Cuba elects first transsexual politician

[smurfy]

[img]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/18/1353248348718/Adela-Hernandez-010.jpg[/img]

[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/18/cuban-transsexual-adela-hernandez-elected[/url]

[quote=The Guardian]A Cuban transsexual has become the first known transgender person to hold public office in the country, winning election as a delegate to the municipal government of Caibarien in the central province of Villa Clara.

Adela Hernandez, 48, hailed her election in a country where gays were persecuted for decades and sent to rural work camps as another milestone in the gradual shift away from macho attitudes in the years since Fidel Castro himself expressed regret over the treatment of people perceived to be different.

Hernandez, who has lived as a female since childhood, served two years in prison in the 1980s for "dangerousness" after her own family denounced her sexuality.

"As time evolves, homophobic people – although they will always exist – are the minority," Hernandez said by phone from her home town. Becoming a delegate "is a great triumph", she added.

Because she has not undergone sex-change surgery, Hernandez is legally still a man in the eyes of the Cuban state: Jose Agustin Hernandez, according to the civil registry. Hernandez, who switched back and forth between feminine and masculine pronouns when referring to herself during an interview, said she had not yet decided to seek an operation but had not ruled it out.

Hernandez won office in early November by taking a runoff vote 280-170. Her position is the equivalent of a city councillor, and her election makes her eligible to be selected as an MP in early 2013.

For years after the 1959 Cuban revolution, authorities hounded people of differing sexual orientation and others considered threatening, such as priests, long-haired youths and rock 'n' roll enthusiasts. But there have been notable changes in attitudes toward sexuality.

"I would like to think that discrimination against homosexuals is a problem that is being overcome," Castro told an interviewer some years ago.

Since 2007, the island has included sex-change surgery under its free healthcare system. Last year, a gay man and a transsexual woman whose operation was paid for by the state garnered headlines for their first-of-its kind wedding.

The country's most prominent gay rights activist is Mariela Castro, Fidel's niece and daughter of the president, Raúl Castro.

As director of Cuba's National Centre for Sex Education, she has launched awareness campaigns, trained police on relations with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and lobbied parliament to legalise same-sex unions.

Born in a sugar town in central Cuba, Hernandez was disowned by her family and said it was her own father who reported her to the authorities, leading to her imprisonment. She had to move away and defend herself physically from attacks.

Over the decades she found work as a hospital janitor, then as a nurse and most recently as an electrocardiogram technician. She also established herself in the community and as a longtime member of her neighbourhood watch committee, which helped her win acceptance and laid the groundwork for her election.

"My neighbours know me as Adela, the nurse," Hernandez said. "Sexual preference does not determine whether you are a revolutionary or not. That comes from within."

As an elected official she promised to campaign for her constituents' interests, but said she also wanted to be a voice for gay rights.

"I represent a community but I will always keep in mind the defence of gays," Hernandez said.[/quote]

[Bivi]

Cuba of all places?

wow

[smurfy]

Communist transsexual

If only she was Muslim she could troll the shit out of the GOP

[flyboy463]

Cube

[chunkymonkey]

The title of the thread confused me.

[smurfy]

Phew, fixed it

[Meatpuppet]

for a second there i thought cube was a new government founded on the principles of transcendentalism

edited:

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/2034p.png[/IMG]

you can't hide from me smurfy

[carcarcargo]

[QUOTE=apurplerock;38517557]Cuba of all places?

wow[/QUOTE]

Cuba's a nice place from what I've heard, even castro apologised for what he did to homosexuals and the like.

[Vintage Thatguy]

Don't know why it's funny. Definitely a step forward for the ever growing transexual Cuban population.

[QueenSasha24]

Gotta say, wasn't expecting good news like this.

[NoDachi]

[QUOTE=apurplerock;38517557]Cuba of all places?

wow[/QUOTE]

What is so surprising about that?

Cuba always ranks high on equality.

All equally in the shit.

[Lilyo]

If only she was a transvestite, she could have "sweet transvestite" automatically play every time she entered her office or a government meeting.
[video=youtube;bc80tFJpTuo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo[/video]

Nice to see Cuba is more tolerant than most of the US though.

[Carnage2323]

oh god that face

[RoadOfGirl]

huh
well then

[editline]19th November 2012[/editline]

good job cuba I guess

[garychencool]

Not bad Cuba, not bad.

[Bobie]

tonight on fox news: is cuba and its evil communist ways trying to make your kids get a sex change?

[Demolitions2]

[QUOTE=Bobie;38518152]tonight on fox news: is cuba and its evil communist ways trying to make your kids get a sex change?[/QUOTE]

"Cuba admits that all Cubans are trying to convert US people to be gay and have sex changes."

[KevBeans]

It's a nice message - tolerance and understanding and equality. But he/she/it better be actually good at the job. Don't need incompetent people in power merely to put on a show.

[Lord Krit]

Does 'she' even bother using make up or shave.

[IMG]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/18/1353248348718/Adela-Hernandez-010.jpg[/IMG]

That face disturbs me

[Blazyd]

[QUOTE=TheKritter71;38519248]Does 'she' even bother using make up or shave.

[IMG]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/18/1353248348718/Adela-Hernandez-010.jpg[/IMG]

That face disturbs me[/QUOTE]

What are you talking about? she is beutyful~

[Badunkadunk]

-poor wording- Kinda lazy just drawing eyebrows on like that but then again that shit probably costs a ton. Hope the lady doesn't get into any harm.

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=Badunkadunk;38520373]Guessing it's a guy posing as a woman? Kinda lazy just drawing eyebrows on like that but then again that shit probably costs a ton. Hope the lady doesn't get into any harm.[/QUOTE]

[quote]she had not yet decided to seek an operation but had not ruled it out.[/quote]

[editline]20th November 2012[/editline]

reading is fun

[SL128]

[QUOTE=apurplerock;38517557]Cuba of all places?

wow[/QUOTE]Cuba offers free hormone treatment, and sex reassignment surgery.

[Cl0cK]

[QUOTE=apurplerock;38517557]Cuba of all places?

wow[/QUOTE]

Yeah Cuba is actually a pretty awesome place.

[[Seed Eater]]

People tend to forget that while lacking (but definitely gaining) in political liberty, and still having major issues with poverty, Cuba is still very medically healthy, educated, skilled, and progressive in many ways that surpass the Western World.

[QueenSasha24]

[QUOTE=just-a-boy;38518766]he/she/it[/QUOTE]

Fucking seriously?

We're only 18 posts in and already we start with that shit?

[Ban Camp]

[QUOTE=QueenSasha24;38521117]Fucking seriously?

We're only 18 posts in and already we start with that shit?[/QUOTE]
This thread is going to end badly with alot of stubbornness.

[Roger Waters]

[QUOTE=Lilyo;38517869]If only she was a transvestite, she could have "sweet transvestite" automatically play every time she entered her office or a government meeting.
[video=youtube;bc80tFJpTuo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo[/video]

Nice to see Cuba is more tolerant than most of the US though.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=just-a-boy;38518766]It's a nice message - tolerance and understanding and equality. But he/she/it better be actually good at the job. Don't need incompetent people in power merely to put on a show.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=TheKritter71;38519248]Does 'she' even bother using make up or shave.

[IMG]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/18/1353248348718/Adela-Hernandez-010.jpg[/IMG]

That face disturbs me[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Badunkadunk;38520373]Guessing it's a guy posing as a woman? Kinda lazy just drawing eyebrows on like that but then again that shit probably costs a ton. Hope the lady doesn't get into any harm.[/QUOTE]

for how progressive and liberal you make yourselves out to be, FP. a lot of you are fucking bigoted.

[Boxbot219]

[QUOTE=TheKritter71;38519248]Does 'she' even bother using make up or shave.

[IMG]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/18/1353248348718/Adela-Hernandez-010.jpg[/IMG]

That face disturbs me[/QUOTE]

Calling a transgender woman a she using scare quotes.

You are such a 'wonderful human being'.

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=Roger Waters;38522654]for how progressive and liberal you make yourselves out to be, FP. a lot of you are fucking bigoted.[/QUOTE]

Well there ain't much information on it (or it's hidden away), and it's also not displayed on a frequent basis in the common media.
Also even some homosexuals and bisexuals mock transsexuals, because they think they're [I]"holding them back"[/I]

It's all LGBT, until one of them becomes a burden according to the rest, then one of them is on their own.

[IMG]http://filesmelt.com/dl/LGBt+struggle.jpg[/IMG]