Castro’s daughter sponsors blessing of Cuban gay couples

The daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro sponsored a blessing ceremony Saturday for gay couples on an island where gay marriage remains illegal. Nearly two dozen gay couples held hands or embraced, some crying, as Protestant clergymen from the U.S. and Canada blessed them as part of official ceremonies leading up to the Global Day against Homophobia on May 17. Castro’s daughter Mariela heads Cuba’s Center for Sex Education, which has been pushing for gay rights in a country with a history of persecuting homosexuals.

It’s a dream for the Cuban gay and transgender community that one day it won’t be just a symbolic and we can get married, because we’re also part of this changing world

Luis Enrique Mederos

Uruguay, Argentina and a string of U.S. states, along with several in Mexico, have legalized gay marriage or civil unions. Homosexuals were hounded and persecuted during much of the presidency of Fidel Castro. After handing power to his brother Raul, the elder Castro said he regretted his treatment of gays, and Cuba has been granting increasing rights to gays in recent years.

Cuba Americas