Cuba Votes To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
In a national referendum, Cuba has voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
Around two-thirds voted for the reform, which will also allow surrogate pregnancies and give gay couples the right to adopt, according to the BBC.
The country's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said as he voted on Sunday that he expected most of the population would vote yes and that the new Family Code reflected the diversity of people, families, and beliefs.
Preliminary results on Monday indicated 66% of votes counted so far in favor of the reform, electoral council president Alina Balseiro said. To be adopted, the law required 50% of voters' approval.
The reforms were the culmination of efforts by gay rights activists in Cuba.
Official attitudes towards homosexuality on the Communist-run island have changed over the past decades, partly thanks to the efforts of former leader Raúl Castro's daughter, Mariela. In the early part of communist leader Fidel Castro's rule, after the 1959 revolution, gay men and women were sent to work camps for “re-education.”
Many in Cuba still oppose the move, including evangelical churches and other conservatives. Parts of the opposition also campaigned for a “no” vote, urging Cubans to hand the country's communist government a defeat in the polls.
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