Cuba held a referendum on legalizing marriage equality and adoption on Sunday, September 25.
This is reported by Reuters.
Cubans voted for changes to the Family Code, including the legalization of same-sex marriages and civil unions, the adoption of children for same-sex couples, and the equal distribution of household rights and responsibilities between men and women.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who came to the polling station with his wife, told reporters that the updated Family Code will remove prejudices and taboos that have been ingrained in Cuban society.
"I expect that the majority of the population will vote for it. But regardless of whether “yes” or “no” wins... the popular debate that has arisen has contributed to our society," the Cuban president noted.
There were no independent external observers during the voting, but citizens could watch the counting of votes at their polling stations immediately after it ended.
"This code makes everyone equal," said one of the participants in the vote, Jose Antonio Fernandez, a 73-year-old pensioner from Havana.
This referendum will be the first of its kind since the Cuban government legalized mobile internet in 2018. This contributed to the spread of various views. The government also launched television and radio ads to promote diversity and inclusiveness in society.
But local conservatives, including Roman Catholics and evangelicals, oppose the legalization of gay marriage and complain that media controls have silenced dissenting views.
- On December 7, 2021, the Chilean Congress passed a historic law legalizing marriage equality.
- But in Singapore, they plan to abolish criminal liability for same-sex sex. At the same time, the ban on marriage equality will remain in force.