LGBT in Cuba

Visit Cuba with gay owned and operated Cuba Private Travel in either a private or group setting and have a fun holiday on the Caribbean’s most fascinating and unique island.
 
Cuba had traditionally been very antipathetic towards the LGBT community, however, since the 1990s, it has made strides towards acceptance. One of Raul Castro’s daughters, Mariela Castro, has been a long-standing and outspoken LGBT ally. She is an outspoken sexologist who has spearheaded the LGBT revolution in Cuba. Since 2000 she has been Director of Cuba’s sexual education center, Cenesex, where, since 2008, she has presided over a restrained rainbow-ification of Cuba.
 
Sex-reassignment surgery has been legal since 2008 and is available free of charge through the state. Mariela has championed equality and acceptance of diversity and has organised street rallies to promote same-sex marriage complete with mock weddings and priests to bless the unions. Same-sex marriage is still not recognised by the state but perhaps it was Mariela who encouraged her uncle Fidel to admit in 2010 that the revolution’s persecution of ‘ideological deviants’ had been a ‘great injustice’.
 
Homophobia has not been completely eradicated but Cuba now has eight years of Pride Parades and an LGBT bar and club scene that is thriving, vibrant and flamboyant with whole swathes of Havana’s Malecón sea wall given over to LGBT socialising.
 
With Cuba Private Travel you can...meet local gay personalities and business owners; discover our choice of luxury boutique hotels, and private villas and homes; have an ice cold mojito with locals at the Malecon, Cuba’s most popular gay landmark; sample Cuban cuisine in our gay-friendly handpicked paladars; learn about traditional tobacco production in Viñales; immerse yourself in the art world; learn to salsa or Rumba and taste the world’s most famous cocktails; and enjoy a sunset Classic American Car ride along the Malecon.
 
Visit 3 UNESCO Heritage Sites (Havana, Viñales, and Trinidad) and live the extraordinary gay nightlife of Cuba’s capital and towns. Find your way to El Mejunje, Cuba’s official gay club and get fit with locals, climb, dance or bike your way around.

Cuba Private Travel is one of the most experienced luxury private travel companies on the Caribbean island of Cuba.
We hope that exploring the travel ideas on our website will inspire you to come and visit the beautiful island that we know and love...
Johnny Considine
Managing Director
Customer reviews...
‘The Irish born Cuba expert lives on the island 8 months of the year and has the edge on the gold rush happening now...’
Sophie Roberts - Finacial Times

The best things to do in Cuba and our travel tips

The Cuba Private Travel team has access to the very best in Cuban art, music, literature, dance, environment, history and architecture as well as Cuba’s most outstanding beaches and accommodation. By listening to you, the independent traveller, we are able to create tailor-made travel itineraries for your vacation that take you to the heart of Cuba’s culture, landscape and people. Cuba Private Travel’s bespoke itineraries are fully U.S. Treasury Department compliant and include access to personal guides, experts, interpreters and, of course, a 24-hour concierge.