Movie Gay Cuba to be aired as part of Gay Pride Month

Movie Gay Cuba to be aired as part of Gay Pride Month

By Jerry Libonati
Posted June 25 2006

During the final week of Gay Pride Month, the Main Library will screen
the 1996 documentary Gay Cuba at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

It candidly illustrates what an anonymous reviewer called "one of Cuba's
most controversial human rights issues: the treatment of gay and lesbian
people since the Cuban Revolution of 1959."

Accented by musical performances, the one-hour film explores three
decades of conflict and ultimate change on the island nation, "providing
insight into Cuban culture and society rarely seen."

Director Sonia de Vries filmed gay Cubans who share personal
experiences, including stories of police harassment and removal from
political organizations. They recall the time when homosexuality was
described by the new government as a product of decadent capitalism.

According to Gary Morris, publisher of Bright Lights Film Journal out of
Portland, Ore., all is not as bleak as some think. He notes in a review
of Gay Cuba that the Public Ostentation Law, enacted in the 1930s to
encourage the harassment of gay people who refused to stay in the
closet, was repealed in 1988.

But the repeal of an oppressive law does not ensure a benevolent
atmosphere for gay Cubans.

Gay Cuba reflects the changes that have occurred there. As one soldier
interviewed states, "Homosexuality has nothing to do with a person's
intellectual capacity."

On the other hand, a union leader says: "Many of us live our lives in
the closet. This works against our human development."

The screening will be in the first-floor auditorium of the Main Library,
at 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-357-7444.

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