The Politics of Sexuality in Latin America: A Reader on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights

Interview with Mariela Castro on the Future of Sex and Socialism in Cuba

Interview with Mariela Castro on the Future of Sex and Socialism in Cuba Anastasia Haydulina Mariela Castro is Director of the National Center for Sex Education in Cuba, daughter of President Raúl Castro, and niece of former president Fidel Castro. Anastasia Haydulina: One day your uncle Fidel Castro . . . is going to die. Do you think his death will change the status quo of your Cuba? Mariela Castro: First of all, the death of Fidel will bring great suffering for the Cuban people, and it will be an enormous loss. But as far as I can see, the Cubans are willing to continue on the path of socialism even when our Comandante is no longer with us, even when my father and other forefathers of the revolution are not. Our people want socialism. Of course, we’re very self-critical, so what we need is a better and rich social reform that will resolve most of the existing contradictions . People themselves are proposing actions necessary for the survival of our socialist society, a society that should always guarantee social justice, equality, and solidarity within the nation, as well as in relations with others. We want welfare , but not as exaggerated as that of consumer societies. I think that socialism in Cuba will survive and become what we have considered to be a utopia. Anastasia Haydulina: Same-sex unions in a communist, originally Catholic, state? Mariela Castro: Yes, I believe that, in societies like ours, same-sex unions are possible . It’s true that, in the history of countries that have tried to create socialism, 270 sexuality-related prejudices from the capitalist past have persisted. But in the Cuban version of socialism it will surely be possible to make fundamental changes in the lives of men and women according to their sexual orientation and other elements of their sexuality that haven’t been contemplated by other socialist nations to date. Of course there are very strong influences of religions predominant in our cultures, but they are not going to become obstacles to achieving the aim of guaranteeing human rights socialism must guarantee. That is why we proposed a bill to legalize same-sex unions to parliament. Anastasia Haydulina: What makes you feel you can overcome the stigma within the Communist Party and legislative barriers to pass it as well? Mariela Castro: As head of the National Center for Sex Education, not as daughter of the president, I presented an educational strategy strongly based on the mass media to bring the attention of the Cuban society to various expressions of sexuality within it. Anastasia Haydulina: Realistically, when do you think we are going to see this bill passed here in Cuba? Mariela Castro: We’ve already accomplished a lot. For example, we’ve achieved a resolution by the public health ministry that guarantees transsexuals specialized attention , including sex change surgeries. The first of these types of operation are about to begin. They were first performed in  but were interrupted due to people’s incomprehension.We’re proposing important changes to the family code that include the right of people of the same sex to legalize their unions.We’re also working on a gender identity decree law that will make it easier for transsexuals to change their sex and identity papers, regardless of the sex change surgery. Because not all of them are automatically eligible for this operation, but nevertheless people do need society to recognize them in accordance with their gender identity, not by biological sex. Anastasia Haydulina: Tell us more about the history of homophobia in this country. Mariela Castro: Just like many other patriarchal societies in the world, Cuban society is homophobic. In the s and s, it expressed itself as a political decision that discriminated against homosexuals, especially men. That was a general criterion coming from not only religions but even from sciences. Psychiatry classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. There were even therapists to change homosexuals into heterosexuals, since that’s what was considered normal and healthy. So, the Cuban politicians, educationalists, and doctors acted in accordance with the scientific precepts of the time as well. Neither teachers nor doctors could be gay. Today, no military person can be gay either. But there are homosexuals everyInterview with Mariela Castro / 271 where, whether out in the open or not. So we attend to them in our center, because humanity is about diversity...