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Homophobia under discussion

By Dixie Edith / Photo: Carmona

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain was shown on local television the night before the World Day against Homophobia and Transphobia was commemorated in Cuba last May 17.

The American movie on a love affair between two men was included in a film exhibition on sexual diversity organized on the occasion.

Put together for the first time this year, a week-long program culminated with a theoretical discussion at Pabellón Cuba fairgrounds in downtown Havana.

Mariela Castro, director of the National Sex Education Center (CENESEX) and chairperson of the Organizing Committee, highlighted the importance of incorporating a growing number of people into these educational efforts.

The meeting was attended by Cuban parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcón. He told media representatives that some progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. "Sexual-diversity issues have always been considered taboo", he added.

On the other hand, Castro indicated that legislative actions along these lines are going well. "This is so dear to us that we are proceeding with great care", she stressed.

"This is the first time we Cubans meet to make an in-depth, scientific review of such realities", she commented.

"We will implement activities to fight homophobia on a permanent basis, give food for thought, promote dialogue, clarify doubts and remove prejudices", she announced.

Several National Literature Prize winners, including Antón Arrufat, Reynaldo González and Graziela Pogolotti, participated in panels on gay and lesbian identity, transgender and homophobia.

The meeting program also included artistic galas, presentation of books and magazines, poetry reading sessions and a performance by transvestites at Astral Theater.

Opportunities

Alberto Roque, a medical doctor involved in a CENESEX project on sexual diversity, advanced his four-year professional experience at the Center.

He said that special attention should be paid to the family and school because these institutions often promote homophobia in an unconscious manner.

He highlighted the need to provide homosexuals with spaces for recreation and exchange. "These spaces should be inclusive and welcome people of different sexual orientations", he noted.

"We will be building ghettos otherwise. And we will be further intensifying social isolation and playing along with homophobic people", he noted.

He urged to give careful consideration to the way police agents harass homosexuals just because they have a peculiar look or way of dressing.

"Homosexuality is not considered a crime under the Cuban Criminal Code. It is thus necessary to disseminate information about citizen rights", he said.

"Police forces, like many other people in the island, are not prepared to deal with these issues in a satisfactory manner", Castro indicated.

"We should further work with them so that laws are enforced as they should", she added.

"We have been providing sensitization courses at CENESEX since 2004", she commented.

Lesbian love

"While gays have often been discriminated against, excluded and segregated under the western Judeo-Christian culture, the situation of lesbians has been even worse", said Isabel Moya, editor-in-chief of Mujer publishing house.

"Whenever a woman puts a man in a lower position on the male hierarchical scale, she is discriminated twice over", Moya added.

Speaking at the event, Elizabeth Cabrera, a sociology student, dealt with taboos against lesbians.

"People often think that we lesbians hate motherhood, but that is not true. Maternity has been idealized to such an extent that they can not believe we can love a child as much as a heterosexual mother can", she added.

Cabrera and her partner became the protagonists of the first same-sex marriage supported by CENESEX. She told reporters that lesbians do not necessarily have male features." Sexual orientation has no bearing on children's education", she commented.

"We homosexuals have heterosexual parents. Homosexuality is neither taught nor learned, and it is not contagious", she indicated.

Participants in the meeting highly assessed new opportunities for homosexuals, transvestites and transsexuals in the Cuban society.

Norma Guillard, vice-president of the Sexual Diversity Section at the Cuban Multidisciplinary Society for Sexuality Studies (SOCUMES), provided information on Oremi, a CENESEX-implemented project for lesbians. Oremi is an African-language term that means friendship.

"Around 75 transvestites in Havana and other provinces have been trained as HIV/AIDS prevention promoters since the year 2000", Castro announced.

"One transsexual and two transvestites are currently studying at the University of Havana, and many others are involved in training and/or upgrading courses", she added."A hair-stylist training course was organized in 2005 under an HIV/AIDS prevention project intended for transvestites", she said.

"Olivia Lanz, a transgender participating in the event, commented that she had been trained as a health promoter by CENESEX. This action clearly shows that we are also important", she stressed.

"The Cuban society is opening up and showing respect for us. It is really a pleasure to be here", she added.

On the other hand, Danilo Rivera, a meeting participant from Matanzas province, thanked CENESEX for all its effort and help to homosexuals." We simply want to be happy", he concluded.

The family and comprehensive public policies

By Sara Más

Who is the boss at home?, a local population expert asked several boys and girls. Most of them answered: My mother is.

"I think my mother is the boss because she has more things to do than my father, a boy replied. It is her because she looks at everything when she comes into my bedroom; she even checks what is under the bed", a girl answered. "My mother does not want to be the boss, but she really is because my father is never there", another boy commented.

These answers were used by María Elena Benítez, a sociologist working at the University of Havana's Population Study Center (CEDEM), to illustrate one of the current Cuban family trends.

Most Cuban households are being headed by women, she stressed at a meeting organized by CEDEM on the International Family Day last April 15.

Population and Housing Censuses showed that the number of women-headed households had moved from 14.4 percent in 1953 to 40.6 percent in 2002.

Two every five local households were being headed by women in 2002, when the latest census was conducted.

"Over 56 percent of these women were playing such a role because their spouses were not present. In general, they become widows, get divorced or simply separate", Benítez told SEMlac.

Around 77 percent of the men heading households at the time were either married or living under consensual union.

"The situation is very similar in other countries, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean", she added.

The number of family members in the so-called fundamental cell of society has dropped by two in the last 50 years, studies have corroborated.

The number of households where men and women work has grown. Fertility rates have declined. The number of out-of-marriage children has gone up; and the divorce and reconstituted-marriage rates have increased.

There has also been an increase in the number of households where only one parent lives, in the older population (mostly women), in one-member households, and in the number of people seeking to emigrate.

One-single-member households have been steadily growing. They moved from 8.9 percent in 1981 to 13.8 percent in 2002. "This was due to population aging and high separation and divorce rates", she emphasized. "People may be living alone for several periods throughout their lives", she noted.

"Against this background, however, the housing deficit has made several generations live together", she indicated.

"Entire households share the same roof with families that have been already formed. As they have different lifestyles, family stability is often at jeopardy", she added.

Despite ups and downs, one aspect has remained the same: the family is the most important thing to most Cubans.

Experts highlighted the need to formulate new, comprehensive public policies to address family issues. Those under implementation usually focus on specific members like women, children or older people, they feel.

Isabel Louro Bernal, a psychology professor at the Cuban School of Public Health, said that there should always be consistency between medical training and practice.

"Out of 43 healthcare programs under implementation today, only three percent include family-related actions", she exemplified.

Low fertility rates and aging should not be left unattended, Benítez underlined.

"These phenomena are a sign of alarm and should be reflected in population policies", she stressed.

"We need to face the challenge of incorporating the family perspective into planning and decision-making processes", she added.

On the other hand, psychologist Patricia Arés Muzio is of the view that the economic crisis and social inequalities have had a negative impact on family composition, structure and configuration.

"While some families have accumulated financial and cultural capital, other families have seen it shrink or deplete", she added.

"Capital in its various forms plays a key part in our way of life, including eating habits and use of free time and even cultural products", she explained.

Most specialists favor the idea of solving psycho-social problems generated by inequality at all levels (family, school and society), and implementing effective policies on cross-cutting issues like gender, race, poverty and aging.

They also favor the idea of recognizing social diversity and contradictions in policies and programs, and focusing on new and changing scenarios.

The makers of perfect husbands

By Ilse Bulit

I am listening to the radio. It is just another interview with an imperfect woman speaking about her perfect husband. She can not over-praise him enough: "He helps me a lot. I was able to complete my university studies thanks to him. He takes our son to the day-care center. He cooks better than I do".

A few accidental, skin-deep examples show how easily the chain breaks. I do not question the existence of men who really believe they are responsible for supporting their families. I am not in doubt either about the fact that younger generations have a better understanding of this than their predecessors. I would like to think that these behavioral changes flow like a powerful waterfall rather than like a drought-stricken river with a dropping volume of running water.

When I asked a reporter about her long list of interviews, in which most women did not speak honestly about their couple relations, she answered me that her guests were afraid of causing a row and annoying their husbands if they revealed the truth.

There is no doubt: The impact of double standards, which have for centuries provided a pretext for hypocrisy, is no trivial matter.

If a perfect home is that of a helpful, understanding, affectionate, unbiased and tolerant husband -just as the qualities of a trademark are highlighted by media advertising-, the ideal home is that of a perfect husband. Husband and wife smile when they are out, but life remains the same at home.

These smiling women, who highly appreciate sexual equality under the law, social support, access to study and work, reproductive rights and other achievements in Cuba today, are still experiencing difficulties at home.

They feel guilty because they "fail" to re-produce their strengths in children's education and professional upgrading. While the times when pregnant women were not highly thought of at work are gone, they do know how important it is to keep up to date.

Family life failures, including lack of social discipline on the part of teenagers and youngsters, are criticized by men as well as women.

Although the media and many academic/professional institutions have highlighted the important role played by women in family life, they still feel guilty and, eventually, dissatisfied.

They are expected to fulfill their obligations as mothers, daughters or wives, and their labor and professional responsibilities.

They zigzag seeking to strike a difficult balance. Even when they wage the battle and win, the taste of victory does not last long because they have not got rid of a feeling of subordination that has been passed on from one generation to another.

This feeling leads to stress and depression. Women are unable to identify the actual causes or try to hide them, either consciously or unconsciously.

It is a fact that they are economically independent because they have access to the labor market and legal protection.

They are affected, however, by material problems like housing shortage, which forces them to live together with abusive husbands who often go beyond psychological violence. And these extreme situations are difficult to solve in the short term.

So, fearing to annoy their husbands or lose their prestige and living a lie, these imperfect women continue telling reporters how perfect their husbands are.

Sexual diversity and the media

By Dixie Edith

After listing the qualities of a workmate, a man on a television spot says: He has a different sexual orientation, but that does not matter. And immediately afterwards, he asks viewers: Does it matter to you?

Broadcast in the evening over Cubavisión, a national TV channel, this and other messages in the form of cartoons, where same-sex couples appear, have raised the issue of sexual diversity in the island.

"When I saw it for the first time, I thought I had misunderstood it", said Rolando Domínguez, a 21-year-old art student.

"I had heard a lot about Strawberry and Chocolate and the impact of this film when it was premiered. I was very young at the time, he told SEMlac. There came The hidden side of the moon. There were many loose ends in this television soap opera", he stressed. "The good thing about the spot is that it raises the issue, gives food for thought, and urges to take action", he emphasized.

These messages and other communication actions have a lot to do with HIV/AIDS prevention work, indicated Raúl Regueiro, coordinator of the Men Having Sex with Men (MSM) Project, at the National Prevention Center for STIs, HIV and AIDS.

The term (MSM) is based on an epidemiological definition and is closely related to individual behavior rather than sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual).

"Any man who has taken the risk of contracting a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) while having sex with another man for any reason (money, isolation, curiosity, act of violence, etc.) is considered an MSM", he commented.

"We have been working to reduce MSM social vulnerability by disseminating information about homosexual and bisexual men and making them feel at ease with their sexual orientation. That is the idea behind these messages", he noted.

"It has been proven that, when MSM have a good communication with their families, they are better equipped to protect themselves", he indicated.

Aniuska Cardoso and René Roca, advisors to the Information and Advertising Department at the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), highlighted the need to raise awareness about sexual diversity among local people.

These messages seek to provide information about HIV/AIDS prevention, an issue that had never been raised by Cuban television. Most people are not aware of the need to protect from STIs, HIV and AIDS. "The spots are very relevant because MSM make up the population group exhibiting the highest prevalence rate", Cardoso said.

Roca, a broadcaster and professor at the College of Industrial Design (ISDI), feels that these efforts are part and parcel of a really ambitious project.

"We had underscored the need to use condom over sexual relations in previous works, but we are now incorporating the gender approach, sexual-diversity acceptance and many other issues. We could no longer ignore the fact that over 80 percent of HIV-positive people in Cuba are men and that, out of the total, 85 percent are MSM. Prejudices can not be removed overnight", Roca underlined.

The Population and Development Study Center (CEPDE), an institution under the umbrella of the National Office of Statistics, conducted a study showing that around five percent of sexually active men in the island admit that they have had sex with other men at some point in time.

It also corroborated that there has been an increase in stable gay relations and that social acceptance (mostly in urban areas) moved from 37.7 percent in 2005 to 57.4 percent in 2007. There is a large number of people who still adopt discriminatory attitudes toward MSM.

A strategy that has been formulated by the National Sex Education Center (CENESEX) seeking to promote acceptance of sexual diversity is bearing fruit.

A Meeting on Homophobia is scheduled for mid May, on the occasion of the World Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Supported by Cuban television, the event will feature theoretical discussions, talks, book presentations and a film exhibition.

CENESEX and the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) are jointly promoting a reform of the Family Code. Ready for review and eventual adoption by the local parliament, the draft project includes an article on gender identity and sexual rights, announced CENESEX director Mariela Castro Espín.

It also includes some changes to the Civil Code, such as legalizing homosexual marriage and securing the right of gays and lesbians to adopt children.

"These efforts should be accompanied by strong educational campaigns over the media", Castro Espín added.

Laws are not enough to produce cultural and social changes, and remove prejudices and discrimination, she stressed at a recent International Congress on Culture and Development.

"Our aims are to incorporate research findings into educational practices, social communication and community interventions, and promote sex education and healthy lifestyles", she noted.

The Commission on Culture and Society at the National Association of Cuban Artists and Writers (UNEAC) has recommended establishing a standing committee on culture and civic education that will deal with any form of discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, religion or sexual orientation.

These efforts are being backed up by university, professional and scientific institutions all over the country.

"Some CENESEX spots are being shown on local television, and ISDI is preparing a graphic-design diploma work that will include a campaign promoting respect for sexual diversity", Roca commented.

"On the other hand, ICRT organizes two national meetings of broadcasters every year. They are usually held at the National Prevention Center", Regueiro said.

"We always provide advisory services for television message productions", he concluded.

Mother's Day

By Ilse Bulit

The celebration of this day is just the thing needed by business people facing recession or fearing collapse, and only beautifully young mothers appear on television messages asking for presents from their children.

They are all supposed to please them. The day appears in red on most almanacs and is like an order that is favored by businessmen, boosted by advertising, stained by tradition and kept by well-intentioned individuals.

Lonely mothers can only remember the children who are away. They probably get some dollars or euros, or even splendid gifts.

They may receive postcards letting them know that their children's dreams have not come true, despite long working days and little or no rest.

Other cards may hide the truth, out of self-esteem or love for the mother who is missed badly.

Some mothers, still feeling strong and presumptuous, have urged their children to leave the country for good. They never thought they would let up one day.

They did not know that distant continents make people adopt different lifestyles and become forgetful. May is just another month and the term "mother" loses its original meaning because daily life bends one's will.

They will receive some phone calls from friends. They will pretend to be happy. If the friend also has a child abroad, they will both try to disguise their loneliness or start crying only after they make their purchase orders over modern telephone sets.

Even the mothers of successful children will be sad. They are unable to help raise their grandchildren and are torn by a decision they will eventually have to make: either go and come back or stay abroad and forget about the land of their ancestors.

The children who spend most of the day in the street show no respect for their mothers when they ask them a question and are often green with envy because they do not have the motorcycles and cell phones that others have.

There is no doubt: only business people are happy with Mother's Day celebration. The initiator was American pacifist Julia Wad Hawe in 1872. She did not ask for flowers and chocolates, but for a day to help mothers forget the war that had taken their children away.

Another American, Ana Jarvis, managed to have the day declared national holiday in 1914. It is said that she was never happy with the commercialism of the celebration.

The Women's News Service from Latin America and the Caribbean (SEMlac), International News Agency, offers this weekly service.

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