include the National
Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), headed by Mariela Castro, the
daughter of President Raul Castro and who is the best known gay rights
activist on the island.

The authorities, said Rodriguez, proposed doing specific research into
the issue at a later time; but, while welcoming the announcement,
"Paquito" is still not satisfied.

The 41-year activist launched an initiative this week against what he
considers "discrimination by omission." In a blog post about which he
has received several emails and calls of support, Rodriguez is calling
on homosexuals to declare themselves couples or as being "attached"
instead of "single," even though the data will not be reflected in the
final statistics.

He is also calling on the gay community to welcome the census takers by
"dressing up their homes" with the rainbow flag or other symbols of gay
rights.

"Since they won't count our households at least they'll see them," said
the pro-government activist, who prefers to speak of this as an
"educational activity" rather than a protest.

In recent years Cuba has shifted its official line to be against
homophobia, with even Fidel Castro himself, after retiring from office
in 2006, expressing his "mea culpa" in 2010 for the public persecution
of homosexuals in the early years after the triumph of the 1959 revolution.

During that period many homosexuals were sent to work camps accused of
being "counterrevolutionaries," as the Cuban government traditionally
refers to its political opponents. "If someone is responsible, it's me,"
Castro said in a 2010 interview concerning the "injustices" that
occurred under his leadership.

Mariela Castro is especially known for her liberal positions on sexual
matters. As Fidel Castro's niece, she hopes that her father's government
will approve a change in the Family Code to legalize homosexual
marriage, which is being advocated by her organization, CENESEX.

Although the Communist Party gave positive signals at its first national
conference in January, the bill has still not moved forward. It is
estimated that there remains strong resistance to such a change on the
island, especially among influential members of the revolution's
"historic generation."
—–
(*) Rodriguez's blog, "Paquito el de Cuba" is located (in Spanish) at:
http://paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com/

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