GOVERNMENT HALTS HAVANA'S FIRST GAY PRIDE MARCH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HAVANA 000502

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2017
TAGS: CU PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT HALTS HAVANA'S FIRST GAY PRIDE MARCH

Classified By: COM: Michael E. Parmly : For reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: On June 25 a coalition of homosexual
rights groups planned to hold a "Gay Pride" march from a park
in Central Havana to the Ministry of Justice. At the
Ministry they planned to present a petition demanding an end
to discrimination, better treatment of AIDS patients and an
end to police harassment and brutality. However, police
detained the two leaders of the march in the early morning.
Police did not allow Aliomar Janjaque to leave his home while
they held Ignazio Estrada Cepero at a police station for
several hours. The absence of the leaders coupled with a
heavy presence of police around the park dissuaded the other
participants from entering the area. Only one marcher
appeared and made a statement to the international press.
This is further proof that the Cuban government acts quickly
to suppress any type of peaceful protest. End summary.


2. (C) A coalition of several homosexual rights groups,
including the Cuban Foundation against AIDS, the Elena
Mederos Foundation, Foundation LGBT Reinaldo Arenas, the
Havana Transsexual Collective, and the Cuban Movement for Gay
Liberation, organized a heavily publicized Gay Pride march
for June 25. All of these groups have asked for official
status from the government, as well as interviews with
Mariela Castro, the daughter of Raul, who heads the GOC
Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX). All of the groups
have said that the government has never responded to their
requests.


3. (C) The march was supposed to leave from a park in
central Havana and proceed to the Ministry of Justice, where
the march organizers, Aliomar Janjaque and Ignacio Estada
Cepero, intended to present a series of demands. The demands
included the end of discrimination in education and places of
employment, better treatment of AIDS patients, an end to
police harassment and brutality, an apology for the
mistreatment of homosexuals in the 1960's, and freedom for
the prisoner, Jordanys Tamayo Aldama. Tamayo, an advocate
for the right of homosexuals to associate in public, is
serving a seven year term for disrespect for the Head of
State, because he called Fidel Castro "homophobic."


4. (C) On the morning of June 25, police prevented Janjaque
from leaving his house and took Estrada to a police station.
Both were held until noon and then released without charges.
Janjaque told Poloff that the police detained nine others who
planned to participate in the march. Independent journalist
Carlos Serpa and Foundation LGBT Reinaldo Arenas member Mario
Jose Delgado stated that, in the area of the park, there was
a heavy presence of police and members of the "Rapid Response
Brigade", a group of civilians the GOC engages to stop
protest activities and harass dissidents. The absence of the
organizers and the fact that the police and security forces
were out in force intimidated most potential marchers. Only
Delgado and one other marcher appeared in the park. Delgado
made a statement to the many members of the international
press that were present. Both Delgado and Serpa told Poloff
that reports in the media in Florida that violence was used
against the protesters are false.


5. (C) Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega got involved in the
discussion, if not in the decision to suspend the march.
Commenting on an article on the homosexuality phenomenon in
Cuba, published in this month's Catholic monthly review
"Palabra Nueva", Ortega underlined his and the Church's
objection to what he saw as the Cuban regime's "promoting" of
homosexual behavior. Ortega pointed especially to reports he
had received of primary and secondary school teachers
instructing their students that sexual preference was a
matter of personal choice. The "Palabra Nueva" article was
at pains to say that homosexuals should not be persecuted for
their identity, and Ortega echoed the point, but in
conversation with COM on 26 June, he went on to emphasize his
belief that some in high levels of the GOC -- "and not just
Mariela Castro, although she is the leader" -- actively
support increased visibility and promotion of homosexual
behavior. (Comment: Ortega has some grounds for his belief.
The UNEAC Congress of Cuban writers and intellectuals in
April, for example, gave considerable prominence to the theme

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of fighting homophobia. The Congress was in fact chaired by
two of Cuba's most prominent and openly declared homosexual
activists.)


6. (C) Comment: In the past years several very vocal
homosexual rights organizations have sprung up in Cuba. On
one hand, they feel encouraged that Raul's daughter, Mariela
Castro, has been promoting homosexual rights, such as
allowing sex change operations, but on the other hand, they
feel that the GOC has done nothing to end workplace
discrimination and police harassment. Their members were not
invited to Mariela Castro's much publicized "rally against
homophobia" on May 17. The organizations are very active in
doing things like traveling around the country and
documenting cases of violence against homosexuals, assisting
AIDS patients, and doing teach-ins at universities for both
gay and straight students. They regard themselves as
non-political and have little or no ties with other
opposition groups. It is noteworthy that by and large the
members are young and racially diverse. As opposed to other
dissident organizations, the membership includes several
active university students. Social prejudice against gays in
Cuba is very strong. In many instances, families throw out
of their homes their gay children, sometimes as young as 14
and 15, and leave them to fend for themselves on the street,
without incurring any criticism. The Cuban groups feel very
inspired by the efforts of gay organizations in the US that
fight for political and social rights. The Unity Coalition,
a Florida based homosexual rights organization, encouraged
the groups to organize the march. The Cuban gay groups
clearly were not aware that the GOC of Cuba is expert at
identifying leadership and swiftly making sure that no
unauthorized protest takes place. Mariela Castro may preach
tolerance in the international media, but the GOC tolerates
no challenges to its authority, regardless of whether or not
that challenge is politically motivated.
PARMLY