Guess what? Turns out that, unlike Iran, Cuba is actually pretty gay. And the BBC would like to you to know that there’s a Castro in Cuba who cares about GLBT issues and would like to see radical changes in laws concerning that community. No, not Raul, you dumbasses! Haha, they tricked you! They mean his daughter, Mariela, who happens to be head of Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education:

She is currently attempting to get the Cuban National Assembly to adopt what would be among the most liberal gay and transsexual rights law in Latin America.

The proposed legislation would recognise same-sex unions, along with inheritance rights. It would also give transsexuals the right to free sex-change operations and allow them to switch the gender on their ID cards, with or without surgery.

There are limits: adoption is not included in the bill and neither is the word marriage.

Baby steps, Other Castro. An interesting thing about Cuba though is, depending on who you ask, homosexuality might not even really exist on the island after all:

Today Cuba has a vibrant but generally discreet gay scene. There is a popular gay beach in Playas del Este just a short drive from Havana.

In the capital itself there are no openly gay bars, but there is a weekly nightclub complete with floor show.

The venue also hosts a comedy club one night, a cabaret another.

But according to the manager, who asked not to be named or for the club to be identified, it is the gay evening that is always the best attended.

Queer as a two dollar bill. Or air conditioning.

There is a Castro who is fighting to introduce radical changes in Cuba. [BBC]