Cubans vote by 66% to approve new Family Code and same sex marriage

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“The referendum comes after a six month period of consultation which saw 79,000 neighbourhood meetings that generated 434,000 comments and proposals and resulted in 49% of the original draft being modified due to public feedback.”

By the Cuba Solidarity Campaign

Congratulations to the Cuban people who have just approved a new Family Code by 66.87%. The code includes the right to marriage, adoption and assisted reproduction for same-sex couples, and the rights of all people to form diverse family.

The referendum comes after a six month period of consultation which saw 79,000 neighbourhood meetings that generated 434,000 comments and proposals and resulted in 49% of the original draft being modified due to public feedback. The final vote was 74% turn out, 66% Yes, 33% No.

The new code also enshrines rights for vulnerable people in society including the elderly, children, adolescents and people with disabilities as well as enshrining women’s reproductive rights over their own bodies. Cuba now has one of the most progressive Family Codes in the world.

It comes after years of work by LGBTQIA activists in Cuba, and thanks to many years of lobbying and educating from Cuba’s Centre for Sexual Educatoin (CENESEX).

You can read more about the content and history here Cuba’s Family Code: Until Love is Law.


Featured image: Todos los derechos para todas las personas (all rights for all people). Image credit: Cuba Solidarity Campaign

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