Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
Following the end of Fulgencio Batista’s regime and with the triumph of the
Revolution in January 1959, the new government joined efforts to give voice to
previously marginalized members of society. Examples of such marginalized groups
included peasants, afro-Cubans, and other low-class citizens. But homosexuals did not
fall under this social reform and were initially stigmatized with a conservative discourse.
Reinaldo Arenas explores this issue in his autobiography Before Night Falls (1992). The
text tells his story as a young man that was initially enthusiastic about the Cuban
Revolution, but who later grew resentful towards an oppressive political system that led
to his persecution, his incarceration, and finally in 1980 his exile. This research study
explores Arenas’ queer approach for an alternative interpretation of Cuban society that
challenges the Revolution’s homophobic political discourse during its first couple of
decades.
Revolution in January 1959, the new government joined efforts to give voice to
previously marginalized members of society. Examples of such marginalized groups
included peasants, afro-Cubans, and other low-class citizens. But homosexuals did not
fall under this social reform and were initially stigmatized with a conservative discourse.
Reinaldo Arenas explores this issue in his autobiography Before Night Falls (1992). The
text tells his story as a young man that was initially enthusiastic about the Cuban
Revolution, but who later grew resentful towards an oppressive political system that led
to his persecution, his incarceration, and finally in 1980 his exile. This research study
explores Arenas’ queer approach for an alternative interpretation of Cuban society that
challenges the Revolution’s homophobic political discourse during its first couple of
decades.
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