Cubans have voted for a family code that strengthens the protection of minorities on the island. So socialist Cuba legalized same-sex marriage.
74.1% of citizens who have the right to vote in Sunday's national referendum came to the vote. The number of people who supported same-sex marriage is twice as high as those who ticked the “against” box.The new family code provides protection for women, children and the elderly, and allows LGBTQ couples to marry and adopt children.
The road to equality has not been easy
- For decades, LGBT people in Cuba faced official discrimination on the communist island. In the early 1960s, after Fidel Castro came to power, many gay men were sent to government labor camps along with political dissidents. Although homosexuality was legalized in Cuba in 1979, many gay men said they still faced open discrimination.
- Mariela Castro, daughter of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, was an outspoken advocate for improving the rights of gays, lesbians, and transgender people. of people. But the government strongly resisted these ideas.
- In 2018, Cuban lawmakers abandoned provisions that legalized same-sex marriage over fears that a backlash from homophobes would reduce turnout in a referendum to approve a new constitution. The following year, Cuban police broke up a peaceful parade for LGBTQ rights, saying that the demonstrators did not have permission to hold a rally.
- Cuba's growing evangelical community also openly opposed the adoption of the family code. But weeks before the referendum, the Cuban government began campaigning heavily for a new family code in the state media. It was explained to people that the new code is proof that the revolution on the island (which has been going on for more than six decades) is able to adapt to the times.
Recall that the petition asking to legalize same-sex marriage in Ukraine the number of signatures – it was supported by more than 28 thousand citizens.
President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to this petition and stressed that all people are free and equal in their dignity and rights, and human rights and freedoms are inalienable and inviolable. However, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, marriage is based on the free consent of a woman and a man, and under martial law, the Constitution cannot be changed.
