Jessica Rabbit Toirac Matos, a Cuban trans woman, publicly denounced an act of transphobia committed by the Provincial Directorate of Culture in Guantánamo on social media last Sunday.
Through her personal Instagram account, Toirac expressed her indignation and demanded respect and recognition of her rights as a trans woman, stating: “They are transphobic for not allowing trans women, dancers who have been evaluated in shows, to dance on a float.”
This Cuban woman apologized to her followers on social media, who were expecting to see her dance on a float during the Guantánamo carnival, but her participation was blocked by the provincial culture department.
Toirac voiced her frustration regarding the non-compliance with the Family Code, approved on July 22, 2022, which recognizes the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community: “I don’t know where the Family Code is, I don’t know where CENESEX or support for trans women is.”
Additionally, she highlighted that transphobia in Guantánamo extends beyond the cultural sector: “The province of Guantánamo is transphobic,” she warned, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
As a victim of the Cuban regime’s discrimination, Toirac recounted that before the parade began, carnival organizers informed her that “only natural women would dance on the floats,” as she told CubaNet.
“When I showed up to dance, they told me no, that I couldn’t do it because I’m a trans woman. It seems that the culture department ordered that trans women cannot dance on floats. It was just me who wanted to dance, but one of the organizers came to me and said, 'You are trans, you can’t dance,'” she reported to the news portal.
The platform Alas Tensas, which addresses issues related to women and gender problems, shared the complaint, considering that Toirac’s post made public her dissatisfaction with Cuba’s public inclusion policies, particularly in Guantánamo province.
Although the Cuban regime claims to have inclusive policies, reality outside the legal sphere does not reflect those principles.
In 2023, school authorities banned a young Cuban student from the Pedagogical School “José Marcelino Maceo Grajales” in Guantánamo from wearing pants, in another act of transphobia.
Marions Vargas, nearly 17 years old, is a trans boy who defends his right to wear clothing of the gender he identifies with, but the school’s faculty prohibited him because “having been born with female genitalia confines him to the skirt as the only possible option,” according to a CubaNet report.
Recently, former Minister of Culture and current President of Casa de las Américas, Abel Prieto Jiménez, sparked controversy after a homophobic and transphobic tweet.
Despite deleting the post from his account on the social media platform X, Prieto did not realize that his words were not welcomed by activists and those close to the LGBTIQ+ community, who took screenshots and shared them on other social networks.
Understanding Transphobia in Guantánamo
Here are some key questions and answers regarding the recent transphobia allegations in Guantánamo and the broader issues faced by the LGBTIQ+ community in Cuba.
What did Jessica Rabbit Toirac Matos denounce?
Toirac denounced an act of transphobia by the Provincial Directorate of Culture in Guantánamo, which prevented her from dancing on a carnival float because she is a trans woman.
What is the Family Code and how does it relate to this issue?
The Family Code, approved on July 22, 2022, recognizes the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community in Cuba. Toirac argued that the transphobic actions in Guantánamo violate the principles outlined in this code.
Who is Marions Vargas and what issue did he face?
Marions Vargas is a trans boy nearly 17 years old, who was prohibited by his school in Guantánamo from wearing pants, as the school restricted him to wearing a skirt due to his birth sex.
What controversy did Abel Prieto Jiménez create?
Abel Prieto Jiménez, former Minister of Culture and current President of Casa de las Américas, generated controversy with a homophobic and transphobic tweet, which was not well received by LGBTIQ+ activists and community members.