Abstract
The Mariel Boatlift is well known for having included an unprecedented number of queer Cuban refugees. But while the stories of gay male Mariel migrants have been widely studied and documented—in part because media at the time sensationalized hypervisible expressions of their sexuality—the stories of the lesbian Mariel migrants prove harder to piece together, as their experiences left few written traces. This exploratory paper begins to fill the gaps by turning to the U.S. lesbian press, one of the only sources at the time to report on lesbian Cuban migrants, albeit through testimonies and reports that are often difficult to corroborate. Using articles and interviews from several activist publications, and critically interrogating their intentions, this paper explores how the criminalization of lesbian sexuality was a prominent motivation for leaving Cuba. So, too, did the lesbian migrants face multiple forms of ostracism once in the United States, and in turn U.S. lesbian organizations stepped up to try to situate and support them by forming networks of solidarity. Far from purporting to answer all questions about the topic, this article suggests that it is ripe for further research.
Highlights
The Mariel Boatlift was the first Cuban migration where the politics of sexuality were at the forefront
The William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia has collected some oral history interviews with queer Mariel migrants, including one named Ana Fernández, a lesbian who came to the United States with her family when she was seventeen
At the time, as Julio Capó, Jr. has explored, declared or suspected homosexuality was a criteria for exclusion from the United States under U.S immigration law, until the Carter administration effectively waived the policy in September 1980.12 As time passed, and especially by the fall of 1980, those still remaining in detention included a significant number of openly queer, mostly male refugees who, even if not technically allowed to enter the United States, were harder to find sponsors for due to their sexuality
Summary
The Mariel Boatlift is well known for having included an unprecedented number of queer Cuban refugees. Upon arriving in the United States, Mariel refugees were placed in various refugee camps, often on military bases, to be processed while they awaited sponsorships.[10] For those who had family waiting to claim them in the United States, this wait could be very short, or nonexistent For those that did not, it could last months.[11] at the time, as Julio Capó, Jr. has explored, declared or suspected homosexuality was a criteria for exclusion from the United States under U.S immigration law, until the Carter administration effectively waived the policy in September 1980.12 As time passed, and especially by the fall of 1980, those still remaining in detention included a significant number of openly queer, mostly male refugees who, even if not technically allowed to enter the United States, were harder to find sponsors for due to their sexuality. It is to these testimonies—difficult to verify as they may be—that I turn
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