Politics and Civil Society in Cuba

Revolutionary and Lesbian: Negotiating Sexual Citizenship in Cuba 377

Table 1. The Voice System of the Text

lesbian voice 011 That’s why I hope that from this group a strong tree grows

lesbian voice 012

013

because what we have now is just a little seed that is growing for

the good of homosexual society.

Because we are a lot of people.

revolutionary voice 014

015

016

017

I am very revolutionary in my ideas.

I’m very internationalist in my way of thinking.

If I have to defend my homeland, I’ll defend it,

with an arm I’ll defend her.

revolutionary voice-

critical

018

019

020

And I very much agree with the social system that we have

I’m not sure if the word socialism is the right word to

describe or I don’t know what word works.

revolutionary voice 021

022

And so I want to defend that idea

whether it’s in my country or in any country that is being

oppressed.

didactic

lesbian/revolutionary

voice

023

024

And a lot of people are like me.

This doesn’t have anything to do with one’s political learnings,

lesbian voice 025

026

027

028

029

030

031

032

033

034

035

036

037

but we should,

since we are willing to risk our lives for any type of mission,

or anything to defend our Cuban soil

or to defend any other

then they have to take us into account

because we are a large group.

Even if we’re just a few, even if we’re just a few,

we are human beings and they should treat us with respect

and offer us all the support and make things possible for us.

Can you believe it,

that we are so many,

thousands,

they should pay attention to us.

didactic anonymous

voice

038

039

040

041

042

043

Look,

a homosexual man who is gay canot enlist as a member of the

Revolutionary Armed Forces.

A gay cannot be a military man.

A gay cannot do his military service,

like the little boys do here, military training in case of a military

invasion or whatever

A gay cannot participate.

didactic revolutionary

voice-critical

044

045

046

Why not?

He isn’t going to go to battle to have sex with anybody.

He’s just going to defend his land where he was born.

revolutionary/les-

bian voice

047 And I think this is wrong.

didactic anonymous

voice

048

049

050

With lesbians it is the same.

Lesbians cannot belong to the Revolutionary Armed Forces

or to battalions of a ton of things.