Tyrant Castro at work - Sex-change operations performed **again** in Cuba

[Billy Burnett]

Let me get this straight... The brutal iron fisted homophobic one man dictatorship government of Cuba had a progressive (or repressive from a RW view) program of sexual reassignment surgery coverage in their universal health care system? Horrors! Then, the public complained that the expendatures could be better prioritized at that time and wanted a temporary suspension of the program - and the brutal iron fisted (not so)homophobic one man dictatorship government of Cuba responded, and changed policy?

~~~~~~~~~

Series!1!1! Castro is one slacker of a brutal iron fisted homophobic one man dictatorship government.

Sex-change operations performed again in Cuba
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/11/MNF91CDNJD.DTL

Looking in the mirror used to make Yiliam Gonzalez sick to her stomach.
More News

"I would see myself, and my body didn't match who I was," said the 28-year-old wedding pianist, who went by William before receiving a sex change under Cuba's universal health care system.

Gonzalez is living proof of a small but remarkable transformation for the rugged revolution of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and a band of ever-macho, bearded rebels, who long punished gays and transsexuals - but now are paying for sex changes.

Gonzales was one of eight Cubans to do so through a program begun in 1988 - then suspended for two decades, after many complained the communist government had better ways to spend its scarce resources.

The operations have begun anew under President Raul Castro's daughter Mariela, Cuba's top gay-rights activist, and 22 more transsexuals are waiting to have it performed.

Mariela Castro says the government is moving cautiously, doing only a few per year.

"There has been a lot of resistance because homophobia remains strong in our culture," she said

This article appeared on page A - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[protocol rv]

1. I take it you don't see the irony

Seems the policy was changed because Mariela, Raul's daughter, pushed for it. The article seems to confirm Cuba is run as a family fiefdom, doesn't it?

[Mika]

2. The coverage was in place long before she had anything to do with GLBT rights groups.

Mariela Castro Espín is the daughter of the late revolutionary leader Wilma Espín. She’s a sexologist and director of the Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX) in Cuba - and a world leading GLBT rights advocate.

It was the Cuban National Assembly that authorized the lifting of the temporary moratorium on coverage for sex change surgeries. Not any Castro.

---

[Judi Lynn]

3. Absolutely. I heard about Cuba's gay & lesbian community so many years ago Mariela Castro would have

been a very young, YOUNG woman, not exactly prepared to have driven any program whatsoever.

[protocol rv]

4. Laughing

OK, so she's a Castro who is also the daughter of Wilma Espin, that woman is what in the Soviet Union they called a Special Aparatchik - connected via the mother AND the father, right? The National Assembly in Cuba is a rubber stamp body...did they ever, even once in 50 years, go agaisnt Castro's will? I don't think so.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Absolutely. They moved to include the American dollar which was wildly contrary to Fidel Castro's

belief. He was thoroughly defeated on that issue.

Poster, please. Don't bother DU'ers here. The rest of us are trying to conduct real conversations.

[Mika]

6. She's connected to this issue because she is a world respected GLBT activist.

Your rubber stamp commentary is useless. The question should really be: Has Castro ever gone against the will of the people (voting in the minority in the National Assembly - the elected representatives of the people). Yes. Dollarization was one issue, as mentioned by Judi, immigration, privatization. Raul only has one vote in the Assembly, as do all of the other elected reps. Very few votes are unanimous in any of the assemblies, coalitions are formed over the various issues being considered to create a bill for the vote. Its a parliamentary system.

Using your standard we could say that the British parliament is a rubber stamp parliament because the Head of State of Britain, The Queen (an unelected dictator for life), has to sign all bills before they become law. With your standard it is obvious that the Brit Parliament is a rubber stamp Parliament because they only create laws that the Queen will sign into law.
:dunce:

---

[Billy Burnett]

7. Convenient word-smithing.

Alexi said --> Seems the policy was changed ...

The 1988 policy has been reverted back to the 1988 original.

Personally, I find it inspiring that this amazing and wonderful woman possibly used her influence for the betterment of the people, representing the sense of fairness and compassion of the Cuban people.


Interview with Mariela Castro Espín on the Future of Sex and Socialism in Cuba
http://gaycuba.ca/mariela_interview/


Mariela Castro Espín (Center, in black dress)