{"id":258672,"date":"2022-10-08T10:31:27","date_gmt":"2022-10-08T14:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=258672"},"modified":"2022-10-08T10:31:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-08T14:31:27","slug":"gay-couple-legalizes-union-after-reform-of-family-code-in-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/gay-couple-legalizes-union-after-reform-of-family-code-in-cuba\/","title":{"rendered":"Gay couple legalizes union after reform of Family Code in Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two men named Alberto and Jos\u00e9 were the <\/span>first gay couple<\/b><\/a> in Cuba to legalize their union after the referendum that ratified the <\/span>Family Code<\/b><\/a>. At least, it is the first marriage documented by official means, from the eastern territory of Granma.<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple, who had been in a relationship for 18 years, made their relationship official last Tuesday before a notary in Manzanillo (Granma province), journalist Roberto Mesa Matos, from the state radio station CMKX Radio Bayamo, explained on his Facebook profile. The <\/span>National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX)<\/b><\/a> also shared the information on its social networks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The wedding ceremony was held in the house shared by the men, \u201cin a family atmosphere and with the complicity of dozens of friends who wanted Alberto and Jos\u00e9 to be completely happy,\u201d according to the reporter\u2019s account.<\/span><\/p>\n

The marriage took place on the same day that Cuba\u2019s National Electoral Council (CEN) confirmed the victory of the \u201cYes\u201d in the referendum that put into force the Family Code, a legislative package that includes adoption by gay couples and surrogacy, among other issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I never thought they would approve (the code) here, but we always wanted it,\u201d said Alberto, while his partner argued that this legislation brought him \u201cthe happiness of achieving a dream cherished for years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The new Family Code, which replaced the 1975 code, includes historic demands from the LGBTIQ+ community in Cuba, where until a few decades ago homosexuals suffered rejection and discrimination, and were even interned in military labor camps, the so-called UMAP.<\/span><\/p>\n

Same-sex marriage was one of the most controversial issues of the code in the discussions prior to its ratification at the polls, because it encountered criticism and opposition from the most conservative sectors of Cuban society and also from various Christian churches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cuba: same-sex marriage and adoption provoke controversy over Family Code<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n