〔法新社/2008.5.13〕雖然1979年古巴已將同性戀非刑事化，而在且還在1992年引用了平等的合法年齡(age of consent)，但社會對同性戀還是很負面的。 幸好新任古巴新總統勞爾·卡斯特羅(Raul Castro)的女兒瑪列拉(Mariela)，同時也是前領導人卡斯楚的姪女瑪列拉，是一名是為同性戀權益奔走的人權鬥士，她正在籌劃古巴第二屆「反『同性戀恐懼症』節」5.17.2008。
中新網報導，現年46歲的瑪列拉是古巴一名心理學者，也是社會工作者和老師。她籌劃的「反『同性戀恐懼症』節」目的在呼籲人們保障同性戀權益，並支援變性手術。
瑪列拉近日表示，她的父親，現任古巴領導人勞爾給她很多幫助，「不僅因為父女關係，也因為她的認真工作贏得勞爾的尊重」。
Raul Castro's daughter spearheads anti-homophobia drive
HAVANA (AFP/2008.5.13) — President Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, is organizing Cuba's second anti-homophobia festival this week to boost public awareness of the country's long-marginalized gay community, this time with the approval of her dad's government.
"There's political support for this educational strategy. It's the best thing that's happened to us," Mariela Castro said about the backing the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) she heads is receiving from Cuba's Communist Party.
She said Raul Castro, 76, "is helping us a lot ... not only because I'm his daughter, but because I've earned his respect by working at my job carefully."
A teacher and mother of three children, Mariela Castro, 46, took over from her late mother, Vilma Espin, in running Cuban Womens' Federation (FMC) after she died in 2007, and has headed CENESEX for the past 14 years.
Her uncle Fidel Castro, 81, relinquished presidential power to his brother Raul, 76, in February citing health reasons.
For as long as Cuba's communist revolution began nearly 50 years ago, Mariela and her mother have been busy trying to whittle away at the country's machismo tradition.
The week-long festival in Havana and six of Cuba's 14 provinces, aims to increase public awareness about gay rights through television programs, movies, theater, debates and book fairs, culminating with the International Day Against Homophobia, on May 17.
Besides the educational efforts, Mariela's group is also busy reforming Cuba's Family Code and has proposed in parliament a bill on freedom of gender -- the right to choose one's gender, and the right to "legal union" for gays.
The legal union issue is an effort to sidestep the Catholic Church's determined opposition to gay marriage rights.
Sex-change is another controversial issue in Cuba, after the country's first operation in 1988 raised such an outcry that the procedure was put on indefinite hold.
"We're getting ready a team of surgeons from Belgium" to restart transgender operations, Mariela told reporters, adding that 30 such procedures have been approved by health authorities.
Mariela is hopeful the festival will be successful.
"We don't know how the public will react. We suppose it'll go well because of the way we've organized it. It'll help people understand things, reflect and think."
