Cuba Approves Same-Sex Marriage in Historic Vote
nytimes.comCubans overwhelmingly approved a sweeping referendum that will allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, the national election commission said on Monday, a resounding victory for advocates of L.G.B.T.Q.
rights in a country that once sent gay men to labor camps. About 67 percent of voters, nearly 4 million, voted in favor, according to the Cuban government.
About 33 percent, or 2 million people, opposed the measure. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the first non-Castro to lead the nation since its 1959 revolution, celebrated the passage of the 100-page referendum, saying in a statement that “love is now the law.” Passing the law, he said, was a way to “pay a debt to various generations of Cubans whose domestic plans had been waiting years for this law.” “As of today,” he added, “we will be a better nation.” The 100-page referendum — which also expands protections for women, children and the elderly — had faced opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.
While the measure passed easily, it did not receive the near-total support typical of government-backed proposals in Cuba, where tallies often exceed 90 percent.
