Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Cuba divided over law to allow same-sex marriage

Cuba divided over law to allow same-sex marriage

Adiel and Lachi are anxious to get married, perhaps dressed in black, in a ceremony by the seashore.
The idea bothers the Reverend Moises de Prada, who like many of his parishioners opposes a proposal to legalise same-sex marriage in Cuba.

The socialist government recently published a draft Family Law and asked for public comment ahead of a referendum, creating an unusually public clash over policy on the island where Pentecostal churches have been growing.

For Adiel González, a 31-year-old theologian, the idea of submitting his right to marriage for a public referendum is painful.

"You are submitting to the vote of a heterosexual, heteronormative majority the rights of a minority," he said from his apartment in the central city of Matanzas, where two cats roam and a cross in the rainbow colours of the gay flag hangs from a wall.

Both he and his partner, 51-year-old accountant Lázaro "Lachi" González, work at the relatively mainline Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas.

"God has no stepchildren, so we are all daughters and sons of God and what Adiel and I do it have a life with love," Lázaro González said.

The proposed law, which is to be considered by Parliament after the still unscheduled referendum, has more than 480 articles. It would also formally expand grandparents' rights, allow for prenuptial agreements and — in cases of divorce — have financial consequences for those who have committed gender violence.

Parents could decide whether children's paternal or maternal surname has precedence. Children's rights would be gradually expanded as they grow.

But the biggest controversy is over changing the definition of marriage in the current law, which specifies it is between a man and a woman, to merely say between two people.

It would also open the way for gays to adopt, and for surrogate pregnancies — though not for payment.

"It is not going to bring any benefit," said de Prada, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, which have grown rapidly and Cuba and now claim more than 2,000 churches and 1 million members.

"The family, conceived as it is structured in the word of God, is that which is agreed between a man and a woman and the resulting children," he said.

While Cuba was officially — and often militantly — atheist for decades after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, it has become more tolerant of religions over the past quarter century. That has meant a greater opening not only the once-dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also to Afro-Cuban religions, protestants and Muslims.

Some of those churches took advantage of the opening in 2018 and 2019 to campaign against another plebiscite which would have rewritten the constitution in a way to allow gay marriage.

Opposition from social conservatives was strong enough that the government at that time backed away, though the change was backed by lawmaker Mariela Castro, daughter of then-President Raul Castro and director of Cuba's Center for Sexual Education.

Justice Minister Oscar Silveira Martínez told The Associated Press that the new proposed law "does not construct social realities; it tries to foresee legal solutions, protect those social realities that exist."

Assemblies of God General Secretary Julio César Sánchez said such unions would be "the result of sin."

"The argument that they should be regularised because they exist is not valid," he said, "because murder also exists. ... That doesn't mean it's good."

The differences play out in the streets as well.

"There are people who are going to be against same-sex couples joining in matrimony, but I think that's something normal," said Alberto Dausá, a 68-year-old retiree.

A few feet away, Carola Reyna, a 25-year-old housewife, said she wasn't against gay couples being happy, "but it seems to me that (adopting) children, they shouldn't get involved in that."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
×