The Cuban Conference against Homophobia and Transphobia began its fifteenth edition this Wednesday, in a context marked by the epidemiological improvement on the island and the closure of the popular consultation on the new Family Code.
The activities, which will last until May 21, will be face-to-face again after the necessary pause due to the pandemic, and will include workshops, debates, community and recreational actions, and the return of the traditional conga, which this time will take place on the afternoon of Saturday the 14th through the streets of Havana’s Vedado.
Precisely Havana will be the central venue for the conference, although each province will have its own program of activities, according to the organizers at a press conference.
There will also be actions in the digital environment, such as forums and the launch of the viral challenge “My diverse family”, while the main gala will take place on Tuesday the 17th and will take place at the Lázaro Peña theater.
With the slogan “All rights for all families”, the conference will have among the axes of its 15th anniversary the promotion of scientific dialogue and social activism, focused on the recognition and guarantee of the sexual rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Mariela Castro Espín, director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex).
In this sense, the expert highlighted that, in line with the norm on Cuban families that has been debated in recent months, these sessions are dedicated to the family plurality that exists in the country, and not only to the LGTBIQ+ community. , although they emphasize respect for people with non-heteronormative sexualities and the fight against discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Castro Espín emphasized that the objective of the conference is to educate and sensitize the population on these issues, promote the social inclusion of all people and contribute to the deconstruction of existing stereotypes and stigmas in Cuban society, in tune with the work carried out systematically the institution he directs.
In this regard, he referred to the importance that, even when the popular consultation has officially ended, dialogue and educational work be maintained in the different sectors and Cuban communities on issues addressed in the Family Code, on which “resistances” persist, such as same-sex marriage and the possibility of adoption by same-sex couples.
In this sense, she said, there are also activities and exchanges scheduled during the conference, while highlighting the relevance of communicative work for the understanding of these issues, and she was confident that the regulations will finally be approved with the majority support of Cubans. .
