Cubans have convincingly voted in favor of a new family law in a referendum. This law includes the legalization of marriage for same-sex partners. Surrogacy is also legalized.
More than 3.9 million voters (66.9%) voted in favor of the bill and 1.95 million (33%) against it, it was announced on Monday. The new family code is, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, “a fair, necessary, current and modern standard that gives rights and guarantees to all people”.
The decision is seen as an important step in a country where macho behavior is strong. In the 1960s and 1970s, the authorities even sent gay men to labor camps.
Cuba is the eighth Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage. This is already the case in Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile.
In 2019, LGBTQ + activists had already tried to include same-sex marriage in the Cuban constitution when it was revised that year. That plan fell due to strong opposition from some churches and conservative groups in the country.
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