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Cuban lawmakers ban anti-gay employment discrimination

Mariela Castro sought to amend country’s employment law

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Mariela Castro, Cuba, gay news, Washington Blade

Mariela Castro, Cuba, gay news, Washington Blade

Mariela Castro spoke during a press conference in Philadelphia on May 4. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Cuban lawmakers on Friday approved a proposal that would amend the country’s labor law to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“Experienced a countless number of emotions today in Parliament,” said Cuban blogger Francisco Rodríguez who blogs under the pen name Paquito El De Cuba on his Twitter page as Andrés Duque of Blabbeando reported. “We now have the first law that protects gays, in this case in employment.”

Rodríguez tweeted there was also what he described as an “intense debate” about amending the island’s labor law to also ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

He said Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro and executive director of the country’s National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), proposed the trans-specific amendment. Rodríguez said she also obtained support for it from Christian and intellectual leaders in Parliament.

The Cuban newspaper Granma on Saturday reported Mariela Castro, who is the niece of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, sought to amend the employment law that broadly referenced “the equality of the worker,” but did not specifically ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors in the workplace. The publication further noted Mariela Castro also sought to ban employment discrimination based on gender identity, disability and HIV status.

Ignacio Estrada Cepero, founder of the Cuban League Against AIDS, told the Blade on Saturday from Miami that he had previously predicted the Cuban Parliament would have approved something along the lines of banning anti-gay discrimination in the workplace during their most recent meeting.

Estrada and his transgender wife, former CENESEX employee Wendy Iriepa Díaz, remain critical of Mariela Castro and her father’s government. The two met with Cuban-born U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) in July on Capitol Hill while they were in the U.S. on a three month trip.

“You would have to ask if any of us taking a seat inside the Cuban Parliament would have been able to achieve this” Estrada told the Blade. “It surely would have been impossible to achieve it.”

Estrada added Cuban parliamentarians only approved the proposal to ban anti-gay discrimination in the workplace because Mariela Castro introduced it and she is the Cuban president’s daughter.

Equality Forum in May honored Mariela Castro for her efforts on behalf of LGBT Cubans. The executive director of the Philadelphia-based gay advocacy group refused to allow this reporter to ask the Cuban president’s daughter about her country’s human rights record during a press conference before she accepted an award from the organization.

Ros-Lehtinen is among those who blasted Equality Forum for honoring Mariela Castro. The U.S. government also faced criticism for granting her a visa that allowed her to travel to Philadelphia to accept the award.

“The tyrannical regime in Cuba likes to fool those who are easily fooled but, unless there are human rights for all, there can be no true rights just for gays,” Ros-Lehtinen told the Blade in a statement on Saturday. “One would have to be quite gullible to give any credence to reports that the non-freely elected sham of a parliament has passed a non-discrimination law regarding individuals who are LGBT. The Castro regime allows no freedom but it knows how to sugar coat its horrid human rights record by promoting a law that will never mean a thing. The Cuban people deserve freedom, whether they are gay or straight. Liberty knows no gender identity.”

CENESEX and the Cuban government did not return the Blade’s request for comment.

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Hungary

New Hungarian prime minister takes office

Péter Magyar’s party defeated anti-LGBTQ Viktor Orbán last month

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Péter Magyar votes in Budapest, Hungary on April 12, 2026. He has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister. (Screen capture via APT/YouTube)

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office on Saturday.

Magyar’s center-right Tisza party on April 12 defeated then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition. Vice President JD Vance less than a week before the election traveled to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, and urged Hungarians to support Orbán.

Orbán had been in office since 2010. He and his government faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, which is a member of the EU, over the country’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. The European Union’s top court, the EU Court of Justice, on April 21 struck down the statute.

The EU while Orbán was office withheld upwards of €35 billion ($41.26) in funds to Hungary in response to concerns over corruption, rule of law, and other issues.

Hungarian lawmakers in March 2025 passed a bill that banned Pride events and allowed authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them. MPs later amended the Hungarian constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.

Upwards of 100,000 people last June defied the ban and marched in Budapest’s annual Pride parade.

“Congratulations to [Péter Magyar] on becoming prime minister of Hungary,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.

“This Europe Day, our hearts are in Budapest,” she added. “The hope and promise of renewal is a powerful signal in these challenging times.”

“We have important work ahead of us,” noted von der Leyen. “For Hungary and for Europe, we are moving forward together.”

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Comings & Goings

Whitman-Walker honors Rep. Sarah McBride

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U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected]

Congratulations to Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”  

McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”

Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.” 

On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”

Wes Drummond

Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman. 

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Virginia

Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan

Voters narrowly approved new congressional districts last month

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Virginia Supreme Court (Photo by sainaniritu/Bigstock)

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Democrat-backed redistricting plan that voters approved last month.

Ten of 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts favor Democrats in the plan that passed by a 51-48 vote margin in last month’s referendum.

The Human Rights Campaign PAC is among the groups that support it. The court by a 4-3 majority invalidated the referendum results.

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