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Sexual Politics In Cuba: Machismo, Homosexuality, And Aids
Cuba is the only country in the world that quarantines people who test positive for the HIV virus. In this book, Marvin Leiner analyzes the practice of quarantine in the context of the Cuban Revolution, which has otherwise brought significant advances in social programs, such as free universal education and comprehensive health care for all. He also focuses on efforts by Cuban educators to introduce sex education in the schools and to change sexist and homophobic attitudes, discussing their successes and failures with candor and examining the explicit and implicit linkages between machismo and homophobia.
Drawing on interviews, diaries, and techniques of participant observation, Dr. Leiner shows how the HIV sanitorium and earlier oppressive treatment of gays and lesbians serve as a barometer for contemporary Cuban society. Despite the impressive achievements of the Revolution, Cuba remains a society lacking political rights, in particular the right to dissent.
Drawing on interviews, diaries, and techniques of participant observation, Dr. Leiner shows how the HIV sanitorium and earlier oppressive treatment of gays and lesbians serve as a barometer for contemporary Cuban society. Despite the impressive achievements of the Revolution, Cuba remains a society lacking political rights, in particular the right to dissent.
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
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November 20, 2020
Excellent historical overview of sexual freedom in Cuba.
Divided into chapters by topic and amply researched and footnoted, the author analyzes the Cuban cultural and institutionalized attitude toward gay men, the use of camps to “re-educate social deviants,” the AIDS quarantine, the need for sexual education, and more, up to the 1990s. It is no dry academic tome and holds your interest throughout.
Of particular interest is the author’s acknowledgment of Dr. Monika Krause, an unknown champion of sexual rights for women and homosexuals, and one of the founders of CENESEX, long before Mariela Castro. Monika had a popular radio program, where she counseled people who called in with sexual problems, and she often appeared on television. She was stripped of media privileges after she expressed the view that “everything is normal in sex” and supported gay rights. She defected back to Germany in 1990 and has been essentially purged from the Cuban history books and not mentioned in most U.S. academic papers. Monika passed away in 2019. Her memoir of thirty years in Cuba was published in Spanish in 2020 and is being translated into English.
Divided into chapters by topic and amply researched and footnoted, the author analyzes the Cuban cultural and institutionalized attitude toward gay men, the use of camps to “re-educate social deviants,” the AIDS quarantine, the need for sexual education, and more, up to the 1990s. It is no dry academic tome and holds your interest throughout.
Of particular interest is the author’s acknowledgment of Dr. Monika Krause, an unknown champion of sexual rights for women and homosexuals, and one of the founders of CENESEX, long before Mariela Castro. Monika had a popular radio program, where she counseled people who called in with sexual problems, and she often appeared on television. She was stripped of media privileges after she expressed the view that “everything is normal in sex” and supported gay rights. She defected back to Germany in 1990 and has been essentially purged from the Cuban history books and not mentioned in most U.S. academic papers. Monika passed away in 2019. Her memoir of thirty years in Cuba was published in Spanish in 2020 and is being translated into English.
Displaying 1 of 1 review