Obama vows new push to close Guantanamo

Google – AFP, 30 April 2013

Activists demand the closing of the US military's detention facility in

Guantanamo, April 11, 2013 in New York City (AFP/File, Stan Honda)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to make a renewed attempt to close the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, amid a hunger strike by suspected terrorist detainees.

Obama told a White House news conference he did not want any prisoners to die and called on Congress to help him find a long-term legal solution to the problem of prosecuting terror suspects.

"I continue to believe we have to close Guantanamo. I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe.

"It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counterterrorism efforts. It is a recruiting tool for extremists.

"It needs to be closed," he said.

Obama favors prosecuting enemy combatants in civilian courts and transferring those cleared of wrongdoing to their home countries.

His tough words were the most extensive the president has delivered on Guantanamo for months and reflected his frustration with Congress which he blamed for blocking his efforts to shut the jail at a US naval base in southeastern Cuba.

President Obama made closing Guantanamo

Bay an early priority but he met fierce resistance

Related Articles:

Force-feeding at Guantánamo Bay puts pressure on Obama to close prison - New

Guantanamo lawyer: 'Obama still gives us hope'

Barack Obama says Guantanamo Bay prison must close

Vatican 'probes Legion of Christ priests over child abuse'

BBC News, 11 May 2012

Related Stories 

• Vatican summit tackles sex abuse
• Pope orders action on sex abuse
• Vatican to probe Catholic order

The order's founder, Marcial Maciel (L),
was for a long time admired by
 Pope John Paul II (R)

The Vatican is reported to be investigating seven priests of the Legion of Christ order in connection with allegations of child abuse.

In a statement to the AP news agency, the Mexican order said seven cases had been referred to the Vatican's department that deals with sex crimes.

The Legion of Christ's founder, Marcial Maciel, sexually abused many boys and young men over a period of 30 years.

He was disciplined by the Vatican in 2006 over the abuse.

One of the cases being investigated in relation to the seven priests is recent, while others date back several decades, the order said in the statement given to AP.

The investigation will be handled by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that investigates allegations of sexual abuse.

While it is under way, the suspects will be kept away from children.

'Immoral acts'

"Over the past few years, in several countries, the major superiors of the Legion of Christ have received some allegations of gravely immoral acts and more serious offences... committed by some legionaries," AP quoted the statement as saying.

The order has previously insisted that Fr Maciel was an isolated case.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says that if these new allegations are proven it will show that the rot in the order had spread beyond its disgraced leader.

In 2009, the Church launched an investigation into the order after Fr Maciel, who died in 2008, was also revealed to have fathered a daughter by a mistress.

A year later, Pope Benedict XVI appointed an envoy to implement a complete overhaul of the Legion of Christ, saying it had to be "purified".

The previous pope, John Paul II, long held up Fr Maciel as a model to the faithful, despite persistent allegations of sexual abuse, which were later proven.

In recent years, the Church has been rocked by cases of paedophilia by priests, and accusations that it did not do enough to investigate the allegations.

Related Articles:

Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official - New !

Prominent Legion priest admits he fathered child - New !

Association of Catholic Priests discuss Church's future

Brooklyn DA defends handling of ultra-Orthodox child abuse cases


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to built Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) 

Gay couples make wedding plans amid angry Catholic sermons

'It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses,' says one gay man at Designer Civil Partnership show

guardian.co.uk, Alexandra Topping, Sunday 11 March 2012

Christine Hepworth, left, and Heidi James examine a selection of rings
 at the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Photograph: Teri Pengilley for the Guardian 

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit impediments," declared the bard of Stratford in his 116th sonnet. And at the Globe theatre in central London on Sunday – even as Catholics were being urged from thousands of pulpits across the country to oppose gay marriage – there was no shortage of same-sex couples ready to heed his encouragement.

At the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare's erstwhile theatre, excited couples discussed the colour scheme of invitations, whether wedding "favours" were a necessary part of the big day – and the decision of the Catholic church to wage war against government plans for gay marriage.

"I think it's disgusting. We are not second-class citizens and the idea that this archaic institution should dictate how we live our lives is appalling," said Matt Turrell, 37, a photographer specialising in civil partnerships. "At the end of the day, the union of two people should be about love. Why should we be denied the right to express that publicly?"

On Sunday a letter from two senior Catholic archbishops was read in 2,500 parish churches during mass, arguing that a change to the law would reduce the significance of marriage. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith, the archbishop of Southwark, urged their flock to sign a petition against the move, telling them it was their "duty to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations".

This has a profound impact on people like Evelyn Len, 29, a practising Anglo-Catholic who is due to marry her partner next May. They will have a civil ceremony, but have found a priest who is willing to do a religious blessing. "I would like to get married in a church, and it's very frustrating because I think lots of priests would like to be able to," she said. She was "at peace" with both her religion and sexuality, she added. "I go by what I think Christ would say. I try and keep that in mind when people get angry about it – people have taken these stances, not God."

Her partner, Shelley Webster, 29, saw the debate in a positive light. "When I was a teenager, I never thought the stage when I would be able to have a civil partnership would come," she said. "We've got a long way to go, and the pace of change is slow, but at least it is happening, it is being discussed."

With a string quartet playing in the entrance hall, intense discussions on whether ushers should wear matching cufflinks, and stalls displaying everything from chocolate macaroons to crystal-encrusted table centre pieces, this was a wedding fair much like any other.

But gay couples are still made to feel excluded because they cannot marry in the same way as heterosexual couples, according to Chris Ford, 30, and his fiance Andrew Ogilvie, 32. The couple, both nurses, were told they could have no religious element to their service and described it as the first barrier they had faced as gay men.

"I was gobsmacked," said Ogilvie. "Automatically you feel second class, that your union is not valued in the same way. It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses, but you just want to have the option. Civil partnerships are good, but they are not perfect."

The archbishops' decision to label the changing of the legal definition of marriage a "profoundly radical step", which would strip the union of its "distinctive nature", was hurtful to religious gay people, said Shaz Riley, 46, director of the Butch Clothing Company, who was giving advice to potential brides who wanted to avoid a big white dress.

"I have gay Catholic friends who will be no less than heartbroken at what is happening today," she said. Reacting to the archbishop's comments that "marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children" – and that this should exclude gay people – she said: "It's a very sad day. That the church can tell us we will go to hell, or that we can't have families in this day and age, is astonishing."

She and her partner Sue – who introduces herself as Mrs Sue Riley – had a civil partnership ceremony, but would have preferred to have married. "I refer to her as my wife, she is my wife and we are very happily married, no matter what the law might say."

While the new dean of St Paul's Cathedral the Very Rev Dr David Ison has called on the Church of England to embrace gay marriage, the archbishop of York, John Sentamu, joined the Catholic-led opposition. "I happen to believe that to change the law in the end would be forcing an unjustified change," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. But the prime minister has made his support for gay marriage clear. "We believe people should have the option of civil marriage, irrespective of sexual orientation," a spokesman said this week.

Gino Meriano, 49, founder of the Designer Civil Partnership show, cringes at the term "civil marriage". Doling out fizz to anyone within striking distance ("Clare will see you right for Lambrini"), he is in the unusual position of campaigning for civil partnerships for straight people. "This is the 21st century: gays want marriage, straights want civil partnerships, there are single mothers, there are househusbands. You can't stop the progress of society," he said. "We are not hard done by, we have no chip on our shoulder – we just want equality."

Standing in the sunshine overlooking the Thames from a balcony at the Globe, Natasha Marshall, 31, and Debbie Cross, 38, tuck into the bubbles, chatting about the wedding rings they have just chosen for their civil partnership in September. The pair, who have been together for 13 years, would have liked the option of a civil wedding, but seem unconcerned about the fact that they will not yet be able to have a religious ceremony. "Church weddings are boring anyway," said Cross. "We're going to have a lot more fun than that."

Related Articles:

Pope denounces gay marriage lobby to US bishops

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack)

“ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)


"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? 


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !  

Indefinite detention and torture act arrives at White House

RT.com, 22 December, 2011

Anti torture activists dressed in the orange jumpsuits and black hoods
 that are now emblematic of the policies of torture and abuse that the
Obama administration (AFP Photo / Karen Bleier)

Legislation that will let President Obama and future leaders of America detain and torture Americans indefinitely has made it to the White House, where it is expected to be soon signed into law by the commander-in-chief.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, of NDAA FY2012, was overwhelmingly approved by the House and Senate earlier this month. While the legislation indeed had its critics, the act was inexplicably missed by the mainstream media, who neglected to inform Americans of the dangerous blows to constitutional rights that will become a reality under the law.

The bill, which is annually updated to outline spending for the Department of Defense, contains several provisions for 2012 that will turn America, as Senator Lindsey Graham puts it, “into a battlefield.” As the US continues an open-ended war on terror, now American citizens suspected to be linked to terrorist enemies can be detained in prison indefinitely and subjected to torture tactics previously outlawed.

“What this legislation does,” lectured Senator Karl Levin earlier this month, “says from the Congress’ point-of-view, that we expressly authorize the indefinite detention” of someone deemed a threat. “We recognize the authority of this president and every other president to hold an enemy combatant indefinitely, whether they are captured home or abroad, because that only makes sense.”

“How long can you hold them? As long as it takes to make us safe,” said Graham.

The senator added that, “when you join the enemy…we aren’t worried about how we’re going to prosecute you right away.” Because of this, Miranda Rights should not be read to suspected criminals and additionally the right to an attorney is also suspended under the act.

Additionally, the president can send American-born detainees to foreign prisons and can at last legally take the offense and launch cyber wars against alleged enemy nations.

Related Article:

EU stops export of lethal injection ingredients

EU stops export of lethal injection ingredients

Global campaign to decriminalise homosexuality to kick off in Belize court

Lord Goldsmith involved in bid to overturn law in country which is first of 80-plus targeted by new rights group Human Dignity Trust 

guardian.co.uk, Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent, Wednesday 16 November 2011

Gay rights lawyer Alice Nkom is campaigning to decriminalise homosexuality
 in Cameroon, which is one of 46 Commonwealth states to still outlaw same-sex
relations. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

A new British legal rights group will this week kick off a global campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in scores of countries across the world when it embarks on a first test case in the courts of Belize.

The Human Dignity Trust (HDT), which launched its campaign in London on Thursday, is targeting the 80-odd states where consensual sexual activity between adults of the same gender is outlawed. More than half are Commonwealth countries which inherited their regulations from British colonial rule. In some like Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon and Ghana the laws are seen by some as justification for violent attacks on gay and lesbian people.

Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney general, will be among the team of lawyers fighting to overturn section 53 of Belize's criminal code, which enacts that: "Every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years."

The hearing, scheduled to begin on 5 December, has been brought by the gay Belizean activist Caleb Orozco. It is shaping up to be a constitutional legal clash with international political dimensions.

Belize's evangelical, Anglican and Catholic churches have united to oppose the application. They are expected to set out their objections in a pre-hearing review on Friday and seek to introduce evidence that homosexuality can be "cured".

In a joint statement earlier this summer, the churches in Belize declared: "In every country that has granted a new 'right' to homosexual behaviour, activists have promoted and steadily expanded this 'right' to trump universally recognised rights to religious freedom and expression."

Announcing that they have also retained a high-powered legal team, the Catholic bishop Dorick Wright, the Anglican bishop Philip Wright and the evangelical Rev Eugene Crawford said: "The people of Belize will not surrender our constitution, our moral foundations, and our way of life to predatory foreign interests."

The courtroom battle in Belize is the first in the HDT campaign. Challenges to homophobic laws in Northern Cyprus and Jamaica, where the so-called "anti-sodomy law" is no longer actively enforced, should be lodged before Christmas. Cases in other states will follow in the new year.

Criminalising homosexuality is illegal under international law, according to Jonathan Cooper, a human rights barrister who is the trust's chief executive. Among the legal authorities establishing that precedent is a 1994 ruling by the UN's human rights committee based on a case in Australia.

"But more than 80 countries, 42 of which are in the Commonwealth, have laws that criminalise homosexuality," he said. "Our campaign has nothing to do with gay marriage; human rights law has nothing to say on gay marriage.

"The laws that criminalise homosexuality in most of the Commonwealth countries are the legacy of British colonial rule. The French, Dutch and Spanish didn't leave [such an inheritance]. By the time the UK decriminalised, most of those states were independent.

"We will work through local lawyers and support them in bringing challenges. We will make sure they get all the resources they need. Gay people could be killed if we mishandle these cases."

Goldsmith and Godfrey Smith, a onetime attorney-general of Belize, are acting as leading counsel in the first challenge. Some of the cases could end up in British courts if they are appealed up to the privy council in London, which works alongside the supreme court, and still acts as the final appellate court for many Commonwealth states.

"We hope there will be a domino effect eventually," Cooper added, "with countries recognising [that they will lose the test cases] and saying 'Why don't we just decriminalise?'"

The Foreign Office has also become more active in combatting laws that criminalise homosexuality. In an address during Commonwealth summit in Australia last month, the foreign secretary, William Hague, said: "The UK would like to see the Commonwealth do more to promote the rights of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens. It is wrong in our view that these groups continue to suffer persecution, violence and discrimination within the Commonwealth and that many members still have laws criminalising homosexuality."

In its founding statement, the HDT says: "Criminalisation causes misery to all of those affected, compromising people's identity through illegality. It also reduces human beings to their sexual acts.

"We hope to bring approximately five to 10 cases globally each year. Where necessary we will fund cases. In the event of a prosecution, we can assist lawyers in preparing a defence challenging those laws. If appropriate, we may bring cases in our own name."

The trust is chaired by Tim Otty QC, a human rights specialist. Its patrons include the Liberal Democrat Lord Lester, Lord Woolf, the former lord chief justice, Sir Shridath Ramphal, the former secretary general of the Commonwealth, Soli J Sorabjee, the former attorney general for India, and Arthur Chaskalson, the former chief justice of South Africa.

Related Articles:

Brazil Grants Residency Based On Same-sex Marriage

U.N. passes 'historic' gay rights resolution

Majority Dutch MPs: civil servants should marry gay couples

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)  New !

Cuba President Raul Castro seeks term limits on leaders

BBC News, 14 October 2011

Changing Cuba 

• A last hurrah
• Rubber-stamping exercise?
• Market socialism?
• Q&A: Economic changes

Cuba's aging revolutionaries have been in charge
for more than 50 years

The Communist Party of Cuba has announced that it will consider President Raul Castro's unprecedented call for term limits for all government officials.

A statement said the party conference in January would discuss a maximum of two five-year terms.

The document also called for the promotion of qualified young leaders.

Earlier this year, President Castro said Cuba must prepare a new generation to take over.

Raul Castro, who is now 80, said the same limits would apply to him.

He took over from his brother, Fidel, in 2008. Between them, they have ruled Cuba for 52 years since 1959.

Renewal

The statement on the proposal for term limits will be discussed at party meetings in the coming months.

It said the aim was to achieve a "gradual renewal in leadership".

The proposal also spoke of a need to promote racial and gender diversity in positions of responsibility.

However, it reaffirmed the Communist Party's position as the only one allowed in Cuba.

The document also warned that the government's foreign enemies were "lurking and waiting to pounce".

"The imperialists pin their hopes on the supposed vulnerability of the new generations... They try to foment division, apathy, dismay... and a lack of confidence in the leadership of the revolution and the party," it said.

President Castro raised the issue in April at the start of the first congress of Cuba's ruling Communist Party for 14 years.

He said the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism.

In his speech then, Raul Castro said the limit of two consecutive five-year terms would apply to "the current president of the Council of State and his ministers" - a reference to himself.

The proposal is unprecedented under Cuban communism.

Related Article:

African dictators warned: 'Your time is up'

Cuban authorities ease car sales

BBC News, 28 September 2011

Related Stories 

• Cubans eye prospect of property sales
• Cuba to allow sale of homes, cars
• Cuba launches debate on economy

Cuba has eased a 50-year-old ban on private car sales.

Cubans could only sell pre-1959 cars
before the new rules came into force

Private property is severely restricted in the communist-run island and until now, Cubans could only trade in cars built before the 1959 revolution.

New cars can only be purchased with US dollars or convertible pesos, a special Cuban currency pegged to the dollar.

But ordinary Cubans can now buy post-1959 cars from foreigners and those whose jobs allowed them to import Soviet-made cars.

The new regulations were announced in the Official Gazette.

Raft of reforms

Under the new rules, foreigners residing in Cuba can buy new cars at approved dealerships or import them from abroad, but they are limited to two purchases for the duration of their stay.

Cubans earning dollars or convertible pesos because they are working for the government or "in positions of benefit to the government" can also buy new cars, as long as they get a permit from the transport ministry.

Tens of thousands of Cubans who were allowed to buy Soviet-made cars can now sell them freely to other individuals.

And artists and sports stars, who had been given permission to import modern cars from abroad, are now also free to sell them.

The changes had been widely expected since July, when Communist Party newspaper Granma had published details of the proposals.

They are part of a series of reforms driven by President Raul Castro aimed at updating the Cuban economic model.

Raul Castro has championed limited free-market reforms since taking the reins of power from his brother Fidel in 2008.

In April, the Communist Party Congress backed hundreds of reforms which included relaxing the laws on foreign travel and allowing Cubans to set up small businesses.

Cuban civil society fights to be heard

Groups of gays and lawyers struggle for legal recognition separate from state-supported organizations

Guardian Weekly, Paulo A Paranagua,  Tuesday 30 August 2011

Cuban director of the National Center for Sexual Education (Cenesex),
Mariela Castro, leads a march in Havana against homophobia.
Photograph: Adalberto Roque/Getty

Leannes Imbert Acosta, 34, has been trying since May to obtain legal recognition for Cuba's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Observatory. But in so doing she has encroached on the prerogatives of the National Sexual Education Centre (Cenesex) set up by Mariela Castro, Raul's daughter.

Although the government is much more tolerant of gay rights, some have accused Mariela Castro of monopolising the cause, and divisions have taken hold within the gay movement. The Observatory wants to set up an information centre open to everyone, but Imbert cannot access the Cenesex library without official accreditation.

In June Cenesex opposed a gay pride event, which it regards as an unjustified protest movement.

Imbert has turned to the Cuban Law Association (AJC), which represents several dozen lawyers and is also struggling to gain recognition. The AJC is involved in a similar campaign for the Brotherhood of Blackness, established to combat racial discrimination.

In January Wilfredo Vallin, a key figure in the law association, won the first round in the AJC's fight. "There is no separation of powers in Cuba," he says. "The judiciary is subordinate to the executive and receives instructions from state security."

Only lawyers working in "collectives" – all of whom are public-sector workers – can represent their clients in court. The government recently issued a list of 178 trades now open to the self-employed, but it does not include architects, computer programmers, teachers or doctors.

This article originally appeared in Le Monde

Related Articles:

Cuba embraces Dutch-style sex education

Mariele Castro Espín, daughter of Cuban
President Raúl Castro

Cuba gay man and transgender woman to marry

Longest Gay Pride ever starts in Amsterdam

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  New !