I think one interesting element in the discussion that hasn't been mentioned is the influence of U.S. activists on the way homosexuality is dealt with in Cuba. According to a friend the Vinceramos Brigades had a strong impact on the changing view of the regime of GLBT issues. This was a very slow process with people returning year after year to continue arguments. It certainly isn't perfect, but it has become a space of contestation. I think that this points to a critical solidarity that is both possible and hasn't been a part of the discussion.
As for the question of the worship of Cuba, I remember being at a pro-Cuba event with a friend who had been a marxist for years. After accolade after accolade had been placed on the regime, he commented to me, the problem is that these people think that socialism is the state.
robert wood
> Is anybody still interested in this thread?
>
> The fact that Brian had to deal with so much flack on just the issue of
> persecution of gay Cubans illustrates my point that the American left
> worships Fidel Castro. I call this the dirty little secret of the
> American left, because American leftists are very careful not to let on
> that they are (mostly) closet fans of Castro. Why are some people so
> insistent on defending an indefensible regime?
>
> The sub-thread on gay Cubans is the closest that this list got to a
> nuanced discussion of the Castro regime. Otherwise, it's the same old
> attacks on those of us who have the temerity to voice an opinion at odds
> with the same ole leftist orthodoxy.
>
> Chuck