Cuban Revolution Research Paper

Before the Cuban revolution, Cuban society was incredibly homogenous. Patriarchy, homophobia, misogyny and racism were extremely prevalent in Cuban society and practiced by the majority of Cubans regularly. Therefore, if you didn’t fit into the typical heterosexual, pale skinned, machisto, male role, you faced a life of scrutiny, strife and repression. Among the most scrutinized and repressed groups in Cuba before the revolution, included the LGBT+ community, Afro-Cubans and women. It is impossible to reflect on Cuban national identity while ignoring the history, culture and experience of the LGBT+ community, Afro-Cubans and women.
The Cuban revolution has played a major role in improving the lives of the LGBT+ community, Afro-Cubans and women. …show more content…
A homosexual living their life as their true authentic self would often times be denied job opportunities due to their sexual orientation or even lose their positions in reputable work places. Furthermore, homosexuals that chose to live and stay in the rural villages they grew up in were often times ostracized and categorized as the village queer or village idiot. (Arguelles Reference) Aida, a lesbian seamstress reflects on her oppressed past by saying “At work you had to pretend to have a boyfriend. You would even have to get someone to accompany you to work once or twice. If not, men would be after you every day, caressing you and showing off their genitals. It was hell.” The lesbian experience in pre-revolutionary Cuba was extremely demeaning, harmful and violent as they were attempting to navigate a society in which misogyny and homophobia was unrestrained. They were female, therefore, they were perceived as heterosexual according to Cuban norms and they were created to be subservient to men. Tortilleras (dykes) were invisible, as being a lesbian was simply out of the …show more content…
Openly homosexual individuals were disowned by their families and communities. Being a part of a family was extremely necessary to be able to survive in pre revolutionary Cuba “where more than a quarter of the population was frequently out of work and where there was no social security.” (Government of Contradictions) This intolerance of homosexual behavior was rampant and this would result in an influx of homosexuals migrating to urban cities such as Havana, in search of job opportunities and hope for a more liberated life style. During the Fulgencio Batista regime, Havana was infamously known and nick named Cuba’s “Sin City.” Gambling, night clubs, bars and organized crime began to flood Havana and for once, homosexuals had found a space where they were able to exist. Homosexuals were embraced in the tourism sector in order to meet the American tourists demands of homosexual sexual activity and because of the financial profit they would then acquire which would support the Batista

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