Cuba To Offer Free Sex Reassignment

Continuing its expansion of LGBT rights, Cuba has announced that it will pay for sex reassignment surgery for any citizen that qualifies.

The move is the latest in a series of changes implemented by President Raul Castro since he succeeded his elder brother, Fidel, in February. Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, heads Cuba's National Center for Sex Education, which strongly backs the new policy.

Health Minister Jose Ramon Balaguer signed a resolution approving sex-change surgery that was posted on the Internet over the weekend. The procedure would be available to Cubans for free as part of their country's health-care system. The sex education center has said previously that 28 transsexual Cubans have asked to undergo the surgery and that Cuban doctors have trained with physicians from Belgium to prepare for the procedures. According to the center, a clinic for transsexual health will be created to perform the procedures, but it was not clear when it will start operating.

When will the United States end its cruel embargo of Cuba?