Cuba gay man and transgender woman marry

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14514240

A Cuban man and transgender woman have married in what is being seen as the country's first "gay wedding".

Same sex marriage is illegal in Cuba, but bride Wendy Iriepa is legally a woman after undergoing one of the first state-sponsored sex changes in 2007.

Her fiance, Ignacio Estrada, is a noted dissident and gay rights activist in Cuba and is also HIV positive.

The couple said the wedding, timed to coincide with Fidel Castro's birthday, was a "gift" for the former leader.

[Syrinx]

1. so many things wrong with that...

[Behind the Aegis]

2. That isn't a same-sex marriage.

[xchrom]

3. but that's how it will be labeled -- i find it -- strange that it was

posted that way in the BBC.

i thought they would know better -- oh. well.

[glowing]

4. Just a question in honest, if a gay man marries a trangendered woman

that has had a sex change operation; is the man actually gay? And how is this same sex marriage?

[xchrom]

5. It is not same sex marriage.

I don't know if they are having sex.

[glowing]

7. I suppose, the man could still be gay. You are right, who knows if they are having sex?

I don't really care about people's preferences or who they love.. just wondering how one would call that same sex marriage?

[Butch350]

8. I dunno, probably because the woman was born a MAN?

You can take a small sedan car with a hard top then cut the top off.

Now it's a convertible.

But it was originally a hardtop.

[glowing]

9. But if the anatomy has been changed, she's no longer a male.

Likewise the car, its now a convertable.. doesn't matter what it was originally.

[GKirk]

10. Wait ...what?

someone is having sex WITH a car?

[midnight]

6. K&R.

[Amimnoch]

11. Don't we respect gender identity?

Ignacio is a gay man. Open and self identified.
Iripia is a m2f transsexual.

The article may not have everything all of us would ideally look for in a first gay wedding, but breaking through standards, and "traditions" is a very core part of what our entire movement is about.

The fact that Cuba recognizes Iripia as a woman is a step forward in progress (many states here in the US STILL won't do even that much).

That the gay community embraces them as a married gay couple speaks volumes.

They are happy.. they consider themselves a married gay couple.. the community of Cuba supports them as the first married gay couple of Cuba..

Well that's enough for me to accept them in the capacity in which they self-identify.

[Zorra]

12. Not same-sex marriage, but

I believe that this is a political statement made to (obviously successfully) raise awareness of our problem, and further the cause of LGBT and human rights.

These folks are very serious dissidents/LGBT rights advocates; this ain't the royal wedding.

They know exactly what they're doing.
:applause:

Love the photo, especially the backdrop.;)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. well said. nt