Cuba to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage As Pressure Builds to End it in U.S.
Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, a communist-led country just 90 miles away is poised to make history with a referendum that could usher in a new era for its LGBT+ community.The vote in Cuba, scheduled for September, would rewrite nearly half of the nation's Family Code, which until 2019 strictly defined marriage as "a voluntary union between a man and a woman." That language was removed after a previous referendum held that year.
Now, a new draft code approved by lawmakers in December seeks an even more ambitious set of reforms that would enshrine rights such as marriage and adoption to same-sex couples as well.Among those advocating for such a change are Leonardo Pérez Gallardo and Yamila González Ferrer, law professors at the University of Havana who serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the National Union of Jurists of Cuba's Society of Civil and Family Law.In joint responses sent to Newsweek, the pair pointed out that the reforms were rooted in codifying three major principles when it came to defining the Family Code in Cuba: "family pluralism," "inclusion" and "affection as the foundation of family relationships." These extended to affording extra rights not only to same-sex couples, but also to single-parent households, victims of domestic violence and others who have traditionally fallen through the cracks of the country's legal system."The Draft Code is one of the most important standards for the social life of the nation," Pérez Gallardo and González Ferrer said.
