Cuban bishops oppose “gender ideology” in schools

The Catholic bishops’ conference of Cuba has stressed on family values after the Communist nation introduced reproductive and gender education courses in schools and a forthcoming legislative resolution on the Family Code.

The government in the island nation defended starting sexual and reproductive rights, sexual diversity and a gender approach in the school curriculum, which, according to the bishops, would promote so-called “gender ideology.”

“‘Gender ideology’ has a serious impact on the formation of personality of children, adolescents and young people,” the Cuban bishops’ conference (COCC)said in a message after the five-day plenary from June 14 in the capital Havana.

It is far from the “history and cultural tradition” of the Caribbean country, they observed. 

“A closed system of thought” 

A ministerial resolution, drafted by National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) last February, outlined a comprehensive sexuality education program in the National Education System in Cuba.

Mariela Castro Espín, an LGBTQ rights activist and daughter of former president Raul Castro, works as CENESEX director.

The new norms by the Cuban education ministry will be integrated into the school curriculum at all levels next year.  

“National Education System doesn't take sufficient account of the fundamental rights of parents in the sexual education of their children,” the COCC said. 

Asking the ministry to reconsider its decision, the bishops described the “gender ideology” as “unscientific” and “a closed system of thought”that “teaches that a human being, even from his earliest age, could choose his own sexual identity, regardless of the biological sex they were born with”.  

The COCC noted that parents should “be able to choose for their children the pedagogical style, the ethical and civic contents and, if they wish, the religious inspiration with which they want to raise them.” 

According to the government, the ministerial resolution (16/2021) is aimed at reinforcing respect for sexual diversity and rejection of discriminatory practices, particularly those related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Article 4 in the resolution stresses on the need to “strengthen the process of comprehensive sexual education with a focus on gender and sexual and reproductive rights.”

Under the resolution "human identity is determined by an individual choice,” which can also change in time, the bishops observed.  

This amounts to undermining “the anthropological foundation of the family,” the prelates warned.

“We are creatures, we are not omnipotent,” they said against the “single thought” system planned in the education sector. 

“We are called to protect our humanity, and this implies first of all accepting and respecting it as it was created.”

The Family Code

Under Cuba’s new constitution in 2019, a fresh Family Code has to be adopted within two years, reflecting the current situation of family set-up, its structures and obligations. 

Due to the sweeping changes expected, the upcoming law is referred as the Family Code in Cuba, a country with more than 6 million Catholics.

CENESEX has started awareness campaigns as part of amending the Family Code in the country of 11.33 million people.

The code will be presented before the National Assembly of People’s Power, the country’s parliament, in July followed by public consultations before the final referendum.

The Council of State of Cuba, a 31-member body of the government, appointed a commission in March to draft the Family Code.  But its members’ names are withheld from public knowledge. 

Under the Family Code, the definition of family may be expanded to include same-sex parents, trans-parents, single-parent-led families, among others.

With one of the highest divorce rates in the Americas, the move to recognize same-sex marriages is a controversial element in the discussions around the Family Code in Cuba.

Article 68 of the new constitution defined marriage as “between two people,” replacing the previous wording which defined marriage as “between a man and a woman.”

Open and rampant criticism by the COCC and others against the “equal marriage” proposal in 2019 saw both the original and proposed definitions getting omitted and leaving marriage without defining at all.

The COCC message, issued on Father’s Day, quoted Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) , in which the pope criticized the “educational projects and legislative guidelines that promote a personal identity and emotional intimacy radically unrelated to biological diversity between men and women.”

The bishops reiterated that everyone, especially parents, is called “to promote and witness to the beauty and joy of marriage created and willed by God,” even though it may imply “going against the tide”.

Pandemic and green pastures

In their message, the bishops noted the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic on Cuban society.

Cuban health authorities reported 2,589 new infections and 12 deaths June 27.

According to the national director of epidemiology Dr. Francisco Duran, the death toll has increased to 1,253 and the total number of positive cases reached 184,943 in Cuba.

“We cannot fail to recognize with regret that Cuban families have been suffering various attacks,” which include lack of medicine, along other critical situationsinvolving increased divorces and abortions, low birth rates, low wages and growing housing problems, the bishops said. 

The country is struggling with its worst economic crisis in 30 years, fueled by six decades of US sanctions and the slowdown in the vital tourism sector due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

More youngsters are looking at green pastures abroad, which the bishops termed as a worrying trend. 

“Discouragement and uncertainty about the future provoke the desire to emigrate, especially among young people, mortgaging the future of Cuba," they said.