Country Overview
Cuba
At a glance
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Same-sex sexual relations have been legal in Cuba since 1979, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is banned under the 2019 constitution. In 2022, Cuba legalized same-sex marriage in a national referendum that enjoyed 66.9 percent of support, despite opposition from evangelical religious groups. Trans people have been able to access gender-affirming surgeries with full health coverage since 2008. Since 2025, Cuba has allowed changes to legal gender markers without prior gender-affirming surgery, but the process still requires “an opinion from the multidisciplinary team coordinated by the National Center for Sexual Education,” falling short of full self-determination. A July 2024 report found over 100 transgender women incarcerated with men, contrary to international human rights standards. While Pride events have been held in the country, government restrictions on civil society activities persist. These challenges reflect the broader reality of restricted freedoms under the longest-standing dictatorship in Latin America, where dissent and activism are tightly controlled.
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