At least 1,000 individuals, many of them gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, participated in a gay pride parade in Havana on Saturday. The event, which was marked by the participants' flags in rainbow colors and which primarily demanded for work spaces free of homophobia or transphobia, was led by Mariela Castro, the Cuban president's daughter.
Mariela is a sexologist who heads the Centre for Sex Education in the capital city and is Cuba's most prominent champion of gay rights, according to the Telegraph.
The parade also held a symbolical wedding ceremony in which 20 couples participated. The "holy unions" were officiated by Reverend Roger LaRade of the Eucharistic Catholic Church of Canada. The Vatican does not recognize this church, according to Havana Times.
"The act means a further step in our relationship," said one of the participants, Luis Enrique Mederos, who "married" his partner of 14 years in the ceremony.
"The changes and the religious union held today encourage us in the hope that one day we can be united in a legalized relationship," he added, according to the Havana Times.
Homosexuals have been largely marginalized during the government of Mariela's uncle, Cuba's former president Fidel Castro. But two years ago, a law banning workplace discrimination against homosexuals was passed, according to BBC, while same-sex marriage is still seen as illegal.
It is the hope of the Cuban LGBT community, however, that this will be legalized when their annual march takes place next year.
"Same-sex marriage is already legal in Argentina and Uruguay and in Mexico City. And we've always celebrated their achievements. So we're not interested in being the first. For us, it's just about achieving it in the first place," said Castro, according to the BBC.
