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Castro's Niece: "The revolution was homophobic"

14:33 H | Topics: Cuba - GLBT - Society

Mariela Castro, the director of Cuba's National Center for Sex Education -- who just happens to be Fidel Castro's niece and Raul's daughter -- says that homophobia in the island nation has got to stop, and that state-sanctioned homophobia in the communist government's history needs to be recognized for what it was: a mistake. Reports Spain's Ambiente G:

In comments made to the La Jornada newspaper, sexologist Mariela Castro stated "we have to analyze why it happened."

The niece of the dictator says that "the mistakes Cuba committed were very similar to those committed and still being committed in many countries. Cuba was a reflection of the world. The same things happened here that happened in other countries, it just transcended more because people expected that in a socialist revolution these mistakes could not have been made since it was a revolution for the empancipation of mankind.

According to Mariela Castro, “people didn't get how these mistakes could be committed in Cuba. The ideology of the time was permeated with homophobia and prejudice. The communist parties were very homophobic. Only recently is their attitude more inclusive."

This certainly isn't the first time we've heard this, but it certainly seems to have more weight coming from a member of the Castro family. Ambiente G also reports that Mariela Castro is working on getting legislation introduced which would include stipulations, among others, for transgender rights and gay adoption.

Via / Ambiente G

Image via New York Times

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