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Why are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people oppressed?
Oppression is an adjunct of womens oppression
Latin sexuality writer Max Meja conquerors treated sodomy as a special Indian sin and hunted it down and punished it as such on a grand scale. They orchestrated crusades like the Holy Inquisition, which began burning sodomites at the stake as a special occasion, as in the memorable auto-da-f of San Lzaro in Mexico City. The Spanish colonial authorities in Cuba castrated those they considered sodomites, and forced them to eat their own testicles coated with dirt.
Colonialism and later imperialism bought anti-homosexual and antitrans laws to Cuba.
REVOLUTION!
1st January 1959 uprising = a popular revolution. Consolidated political and economic power in the hands of Cuban poor and away from the U.S. Land reform restricted ownership to 1000 hectares, with few exceptions. Between August and October 1960, 41% of land was expropriated, 95% of industry was nationalised, 98% of construction, 95% of transport, 75% of retail and 100% of wholesale trade.
UMAPs
Ian Lumsdan Homosexuals were among those most affected by the UMAP camps, but there is no evidence that these were created with homosexuals exclusively in mind. Together with homosexuals the camps contained such sexually incompatible companions as Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, conscientious objectors to military service whose religious faiths are notoriously homophobic.
Fidel 1992 'I am opposed to any form of repression, contempt, scorn, discrimination with regards to homosexuals. It is a natural tendency and must be respected.'
Sex education
More advances in 1974 the Federation of Cuban Women demanded sex education had to be done. 1975 National Institute of Sex Education was established 1979 ground breaking sex education publication 'The life of males and females'- had been first published in the East German Democratic Republic.
Mariel boatlift
In 1980, with economic sanctions biting, more than 100,000 Cubans (some counter-revolutionaries, petty criminals and homosexuals) left Cuba in a boat-lift for the US. With several thousand selfidentified homosexual Cubans among the 120,000 who left the island over a two-month period in 1980 from the port of Mariel and sailed to the U.S
Mariel
Throughout the late sixties and early seventies, Cuban gay men and lesbians continued to migrate in small numbers to the United States via a third country, as direct migration was still prohibited. Family reunification was another shared goal. There was, however, a uniquely gay reason for leaving: the age-old, prerevolutionary tradition in which families encouraged gay offspring to emigrate in order to avoid family stigma
HIV, AIDs
Pre-revolution health care in Cuba was for the rich. After the revolution half of all Cuban doctors left the island and went to capitalist countries. In 1981 AIDS in the US first diagnosed, and massive protests erupted in 1983 across the country, demanding free health care. Right-wing demonized the health crisis as bought on by the 'gay plague', and that Aids was a 'gay disease. In 1985 first case diagnosed on the island and from then Cubans spared no expense and mobilized against AIDS, not against people with AIDS 1983 Doctors tested more than 135,000 Cubans for HIV
Aids, HIV
In 1985 Cuba spent $3 million to buy reactive agents and equipment to set up labs in blood banks, hygiene and epidemiology centres around the country. They also screened the island's entire blood supply.
ILGAs assessment
ILGA concluded Sexual minorities seem to be living better times now in Cuba. In the medium term, even better than the rest of Latin America. Despite these gains, recently Cuba abstained when the UN Commission on Human Rights voted to delay the debate on the Brazilian resolution, a sexual orientation rights statement put by Brazil to the United Nations in 2003
Recent advances
2004 free gender reassignment operations begin to be carried out on a greater scale 2007 Cuba commemorated International Day of Action Against Homophobia with CENESEX leading a debate around sexual diversity with film screenings. Rallies have been held every years since. Ads on state TV homophobia is the illness, not homosexuality
Conclusions
LGBTI rights better in Cuba than Australia or the US. Homophobia inherited from colonialism and imperialism. Advancing every step. UMAPs horrid, but for three years. No mass jailing of queer Cubans. US targeting, revolution under siege, but onwards!