VOA慢速英语2021--古巴人因同性婚姻而产生分歧

Cubans Divided over Same-sex Marriage

Adiel and Lachi hope to get married one day in Cuba. The two men want to dress in black for a ceremony by the seashore. But the idea of same-sex marriage troubles religious leaders and their followers¹.

Recently, the socialist² government published a new proposal for a Family Law and asked for public comment ahead of a vote. The debate has since turned into a very public clash³ over same-sex marriage policy.

Thirty-one-year-old Adiel González is a student of religion. His 51-year-old partner, Lachi González, is an accountant. They both work at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas.

Adiel said putting his right to marriage to a public vote is painful. He said it gives the majority of people who are heterosexual the power to decide over the minority of homosexuals.

Lachi added, "God has no stepchildren, so we are all daughters and sons of God and what Adiel and I do (is) have a life with love."

The proposed Family Law will be considered by Parliament after the still unscheduled vote. The bill has more than 480 articles. It expands grandparents' rights and permits financial agreements before marriage. The bill sets punishments for committing violence in a marriage. And parents can decide whether a child takes the family's name of the mother or the father.

However, the biggest issue is over changing the definition of marriage. Current law defines⁵ marriage as between a man and a woman. The new bill would change it to between two people.

The proposal would also permit homosexuals to adopt children and use surrogate pregnancies⁶ without payment.

Reverend Moises de Prada is a top clergy⁷ with the Assemblies of God. The group has grown quickly in Cuba and now has more than 2,000 churches and 1 million members.

He said the family structure, in the word of God, "is that which is agreed between a man and a woman and the resulting children."

Cuba is officially non-religious after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro. But religious groups, including Catholics, Muslims, Protestants and Afro-Cuban religions, have become more influential⁸ over the past 25 years. Some campaigned in 2018 and 2019 against an earlier vote which would have rewritten the constitution to permit same-sex marriage.

Opposition⁹ from social conservatives¹⁰ was strong enough that the government at that time backed away. However, lawmaker Mariela Castro supported the change. She is the daughter of then-President Raul Castro and director of Cuba's Center for Sexual⁴ Education.

Justice Minister Oscar Silveira Martínez told The Associated Press that the new proposal "does not construct social realities; it tries to foresee legal solutions, protect those social realities that exist."

Assemblies of God leader Julio César Sánchez said such same-sex unions would be "the result of sin." He added, "because murder also exists. ... That doesn't mean it's good."

Cuban citizens also have differing opinions.

Carola Reyna is a 25-year-old housewife. She said she was not against same-sex couples being happy. "But it seems to me that (adopting) children, they shouldn't get involved in that," she said.

Nearby was 68-year-old Alberto Dausá. He told the AP, "There are people who are going to be against same-sex couples joining in matrimony, but I think that's something normal."

Words in This Story

heterosexual — adj. sexually¹¹ attracted to people of the opposite sex

homosexual — adj. . sexually attracted to people of the same sex

stepchild — n. your wife's or husband's child by a past marriage or relationship : a stepson or stepdaughter

article — n. a separate part of a legal document that deals with a single subject

adopt — v. to take a child of other parents legally as your own child

surrogate — n. a person or thing that takes the place or performs the duties of someone or something else

construct — v. to build or make (something physical, such as a road, bridge, or building)

foresee — v. to see or become aware of something that has not yet happened

sin — n. an action that is considered to be wrong according to religious or moral law

matrimony — n. the state of being married

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

3 clash   

vi.冲突，不协调，砰地相撞；n.冲突，不协调

参考例句：

• There is a clash between two classes at 2 p.m. on Thursday.星期四下午两点有两堂课是冲突的。
• The pot came down on the stone floor with a clash.锅“当”地一声掉到石地上。

4 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

5 defines   

规定( define的第三人称单数 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• This name defines us all. 这个名字造就了我们。 来自演讲部分
• The range of incomes over which this happens defines the 'poverty trap'. 发生在这种情况的收入范围，称为“贫困陷阱。”

6 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

7 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

8 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 conservatives   

保守的人( conservative的名词复数 )； （英国）保守党党员，保守党支持者

参考例句：

• The Conservatives were then the governing party . 那时是保守党当政。
• The Conservatives were once more in power. 保守党再次执政。

11 sexually   

adv.性别上地；按性别地；性欲地；两性之间地

参考例句：

• to be sexually promiscuous 性生活淫乱
• I was depressed,withdrawn and sexually frigid. 我郁郁寡欢，离群索居，没有什么性要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》