A man casts his vote at a polling station during Cuba's Family Code referendum in Havana on September 25, 2022. (Photo: Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images)
Sep 26, 2022
Progressives around the world applauded the overwhelming approval by Cuban voters on Sunday of the country's new "Family Code," which will legalize same-sex marriage, surrogate pregnancies, and adoption for gay couples and was approved after community-level meetings across Cuba.
With 74% of eligible voters turning out to cast ballots, more than two-thirds of votes--nearly four million people--were in favor of the Family Code. Just 50% of "yes" votes were needed to pass the referendum.
According to Telesur, the new code also includes "the prohibition of child marriage... and greater protection and care for children."
Progressive International called the 100-page document, which was finalized after more than two dozen drafts were hammered out in nearly 80,000 neighborhood meetings, "the most progressive Family Code in the world."
\u201cToday, the Cuban people voted to adopt the most progressive Family Code in the world. \n\nOver 66% of voters approved an amendment to the constitution that legally redefines what it means to be a family, putting an emphasis on love, human dignity, equality and non-discrimination.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
"This is a milestone in the advancement of democracy," said the global grassroots progressive coalition. "Nowhere in the world has a family law been submitted for public consultation and subject to a referendum."
The drafting of the code followed 2019 legislation that barred discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. It includes protections for children and care workers as well as reproductive rights and the prohibition of domestic violence, and will reform and update the Family Code that was passed in 1975 to ensure rights for all families.
\u201cUnder the Code, parents will have \u2018responsibility\u2019 for, rather than custody over, children; corporal punishment will be illegal; and young adults will enjoy more freedoms. The Code enshrines domestic violence penalties and expands the working rights of full-time carers.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
As the country prepared to vote, Cuba-based investigative journalism organization Belly of the Beast produced a video explaining how the code was revised based on feedback from experts as well as voters.
\u201cMillions of Cubans will vote Sunday on a new Families Code, drafted through nationwide popular consults consisting in thousands of neighborhood meetings + feedback from dozens of experts. Nearly half of all the code\u2019s articles were changed as a result of citizen feedback.\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664034542
"The family code is the result of a collective endeavor," said Yamila Gonzalez of the Families Code Drafting Committee. "All of those perspectives have resulted in a code that responds to the needs of Cuban families... At a time when we are witnessing the rollback of fundamental rights for women in the LGBTQ+ community, Cuba is guaranteeing all rights for all people at the family level."
The People's Dispatch, an international media project, called the referendum process "an unprecedented democratic exercise" and a "pioneering event on the global level."
At the polls, several voters told Belly of the Beast in another video that they were excited to vote to protect their own rights--as LGBTQ+ people hoping to adopt children, elderly people, and grandparents.
\u201cBREAKING: The Cuban people voted Sunday to approve some of Latin America's most progressive laws on family, women's and LGBTIQ+ issues. @Elecciones_Cuba reports 67% (4 million people) voted for the Families Code, revised 25 times based on citizen feedback. https://t.co/QfKbMU709C\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664203127
As the National Electoral Council announced the referendum results on Monday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media that "justice has been done."
"'Yes' won," said Diaz-Canel. "To approve the [Family Code] is to do justice. It is paying off a debt with several generations of Cuban men and women, whose family projects have been waiting for this law for years. Starting today, we will be a better nation."
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Progressives around the world applauded the overwhelming approval by Cuban voters on Sunday of the country's new "Family Code," which will legalize same-sex marriage, surrogate pregnancies, and adoption for gay couples and was approved after community-level meetings across Cuba.
With 74% of eligible voters turning out to cast ballots, more than two-thirds of votes--nearly four million people--were in favor of the Family Code. Just 50% of "yes" votes were needed to pass the referendum.
According to Telesur, the new code also includes "the prohibition of child marriage... and greater protection and care for children."
Progressive International called the 100-page document, which was finalized after more than two dozen drafts were hammered out in nearly 80,000 neighborhood meetings, "the most progressive Family Code in the world."
\u201cToday, the Cuban people voted to adopt the most progressive Family Code in the world. \n\nOver 66% of voters approved an amendment to the constitution that legally redefines what it means to be a family, putting an emphasis on love, human dignity, equality and non-discrimination.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
"This is a milestone in the advancement of democracy," said the global grassroots progressive coalition. "Nowhere in the world has a family law been submitted for public consultation and subject to a referendum."
The drafting of the code followed 2019 legislation that barred discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. It includes protections for children and care workers as well as reproductive rights and the prohibition of domestic violence, and will reform and update the Family Code that was passed in 1975 to ensure rights for all families.
\u201cUnder the Code, parents will have \u2018responsibility\u2019 for, rather than custody over, children; corporal punishment will be illegal; and young adults will enjoy more freedoms. The Code enshrines domestic violence penalties and expands the working rights of full-time carers.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
As the country prepared to vote, Cuba-based investigative journalism organization Belly of the Beast produced a video explaining how the code was revised based on feedback from experts as well as voters.
\u201cMillions of Cubans will vote Sunday on a new Families Code, drafted through nationwide popular consults consisting in thousands of neighborhood meetings + feedback from dozens of experts. Nearly half of all the code\u2019s articles were changed as a result of citizen feedback.\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664034542
"The family code is the result of a collective endeavor," said Yamila Gonzalez of the Families Code Drafting Committee. "All of those perspectives have resulted in a code that responds to the needs of Cuban families... At a time when we are witnessing the rollback of fundamental rights for women in the LGBTQ+ community, Cuba is guaranteeing all rights for all people at the family level."
The People's Dispatch, an international media project, called the referendum process "an unprecedented democratic exercise" and a "pioneering event on the global level."
At the polls, several voters told Belly of the Beast in another video that they were excited to vote to protect their own rights--as LGBTQ+ people hoping to adopt children, elderly people, and grandparents.
\u201cBREAKING: The Cuban people voted Sunday to approve some of Latin America's most progressive laws on family, women's and LGBTIQ+ issues. @Elecciones_Cuba reports 67% (4 million people) voted for the Families Code, revised 25 times based on citizen feedback. https://t.co/QfKbMU709C\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664203127
As the National Electoral Council announced the referendum results on Monday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media that "justice has been done."
"'Yes' won," said Diaz-Canel. "To approve the [Family Code] is to do justice. It is paying off a debt with several generations of Cuban men and women, whose family projects have been waiting for this law for years. Starting today, we will be a better nation."
Progressives around the world applauded the overwhelming approval by Cuban voters on Sunday of the country's new "Family Code," which will legalize same-sex marriage, surrogate pregnancies, and adoption for gay couples and was approved after community-level meetings across Cuba.
With 74% of eligible voters turning out to cast ballots, more than two-thirds of votes--nearly four million people--were in favor of the Family Code. Just 50% of "yes" votes were needed to pass the referendum.
According to Telesur, the new code also includes "the prohibition of child marriage... and greater protection and care for children."
Progressive International called the 100-page document, which was finalized after more than two dozen drafts were hammered out in nearly 80,000 neighborhood meetings, "the most progressive Family Code in the world."
\u201cToday, the Cuban people voted to adopt the most progressive Family Code in the world. \n\nOver 66% of voters approved an amendment to the constitution that legally redefines what it means to be a family, putting an emphasis on love, human dignity, equality and non-discrimination.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
"This is a milestone in the advancement of democracy," said the global grassroots progressive coalition. "Nowhere in the world has a family law been submitted for public consultation and subject to a referendum."
The drafting of the code followed 2019 legislation that barred discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. It includes protections for children and care workers as well as reproductive rights and the prohibition of domestic violence, and will reform and update the Family Code that was passed in 1975 to ensure rights for all families.
\u201cUnder the Code, parents will have \u2018responsibility\u2019 for, rather than custody over, children; corporal punishment will be illegal; and young adults will enjoy more freedoms. The Code enshrines domestic violence penalties and expands the working rights of full-time carers.\u201d— Progressive International (@Progressive International) 1664216209
As the country prepared to vote, Cuba-based investigative journalism organization Belly of the Beast produced a video explaining how the code was revised based on feedback from experts as well as voters.
\u201cMillions of Cubans will vote Sunday on a new Families Code, drafted through nationwide popular consults consisting in thousands of neighborhood meetings + feedback from dozens of experts. Nearly half of all the code\u2019s articles were changed as a result of citizen feedback.\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664034542
"The family code is the result of a collective endeavor," said Yamila Gonzalez of the Families Code Drafting Committee. "All of those perspectives have resulted in a code that responds to the needs of Cuban families... At a time when we are witnessing the rollback of fundamental rights for women in the LGBTQ+ community, Cuba is guaranteeing all rights for all people at the family level."
The People's Dispatch, an international media project, called the referendum process "an unprecedented democratic exercise" and a "pioneering event on the global level."
At the polls, several voters told Belly of the Beast in another video that they were excited to vote to protect their own rights--as LGBTQ+ people hoping to adopt children, elderly people, and grandparents.
\u201cBREAKING: The Cuban people voted Sunday to approve some of Latin America's most progressive laws on family, women's and LGBTIQ+ issues. @Elecciones_Cuba reports 67% (4 million people) voted for the Families Code, revised 25 times based on citizen feedback. https://t.co/QfKbMU709C\u201d— Belly of the Beast (@Belly of the Beast) 1664203127
As the National Electoral Council announced the referendum results on Monday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media that "justice has been done."
"'Yes' won," said Diaz-Canel. "To approve the [Family Code] is to do justice. It is paying off a debt with several generations of Cuban men and women, whose family projects have been waiting for this law for years. Starting today, we will be a better nation."
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