While politicians in Washington bicker over how large a present to offer the health insurance industry, Cuba has begun providing gender-reassignment surgery free of cost as part of their universal health care system.
The Cuban Revolution inherited many chauvinistic attitudes and practices from the colonial era, but decriminalized homosexuality in 1979, and has made great strides to advance LGBT rights in recent years. The Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice issued new identity papers for transsexuals as early as the 1980’s.
Cuba initially introduced the surgical procedure in 1988, but the program was halted shortly thereafter. Many Cubans argued that the small country, strangled by economic sanctions, could not afford to pay for the surgeries. Leading LGBT rights activist Mariela Castro—daughter of President Raul Castro—says that economic arguments during that period often provided a cover for continued prejudice against the LGBT community.
Popular opinion shifted as Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education initiated a public educational campaign about transsexuality. Additionally, the government media began a campaign to combat homophobia. In February, the Fifth Cuban Congress on Sexual Education, Orientation, and Therapy condemned the American Psychiatric Association’s inclusion of transsexuality as a mental disorder.
