Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 2:44 AM

Subject: Re: CUBA’s first gay pride march-the organizers were arrested this morning

I do not understand,I thought Cuba was so open??????

Here WAS should take a stand,even NAFSO,if we want to put in practice what we talked about in our last meeting regarding ADVOCACY as a role of NAFSO

Pierre

_____________________________________

Pierre Assalian, M.D.
President Professionnal Development of AMPQ
President – 17th World Congress of Sexology
Advisory Board Member WAS
Associate Professor, Dept.of Psychiatry,
McGill University
Executive Director Canadian Sex Research Forum
Treasurer NAFSO

Dear members of the advisory board:
May I please ask you to refrain from sending emails that only increase the level of aggression amongs ourselves?.
There is a CLEAR agreement among all of us that we need to defend sexual rights in all the world. However, finding out what is exactly the best strategy to do it has proven much more complicated that we had anticipated. It was thought at some point that we could relay on news reports, but unfortunatelly that is not the case. During this past three years there have been several instances where the news initialle reported result in a misleading
indication of the state of things in a certain country. So we have attemted to CORROBORATE any claims many by news reports before taking any action.
Another important issue is that defining what is the action to be taken is also very difficult as many times the well intentioned communication can irritate and create the sense of agravation to people who is more in contact with the day to day circumstance of a particular area of the world.
Now, this is specially critical when we have among the members of our advisory board a distinguished person who has been in charge on promoting a very important number of changes in favor of sexual rights in its own country. Ofcourse I am talking about Mariela.
Furthermore, what is totally unacceptable is that these difficulties in our mission (i.e. promoting sexual health and sexual rights around the world) are taken as a graound to make attacks on persons or instututions. It is even more unacceptable that these attacks circulate in our list of members without a signature.

So once more, please refrain from escalating this conflict. We need to calm down and to gather information on this and any other possible area in the world where an eventual statement of the WAS can be of HELP to the people. However, that is a process that many times need resourses and money that we do not still have, and attemting to do something with the lack of necesary resourses might be counterproductive.

We all beleive we need a world with more respect to sexual rights, Lets find together the best means to achieve that.

Best to all

Eusebio
President
WAS

Si quieren enviarle correo a Mariela:

marielac@infomed.sld.cu,

El Dr. Assalian solamente envio un correo elecronico con 2 preguntas en tono ironico, en relacion a la actividad suprimida.

Dear Mr. Assalian:

I am not surprised by Mrs. Castro Espin’s letter.

Only the Cuban Government and those organizations sanctioned by the Cuban Government are allowed to exist and operate.

Any other organization is simply suppressed and labelled ‘agents of the Imperialism’.

As Montaner said, in Cuba, right now it is easier to change gender than to change political parties.

However, I do Thank You for your concern regarding those not santioned by Mrs. Castro Espin organization.

PS. WAS can take a stand and even NAFSO can take a stand as long as is in favor of the Cuban Revolution and against Yankee Imperialism.
Any other stand will be considered hostile to the Revolution and most likely the result of the Imperialist’s money and pressure on those organizations.

Remember Mariela’s uncle address to the cuban intelectuals, back in 1961 and still law today:

Esto significa que dentro de la Revolución, todo; contra la Revolución, nada. Contra la Revolución nada, porque la Revolución tiene también sus derechos; y el primer derecho de la Revolución es el derecho a existir. Y frente al derecho de la Revolución de ser y de existir, nadie —por cuanto la Revolución comprende los intereses del pueblo, por cuanto la Revolución significa los intereses de la nación entera—, nadie puede alegar con razón un derecho contra ella. Creo que esto es bien claro.

June 16, 23 and 30th ,1961, National Library

The right of the Revolution to exist is primordial and take precedent over any other human or human right! No one can argue, within reason, his or her rights versus the Revolution.

Elegebete te vi
Paradito en el Coppelia
Con tus piernas de camelia
Añorando un jabalí

En la Uneac, mientras tanto, la sigla corre así:

Mariela, Mariela
Princesa dueña del brete
Tú eres elegebete
Qué me lo dijo tu abuela

En Estados Unidos comenzó el movimiento por LAS LIBERTADES sexuales en los 60 como consecuencia de la transformación social en ese país de los movimientos por LOS DERECHOS CIVILES, primero, de los afroamericanos y de las mujeres.

Los reporteros extranjeros acreditados en La Habana le confían a Ud que reciben directivas de las políticas editoriales de sus respectivos periódicos para los que trabajan y cobran en completa LIBERTAD, ha sido una elección de vida trabajar en Cuba y cobrar por ello; le pregunto a Ud: por qué la carta del periodista cubano independiente Reinaldo Escobar en respuesta a su tío Fidel Castro, por las acusaciones a la periodista Yoani Sanchez no fue publicada en Granma, como una carta de “un lector”, es que no tiene política editorial, periodistas pagados y censura el periódico Granma? A qué periódico puede dirigirse Reinaldo Escobar para publicar su respuesta? Existe hoy, alguno en Cuba?
Me alegra que se interese Ud por los derechos sexuales de “las comunidades cubanoamericanas” de gays y lesbianas, pero antes de luchar por esos derechos hay los elementales derechos civiles que son violados en Cuba, como la posibilidad para esas personas homosexuales de entrar y salir de ese territorio del que se han apropiado y del que se erigen desde el Poder como únicos y legítimos ciudadanos, excluyendo a los 2 millones de cubanos que viven fuera, a los disidentes en el interior y a todo aquel que no esté de acuerdo con sus ideas.
Su lucha es admirable pero està Ud restringida a “su feudo” del CENESEX, si de LIBERTADES se trata, debe Ud visitar las càrceles cubanas, las familias de los presos y tratar de comprender, es Ud una persona sensible y eso es ya algo verdaderamente indispensable para preocuparse “por LA VIDA de los otros”.