A classic Havana street scene; cocktail hour in Havana with Verano Forever Travel | Image credit: Brandon Rosenblum/Getty Images: Verano Forever Travel
It was late one night in Havana, and the popular queer party El Divino de Cuba was heating up. Audience members, all dressed to impress, were ascending stairs to the stage to pay homage to a performing drag queen with a dramatic beso on each cheek and a fistful of pesos folded into fake cleavage.
Truthfully, Cuba had never been high on my list. Friends had told me that the food was disappointing and the LGBTQ scene basically nonexistent. But when I finally visited the island, together with 12 other gay men, on an educational group tour organised by Verano Forever Travel, we found a place full of wonderful food and fun parties with drag queens.
Cuba is the Caribbean’s most LGBTQ+-friendly Island
Havana, Cuba | Image credit: Spencer Everett/Unsplash
That’s proof of how much has changed in recent years, explained Carlos Gonzalez, the founder of Travel the Artist Way and one of our guides for the week. Two decades ago, he continued, events like El Divino would have been held secretly to avoid police raids.
Today, El Divino is on Instagram — and LGBTQ Cubans can legally marry, adopt children, and access free gender-affirming care. Rather than deport LGBTQ foreigners, as Fidel Castro once did the American poet Allen Ginsberg, the government now operates two hotels specifically marketed to queer visitors.
The country’s struggles are also driving change. In 2021, Cuba erupted in some of the largest protests since the revolution, as a result of persisting economic hardships. In response, the government relaxed rules on private enterprise, leading to the opening of more bars, clubs, and other small businesses, explained Alejandro Almaguer, Verano’s founder.
LGBTQ bars in Havana, including PaZillo and XY, regularly host queer parties that last until the wee hours. Then there are mixed venues such as King Bar, which on a crowded Friday night featured a saxophonist jumping on the tabletops while playing along with the DJ’s salsa tracks.
Not that we were focused solely on nightlife. One afternoon we had a private viewing of work by Alejandro Cañer, an up-and-coming queer digital artist. “You won’t find his stuff at official galleries here,” Gonzalez told us. Entering the pop-up, in a small studio in a residential building, it became apparent why.
“I’d describe my work as sexually deviant propaganda,” Cañer explained, as I admired a piece depicting a flexing Che Guevara wearing a harlequin-print thong. “I like to manipulate the history of my country, play with the symbols and concepts that accompany it, and make it scandalous.”
We also had a chance to explore beyond Havana. In Viñales, our group took a short horseback ride through the countryside before arriving at a private tobacco farm, where we learned to make fresh sugarcane juice and puffed on cigars. Lunch was a farm-to-table feast at Restaurante El Cuajaní, which serves dishes such as bruschetta and fresh pumpkin soup.
Toward the end of our week, Gonzalez surprised us with a pig roast in the countryside outside Havana. The ground still wet from rain, we danced barefoot in the mud alongside our hosts until a drag show began. During a Lady Gaga medley, a queen named Salma de Armas hoisted me in the air — an impressive feat considering all the pork, tostones, and yuca I’d just eaten.
“Come with a sense of adventure,” Gonzalez said, “and you’ll have a good time.”
What to know before you go
US citizens can legally visit Cuba as long as they adhere to authorised travel categories, such as “educational activities” and “support for the Cuban people,” established by the Department of the Treasury. Tours such as those from Verano Forever Travel qualify, as do other organised programs that emphasise cultural exchange.
Americans also need to purchase a visa — available from airlines or Cuba Travel Services — and complete a digital form, D’Viajeros, within three days of arrival. Americans are prohibited from spending money at government-run establishments; the Department of State maintains a list of “restricted entities.” US credit cards typically don’t work on the island, so bring plenty of cash.
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(Feature Image Credit: Brandon Rosenblum/Getty Images: Verano Forever Travel)
This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com
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