Cuba removes support for gay marriage in new constitution after protests
Gay rights advocates had proposed eliminating the description in the constitution of marriage as a union of a man and woman, changing it to the union of “two people ... with absolutely equal rights and obligations.” But the government said on Tuesday that language promoting the legalisation of gay marriage would be removed from the draft.
That proposed language in support of same-sex marriage drew protests from evangelical churches and citizens in months of public meetings on the new constitution. State media said that Cubans had made 192,408 comments on Article 68, with the majority asking to eliminate it.
While Havana and some other Cuban cities have flourishing gay communities, anti-homosexual attitudes remain deeply rooted among much of the population. Cubans who ordinarily shy from open criticism of the government spoke out in large numbers against the proposed constitutional Article 68 promoting gay marriage during public consultations on the draft constitution throughout the year.
Cuba’s rapidly growing evangelical churches also positioned themselves against the article, increasing pressure on a government unused to public pushback.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/19/cuba-removes-support-for-gay-marriage-in-new-constitution-after-protests
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