Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika listens to the Algerian national anthem during a welcoming ceremony for his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro (unseen) at Hourai Boumediene International airport, on February 7, 2009 in Algiers. Castro arrived in Algiers for a three-day state visit, his first to the North African nation since he took over power from his ailing brother Fidel Castro in July 2006.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika attends a joint press conference with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro (unseen) at Presidential Palace, on February 08, 2009 in Algiers. Castro arrived in Algiers for a three-day state visit, his first to the North African nation since he took over power from his ailing brother Fidel Castro in July 2006.
Gay artist Gilberto Diez, 18, right, a transvestite gay artist known as "Ashenal," walks down a hallway as his companion Ernesto Nogues, 22, is seen through an open window, standing in his home in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, May 16, 2013. A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia. Gays were persecuted for decades after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, sometimes sent to grueling rural work camps along with others considered socially suspect by the Communist government. But there has been a gradual shift away from macho attitudes, and Fidel Castro himself has publicly regretted the mistreatment of people seen as different.
In this picture taken Wednesday, May 15, 2013, Dayan Sanchez, 25, a transvestite gay artist known as "Venus" performs on a table top during a drag show at the Fashion Bar Havana, in Havana, Cuba. A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia. Gays were persecuted for decades after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, sometimes sent to grueling rural work camps along with others considered socially suspect by the Communist government. But there has been a gradual shift away from macho attitudes, and Fidel Castro himself has publicly regretted the mistreatment of people seen as different.
In this May 15, 2013, Dayan Sanchez, 25, a gay transvestite artist known as "Venus," takes a break from a make-up session, that can take as long as two hours, at the Fashion Bar Havana, in Havana, Cuba. A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia. Gays were persecuted for decades after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, sometimes sent to grueling rural work camps along with others considered socially suspect by the Communist government. But there has been a gradual shift away from macho attitudes, and Fidel Castro himself has publicly regretted the mistreatment of people seen as different.
In this May 15, 2013 photo, Gilberto Diez, right, applies makeup to Dayan Sanchez, 25, a gay transvestite artist known as "Venus" in preparation for a drag show at the Fashion Bar Havana, in Havana, Cuba. A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia. Gays were persecuted for decades after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, sometimes sent to grueling rural work camps along with others considered socially suspect by the Communist government. But there has been a gradual shift away from macho attitudes, and Fidel Castro himself has publicly regretted the mistreatment of people seen as different.
