Cuban president backs legalizing same-sex marriage

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said he supports a constitutional change to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Cuban leader made the remarks to Venezuela-based Telesur Sunday.

"The approach of recognizing marriage between two people, without limitations, responds to a problem of eliminating all types of discrimination in society," he said.

"Let's not give way to any kind of discrimination in society."

Cuba's constitution, ratified in 1976, identifies marriage as "a voluntary union between a man and a woman."

Cuban Parliament has approved a change to define marriage as a union between "two people."

The new constitution will be put up for a vote next year in a national referendum.

"We've been going through a massive thought evolution and many taboos have been broken," Díaz-Canel said, perhaps referring to Mariela Castro, the daughter of former President Raul Castro.

Mariela Castro is a leader of LGBT rights in Cuba and chief of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education. She is a vocal defender of LGBT rights and is believed to be a major influence on government policy.