We are also God’s Children

Nonardo Perea

HAVANA TIMES — To the Assembly of God Pentecostal Evangelical Church, the Western and Eastern Baptist Conventions, Cuba’s Evangelical League and the Methodist Church [who recently came out against same sex marriage being included in future constitutional reforms.]

First of all, we have to be with the times and remember that we are in the middle of the 21st century and every future needs change, even more so when we have fought so hard for our LGBTIQ rights. Cuba’s evangelicals shouldn’t invoke the name of God in this time and age to declare themselves against same-sex marriage.

It’s pitiful and ridiculous that these evangelicals are using politics as an excuse and mention our historic leaders, who I understand were, and are, the ones who can manipulate our lives to their every whim and fancy, according to their official statement.

I was stunned when I read an article about how Cuba was being compared to other Communist countries, such as Vietnam, China, North Korea and the former Soviet Union, and that’s because they copy the worst things about these countries (which most of us know are repressive regimes who are against LGBTIQ people, and don’t even get me started on Russia).

However, they failed to mention the long list of countries who do accept same-sex marriage and the world hasn’t ended yet. These include South Africa, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, the United States, Sweden, Finland and so on.

I urge these Christians of good faith to speak in the name of God and love their neighbors as their own selves, to carry out an in-depth study about homosexuality in non-Socialist countries, where they accept that human beings can live as they please, with love and respect, as long as they aren’t harming anyone else.

Let’s remember that we are in Cuba and I don’t believe it’s healthy for us to have to copy other countries’ homophobic stance who also take deliberate action invoking an omnipresent God, taking traditional readings of the Old and New Testaments as their basis.

I have been gay since the moment I opened my eyes and saw the world for the first time. I didn’t ask to be born a homosexual, much less form part of a society that discriminates against people who are different to the “norm” just because they dress differently or have other sexual preferences.

I don’t have to be sorry about anything, I am very proud to be who I am because I have never hurt anyone in my entire life. I am a human being like anyone else and I believe that people like myself, have the right to have the same privileges that everyone else on this Earth has.

I guess that if we all came into this world as God’s creations, then there must be some reason for it.

I believe we need to overcome existing taboos immediately and legalize gay marriage in Cuba once and for all, which I believe has been delayed too long already.

I also believe that it would be a lot better to see these Evangelical churches spending more time involved in social activism work than thinking about what protests they can hold against the LGBTIQ movement. They could be helping in schools with healthy projects to protect children with acceptance issues, who suffer abuse, like I myself did as a child and young man because I was rejected and humiliated by students and teachers for being a different child of God.