ABSTRACT
In May 2008 Havana saw the first public rally against homophobia, organized by centro nacional de education (CENESEX), and for the first time the rainbow flag representing gay pride was legally flown in Cuba. Later that same year the Cuban government officially announced that transsexuals would be entitled to free sex-change operations. Gay activist groups started 'coming out of the shadow', while the person leading the anti-homophobia and pro-sexual diversity campaign, Dr. Mariela Castro-Espin, objected to 'independent' gay activism and organization, insisting that gays, lesbians, and transgenders should be fully integrated in society, rather than 'march separately'. The result was that Cuba's first ever gay pride parade, planned for June that year, which would have marked a new spirit in Cuban gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) rights, was cancelled moments before it was due to begin, and some of the organizers were arrested.
