Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the physical, emotional, and conceptual spaces that music provides for gay men since the start of what is referred to as el periodo especial en tiempo de paz. It describes that music provides many 'solutions' in Cuba-from financial gain for the musicians and for those trading in it, directly or indirectly-as in the case of jineterismo, Cuba's unique brand of sex work, and to communication with the orishas, the Afro-Cuban religion deities. It also provides spaces of identity, expression, and cultural survival for the country's minorities. The book investigates the role of musical spaces in maintaining a gay scene in a society that does not allow for distinctively gay meeting places, activism, organizations, or media. It mostly analyzes music from a functionalist perspective.