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Assignment 10: Sexual Citizenship

In Amelia Cabezas’ article, “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominica Republic”, the relationship between changing economic and labor practices and the rise in sex tourism is examined. The move towards free market practices after the fall of the Soviet Union has lead Cuba as well as the other nations in the Caribbean to experience a larger and more open amount of sex work in relation to tourism. Men come to these countries and take advantage of the more relaxed laws to engage in paid for sex that is severely illegal as well as restricted in the countries they come from, such as the U.S and European nations. Due to the dependence on tourism to generate revenue for the country, many young men and women are forced to move to tourist areas and enter prostitution as a means of living. Cabezas examines the color dynamic of sex tourism in Cuba, with dark skinned Cubans being more involved with sex tourism and making money through different relationships, while the light skinned Cubans are less involved with the practice in that they often just have sex for money and do not maintain long relationships. Sex workers in these tourist areas often marry their clients and begin to build families and lives, demonstrating the ways that sex workers can find more opportunities than just cash. Despite these opportunities, the practice degrades men and women alike, and contributes to the objectification of women and disregard to their safety and health. The increase in sex tourism is a reflection of changing economic values and practices, as well as a representation of the neo-colonialism that is still ever present in the Caribbean. While both men and women are involved in sex tourism, it is often the women who are persecuted by the government and authorities, which demonstrates the heteronormativity in that the government doesn’t want to grant women the same liberties over their bodies and sexual life that it does men.