Cuban lawmakers to consider simplifying process for trans people to change IDs

Cuban lawmakers are reportedly set to review a proposal that would enable transgender individuals to change the gender marker on their ID documents without requiring surgery.

On May 11, Cubadebate, a government-operated website, mentioned this proposal in an article about an International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia march organised in Havana by the National Center for Sexual Education, according to ‘Washington Blade’.

Mariela Castro, who leads LGBTQ+ initiatives on the island and is the daughter of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, serves as the director of CENESEX.

Cubadebate highlights that the National Assembly will consider an amendment to the Civil Registry Law in July. This amendment would, “for the first time allow citizens to determine the sex on their identification cards without the need for a court order or gender assignment surgery.”

Countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, and Malta already allow trans individuals to legally change their name and gender without surgery.

Since 2008, Cuba’s national healthcare system has provided free sex-reassignment surgeries, though activists critical of Mariela Castro and CENESEX have argued that access to these surgeries is limited. In 2013, Mariela Castro, who is also a National Assembly member, voted against a proposal to include sexual orientation in Cuba’s labor code, as it did not account for gender identity.

The Cuban constitution prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other criteria. However, authorities frequently harass and detain activists who openly criticise the government.