- In the fall, the people of Cuba will vote in a referendum on legalizing gay marriage.
- The referendum on a new family law that would also allow surrogacy was set for September 25.
- The parliament of the socialist island state in Havana announced the date.
Parliament Secretary Homero Acosta was optimistic that the population would accept the “revolutionary, inclusive and democratic” law. The new family law is intended to replace the previous legal basis, which has been in force for 47 years.
Homosexuality was taboo for a long time
Actually, the Cuban leadership had already wanted to introduce same-sex marriage in the new constitution passed in 2019. However, the project was abandoned in the face of opposition from churches and conservative groups.
Sexual minorities were stigmatised, homosexuals attacked, put in “re-education camps” and excluded from public service. The revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who died in 2016, later apologized for it.