Transsexual and gay marry in a Cuban first
Source: Agencies |
August 15, 2011, Monday
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A GAY dissident and a transsexual woman married at the weekend in what was said to be a first for Cuba - the couple draped themselves in the gay pride rainbow flag and rode through the streets of Havana.
In a civil ceremony, Ignacio Estrada, 31, and Wendy Iriepa, 37, exchanged rings and kissed before a state official, who wished them much happiness.
It was not technically a same-sex marriage, which is prohibited in Cuba, and so drew no interference from authorities - Iriepa is legally a woman after undergoing Cuba's first state-sanctioned sex change operation in 2007.
But the wedding, held on Fidel Castro's 85th birthday in what the couple claimed was a "gift" to the former leader, was aimed at advancing homosexual rights and was tinged with politics, as some of Cuba's best-known dissidents participated and US diplomats attended in a public show of support.
It also signaled changing attitudes on the island, where homosexuals were placed in camps in the 1960s for being "counterrevolutionary."
Supporters, reporters and curious Cubans watched as the couple arrived at a government marriage office in Havana's suburbs.
The bride, wearing a strapless white wedding dress, turned up in a 1950s Ford convertible, sitting on the back seat and holding the rainbow flag.
"I am very happy and very nervous," said statuesque Iriepa as she stepped down from the car. "This is really the happiest day of my life."
Estrada, wearing a white suit and red tie and arriving separately in a white Mercedes, said he was also happy and nervous, but that the day's importance extended beyond himself and his bride.
"This is a step forward for the gay community in Cuba," he said.
The couple met three months ago and fell in love, said Estrada.
After the ceremony, they had photographs taken in front of a two-tier wedding cake, kissed again and, following Cuban tradition, rode through the streets in a convertible, the horn blaring.
The reaction of Cuban bystanders, who crowded the sidewalks and watched from apartment windows, ranged from applause to derisive laughter to bewilderment.
Middle-aged Iris Gonzalez said: "I do not think they should be able to marry. It goes against nature. Where did she get those breasts?"
Prominent dissident bloggers Yoani Sanchez and husband Reinaldo Escobar participated in the wedding, while dissident leaders Laura Pollan and Berta Soler attended.
Sanchez tweeted from the event: "We are very happy with what has occurred today. A big step in a small Cuba."
The US government has spoken of giving financial aid to gay dissidents as part of its long-standing campaign to promote political change in Cuba.
In a civil ceremony, Ignacio Estrada, 31, and Wendy Iriepa, 37, exchanged rings and kissed before a state official, who wished them much happiness.
It was not technically a same-sex marriage, which is prohibited in Cuba, and so drew no interference from authorities - Iriepa is legally a woman after undergoing Cuba's first state-sanctioned sex change operation in 2007.
But the wedding, held on Fidel Castro's 85th birthday in what the couple claimed was a "gift" to the former leader, was aimed at advancing homosexual rights and was tinged with politics, as some of Cuba's best-known dissidents participated and US diplomats attended in a public show of support.
It also signaled changing attitudes on the island, where homosexuals were placed in camps in the 1960s for being "counterrevolutionary."
Supporters, reporters and curious Cubans watched as the couple arrived at a government marriage office in Havana's suburbs.
The bride, wearing a strapless white wedding dress, turned up in a 1950s Ford convertible, sitting on the back seat and holding the rainbow flag.
"I am very happy and very nervous," said statuesque Iriepa as she stepped down from the car. "This is really the happiest day of my life."
Estrada, wearing a white suit and red tie and arriving separately in a white Mercedes, said he was also happy and nervous, but that the day's importance extended beyond himself and his bride.
"This is a step forward for the gay community in Cuba," he said.
The couple met three months ago and fell in love, said Estrada.
After the ceremony, they had photographs taken in front of a two-tier wedding cake, kissed again and, following Cuban tradition, rode through the streets in a convertible, the horn blaring.
The reaction of Cuban bystanders, who crowded the sidewalks and watched from apartment windows, ranged from applause to derisive laughter to bewilderment.
Middle-aged Iris Gonzalez said: "I do not think they should be able to marry. It goes against nature. Where did she get those breasts?"
Prominent dissident bloggers Yoani Sanchez and husband Reinaldo Escobar participated in the wedding, while dissident leaders Laura Pollan and Berta Soler attended.
Sanchez tweeted from the event: "We are very happy with what has occurred today. A big step in a small Cuba."
The US government has spoken of giving financial aid to gay dissidents as part of its long-standing campaign to promote political change in Cuba.
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