In his first interview since taking
office, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed support for
changing the constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Speaking with the Venezuela-based
television station Telesur on Sunday, Diaz-Canel, 58, said: “I
defend there being no kind of discrimination.”
Diaz-Canel, who was sworn into office
in April, added that it was up to the people of Cuba to decide the
issue, NBC
News reported.
In July, Cuba's National Assembly
approved a draft constitution that would allow gay couples to marry
in Cuba. The public will weigh in through a consultation to be held
later this year.
The constitutional change is being
spearheaded by Deputy Mariela Castro, the daughter of Communist Party
chief Raul Castro and the head of Cuba's National Center for Sex
Education.
(Related: Cuba's
Catholic Church opposed to extending marriage to gay, lesbian
couples.)