Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 12:46:38 +0200 (MSZ) From: Bj|rn Skolander Subject: Gay May Day in Cuba N. California Queers Help Celebrate A GAY MAY DAY IN HAVANA by Sonja de Vries photos by Rick Gerharter HAVANA--May Day, 1995: Drag queens danced at the head of the crowd filing past the podium where Raul Castro and other members of the Cuban government and trade unions stood. The crowd cheered; the Coro Gigante de la Confederaci=F3n de Trabajadores de Cuba sang revolutionary anthems. The crowd was festive, eager to dance and celebrate the continuing gains of the revolution despite the difficulties of the "Special Period." Not far behind in the parade was a historic first for Cuba. Two visiting queer-focused delegations--one from New York's Center for Cuban Studies and the other from Bay Area Queers for Cuba--marched with an equal number of Cuban gays and lesbians, carrying a 30-foot piece of the rainbow flag from the June 1994 Stonewall 25 celebration in New York. Our spirits soared as we passed the reviewing stand. People on the street joined us as we marched, some understanding this was a queer contingent, others just swept up in its exuberance. Gay and lesbian Cubans from the emerging group GALEES (Action Group for the Liberation of Sexual Choice and Expression) screamed in delight at being able to celebrate this day with their compatriots as open gays and lesbians. Later in the trip, the delegation visited the Los Cocos sanitarium near Havana. Under the "ambulatory system" implemented more than a year ago, most People with HIV/AIDS in Cuba can now live outside the sanitariums established when the epidemic first hit here. People who have tested HIV positive can remain at home, at work and in their communities and continue to receive the same quality care as they would in the sanitariums. Most sanitarium residents can also return home, though a minority are denied this option because sanitarium staff don't trust them to practice safe sex. Although this is a contradictory and problematic policy, it seemed clear that judgment was not based on the sexual orientation of the person involved. All people with HIV in Cuba still receive health care, housing, a nutritious diet and all medication free, despite severe shortages caused by the U.S. embargo. The Queers for Cuba delegation brought medical supplies, medication and safe sex supplies gathered in the U.S. to donate to the residents of Los Cocos. Members of a writing workshop at the sanitarium produce a small magazine as well as plays like one we saw, which was based on a short story by Miguel Angel Fraga. The piece examined the complexity and contradictions in Cuba's AIDS policy in poetic, erotic and intelligent fashion. A refrain of "Who is more reliable, the person with HIV or the person who may or may not be infected?" ran through the play's exploration of the relationship between a HIV+ man and a man who was unsure of his status, but assumed he was negative. A song about the love between two men by Pablo Milanes, one of Cuba's most popular singers, wrapped up the play--with many in the audience and some of the actors in tears. It was another demonstration of the public space opening up in Cuba to explore and discuss controversial issues such as homosexuality. Drag was once something people only did in their own homes, quietly and with shades drawn for fear of police harassment and jail sentences. But now it's warmly embraced by most of the Cuban population. In Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, the whole neighborhood came out for an open-air show we attended the night before May Day. Grandfathers with little children, women in curlers, kids of all ages and gay and lesbian Cubans enjoyed the drag cabaret, one of many throughout the country. Reflecting as they left Cuba, members of the queer delegations were deeply moved by their experience. The warmth of the Cuban people, the dynamic energy of the growing queer movement, the steps toward acceptance of queers in Cuban society, and the evidence that the country continues to provide health care, housing, cultural opportunities and education for all its people--despite its economic crisis exacerbated by the U.S. embargo--left a deep impression on everyone. Queers for Cuba plans report-backs throughout the Bay Area and in Santa Cruz and a "Come Out for Cuba: Fight the U.S. Blockade" contingent for the Queer Pride march June 18. Donations of drag wear, safe sex materials, lesbian and gay books (especially in Spanish), office supplies and medical supplies for gays and lesbians in Cuba are welcome. And organizing for a third delegation in December 1995 is underway. For info: (415) 995-4678. t Sonja de Vries and Rick Gerharter visited Cuba April 28-May 7 with the second Queers for Cuba delegation. ******************************************************************* News for a People's World is distributed free at various locations around Northern California or by mail subscription for $10 a year. Free bundles available to activist groups. Please address correspondence to News for a People's World, 522 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110. Phone: (510) 548-3642 Fax: (510) 843-5877. Or e-mail to our conference on PeaceNet,