Puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit: lesbian and bisexual women in Cuban LGBT public spaces

Abstract

While research on Cuba may present a story of increasing tolerance for LGBT people, this article’s gendered analysis highlights the fractured nature of the ‘community’, revealing social exclusion based on deeply embedded patriarchal, racialised, and classed gender norms. Based on ethnographic research with Cuban lesbian and bisexual women and drawing on examples of Cuban LGBT public social space, it argues that the discrimination and social exclusion that lesbian and bisexual women face is underpinned by Cuba’s rigid machista gender norms, beyond straightforward sexism and sexual orientation discrimination. In three public spaces—CENESEX in Havana; gay clubs; and the Matanzas branch of the Iglesia de la Comunidad Metropolitana – Metropolitan Community Church – it shows how lesbian and bisexual women struggle to make social connections and community. This article develops the argument that, in this case study, political and social acceptance of different sexualities is built on a foundation of gender normativity, and excludes those who do not comply with gender norms. It brings a gendered analysis into the story of ‘gay rights’ in Cuba, which is often missing. Alongside other studies on lesbian and bisexual women across the world, this research helps demonstrate how LGBTIQ lives are structured by gender norms, and why it is important to consider gender in our work.