Strawberry Homophobia

Extract

[...] David, like Freud, feels that homosexuality must be the fault of the person's family, typically the overbearing mother and the absent father. He even suggests that Diego should have been taken to the doctor as a child to be cured of the disease of homosexuality. Here is where the argument touches upon the subject of the lack of sexual education in Cuba and the spread of erroneous concepts developed by homophobia as Diego explains: “Please, David! What a theory coming from a university student. You like women. I like men. It's perfectly normal. It's been happening since the beginning of time. [...]

[...] This is what results in the exposition of what could be identified as the climax of the moral lesson in the film when it comes to homophobia as Diego bursts and says: This is a thinking head, but if you don't always say yes to everything, or think differently, you're ostracized. I think about men when I need it like you do about women! And I don't posture and I'm not a clown. Of course, to you, anyone different is. [...]

[...] promiscuous past, it is exactly what is running through David's mind and in fact he does make Diego a target by including Miguel in their interaction after he storms out of Diego's apartment, disgusted because of his flamboyant “mariconerias”. When Diego retells the encounter to his friend Miguel, he is asked how he knew Diego was gay from the beginning. He answered that it was clear from his choice of ice-cream: “there was chocolate and he chose strawberry”. This is the perfect example of the ignorance they both share towards sexual orientation as well as their belief of marginalizing these “abnormal” people from their lives, especially from the revolution. [...]