Cuban gays stage symbolic weddings at anti-discrimination march
By Ryan Love
Dozens of gay and lesbian couples in Cuba took part in symbolic gay weddings, during a protest against discrimination.
The Eighth Annual March Against Homophobia and Transphobia, was organised by Mariela Castro, the daughter of President Raul Castro.
Gay marriage remains illegal in the country, with campaigners hoping that this will change before the next march in 2016. Around 20 couples symbolically exchanged vows in a “Celebration of Love”.
“Our family accepts us but society doesn’t,” said Raul Orta, who ‘married’ his boyfriend Yaimel Medina. “If one us is no longer here tomorrow, the other one loses everything. That’s not right. For eight years we’ve been living a dream we never thought would have been possible.
Mariela, who is head of Cuba’s Sexual Health Institute, said: “Same sex marriage is already legal in Argentina and Uruguay and in Mexico City.
“And we’ve always celebrated their achievements. So we’re not interested in being the first. For us, it’s just about achieving it in the first place.”
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