In a first for LGBT media, Washington Blade sends reporter to Cuba
by Chuck Colbert
The Washington Blade has sent a news reporter to Cuba to cover LGBT life on the island, six months after President Obama began normalizing relations with the country.
The assignment is believed to be the first time an LGBT media outlet has gone to Cuba.
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| The Washington Blade’s Michael Lavers |
The Blade’s Michael Lavers was in Cuba from May 12-19, traveling across the country to interview LGBT rights advocates in Havana, Cienfuegos and Las Tunas. The Blade covered events around the annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia that the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) is organizing.
The Cuba trip is part of the Blade’s ongoing commitment to in-depth coverage of international LGBT issues. Lavers has reported on LGBT-specific issues in Cuba for many years and has reported from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Peru and the Netherlands for the Blade.
“Cuba’s LGBT history is a complicated one but the country is taking some important steps forward,” said Blade editor Kevin Naff in a press release. “It was a no-brainer for us to travel there to help tell the stories of the LGBT community.”
“Cuba remains a dynamic and complicated country, and it’s important to travel to the island and report on its LGBT rights movement,” said Lavers in a statement. “I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to share it.”
IN THE NEWS
Volume 17
Issue 2
