From: lazaro@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Lazaro Nunez)
Subject: Nicaraguan gays and AIDS in Cuba (from D. Sangurima's postins)
Keywords: Anti-gay bill, Nicaragua, AIDS sanitariums, Cuba
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 16:58:32 GMT

David Sangurima writes:

>/* Written  6:45 pm  Jul 14, 1992 by nicanetny in cdp:reg.nicaragua */
>/* ---------- "NY Times on Nica Anti-Gay Bill" ---------- */
>NEW YORK TIMES COVERS NICARAGUA'S ANTI-GAY LEGISLATION
>
[...]
>
>Letters to the Editor
>The New York Times
>229 West 43 Street
>New York, N.Y. 10036
>
>To the Editor:
>
>"Newest Storm in Nicaragua: Anti-Gay Law" (news article, July 10)
>is unclear on one important point: how the various Nicaraguan
>political parties voted when the National Assembly passed Article
>205 of the revised penal code on June 11.  All 39 members of the
>Sandinista bench voted against Article 205, under which lesbians
>and gays can be penalized even for exercising their right to free
>speech, while most members of the governing United National
>Opposition (UNO) coalition supported the law.  In other words,
>the Sandinistas, generally depicted in this country as anti-
>democratic totalitarians, opposed anti-gay legislation; the UNO
>legislators, elected in 1990 with millions of our tax dollars in
>a supposed effort to "restore democracy" to Nicaragua, supported
>the restrictive law.  Is this what our government and media mean
>when they talk about democracy--repression of lesbians and gays?
>
>
>                              David L. Wilson
>                              Nicaragua Solidarity Network
>                              of Greater New York

The only thing I can see from this letter is the interest of the NSNGNY (the 
above organization) in portraying the Sandinistas as the good "democrats"
of Nicaragua; gay and lesbian issues are left in the background.
Not so long ago there was a discussion in alt.politics.homosexuality
dealing with this issue. I'm reposting what I wrote then as an answer to
this one:

The fact that the Sandinistas opposed the law says little about their
position on homosexuality. I believe they are simply fulfilling their job
in the National Assembly, that is, to oppose. 
   I guess they didn't have such law during their years in power, but
I can venture to say that they are as homophobic, if not more, as the
current government. 
[...]
Furthermore, the Sandinistas consider themselves, as can be expected, 
the "machos" who liberated Nicaragua, and therefore homosexuality was 
unthinkable in their movement (in an interview with the Spanish magazine 
Cambio 16 the then comandante Sandinista and later contra leader Eden Pastora 
recognized that during the war against Somoza, those guerrillas who were 
caught [engaged] in homosexual acts were executed.)
   The only thing that can be said about their vote is that the Sandinistas
are learning rather quickly the game called politics.

In another article David Sangurima writes:

>/* Written  5:58 pm  Jul 20, 1992 by web:ocic in cdp:reg.cuba */
>/* ---------- "aids conference in cuba" ---------- */
>LEARN ABOUT CUBAN AIDS PROGRAM --IN CUBA! 
>  
>Cuba has the most controversial program for preventing and  
>controlling AIDS in the world today. The Cuban program is the  
>world's most restrictive -- and most effective.  
[...]
>					Now for the first time  
>doctors, nurses, researchers, other health professionals and AIDS  
>activists will have a chance to study in depth the Cuban experience  
>with the AIDS virus, and exchange experiences and opinions with  
>their Cuban counterparts. 

The program was implemented because of the nature of the Cuban government:
totalitarism. I find it sickening that doctors in the west are considering
locking up AIDS patients in "sanitoriums".
  
  
>The Cuban AIDS Sanitorium in Santiago de las Vegas, the Institute  
>for Tropical Medicine and the Cuban Ministry of Public Health are  
>sponsorinng a two-day seminar October 30-31, 1992 to look at AIDS in  
>Cuba. They are hoping for a "free exchange of experiences in dealing  
>with the HIV infection and AIDS" in a round-table format. 
>  
>Fees: US $250.00 covers all sessions, certificate of participation,  
>souvenirs and credentials. Checks and credit cards must be drawn on  
>a non-US bank due to US Treasury Dept. restrictions. 
>  
>Accomodations: [...]  
>Cost per night, per room, is: 
>  
>BioCaribe: 
>Single Room....US $46.00 
>Double Room....US $60.00 
>  
>Institute for Tropical Medicine: 
>Single Room....US $15.00 
>Double Room....US $25.00 
  
Oh, I get it. How didn't I think of that before?


-- 
| Lazaro Nun~ez Figueiral         ||  !Lloran sobre el Mar de Cuba	     |
| Memorial University of Nfld.    ||  enormes flores bermejas;	             |
| St. John's, Terranova, Canada.  ||  sobre la isla perdida	   	     |
| lazaro@odie.cs.mun.ca           ||  el aire amarillo tiembla! - F.G. Lorca |