Transwomen can dress as they wish-people won’t assault them or call them names, though they may say, “Que bonita!” (“How beautiful!”) Gays and lesbians can walk on the streets with no fear of violence. “The city culture is very friendly and accepting tranquilo,” the worker says. “Ramón Silverio is a very important cultural figure in Cuba,” a local tourism worker tells me in Spanish however, the easy-going ambience here is not just because of him. Silverio worked in education and theatre, and dreamed of a place where artists, rock musicians, drag performers and intellectuals of all kinds could gather and find acceptance. The club is El Mejunje (which means, “The Mixture”) and they’ve been having discos and drag shows here for 20 years.Įl Mejunje was founded by Ramón Silverio, an impoverished local kid who loved it when the travelling circus came to town. This is not a trendy nightclub in Havana-we’re in a small city in the central province of Villa Clara, an area that many tourists pass through without a second glance. The throng files in and starts dancing, while a couple of lesbians kiss passionately in the middle of the courtyard. SANTA CLARA, CUBA-Crowds of gay and trans people wait outside a ruined hotel with trees growing out the windows.
