í Assignments

In “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic” Amelia Cabezas observes the act of having sex and all that is attached to it, more specifically in third world countries. Throughout history, the act of having sex changed. In earlier times sex was only correlated to reproduction. Of course, this thought has become more outdated today. However we can still recognize the stigmas that are attached to having sex. And by doing so, we can then break them down.

Cabezas discusses that sex has become a beneficial service to women in D.R. Sex labor was about more than the money it brought. Sex became a service (often taken place in resorts) that women used to gain opportunities that they would have had otherwise.  Cabezas explains that sex tourism allows women to navigate to a better life. It increases their chances to migrate. Money was not the only direct thing sex workers cared about. Sex can be exchanged for materials or offers. This was actually more preferred because it meant that the materials came with an emotional attachment, which would further the chances of a marriage proposal. Therefore the popular notion that people prostitutes themselves for money, is evidently a false conception. Sex tourism was more than the wages but more so the plausibility of life outside of their country, so they can flee from the economical and social disadvantages they suffered. Cabezas also talks about the double standard of sex that is presented in other countries. Men have an upper advantage in society. Male sex workers are less judged than female sex workers. Females are more likely to be challenged from authorities.

Sex is still heavily connected to ideas of marriage, procreation, and monogamous relationships. Third world countries like Cuba and Dominican Republic challenge this idea. It emphasized the more complex politics that is imbued in the act of having sex.

The author makes it clear that the sexual labor of woman has been a part of normalcy for political and economic framework around the world for years on end. She focuses on the countries Dominican Republic, and Cuba which are filled with poverty, and sex was a way to create economic growth. Men as well as women end up moving to tourist areas to make a decent living by approaching foreigners and practicing sexual activities. For examples, domestic services and prostitution typically “shape” the sexual labor formation through the use of sexuality. A typical woman that works with tourists on a sexual level are young single mothers providing for her children as well as other family members.

Sex work which is considered to be traveling with the purpose of paying for some kind of sexual services to be done can help these women for the time being financially because they are struggling with no support.  Sex workers also associated with sex tourism, also known as tourist oriented prostitution. Not all people engage in these sexual activities just for cash either, some may seek marriage or romance and others may just enjoy it on their free time because its pleasurable. In the article its stated that its more effective to form a relationship that could end up being long lasting with returned visits or even marriage, because this is more rewarding and sometimes these sexual encounters can turn into full relationships between the workers and the tourists.

There are differences between men and women sex workers because woman are looked at shamefully for their choice of work, when men may just be seen as workers for the economy helping it to expand. It is looked at as less criticized and shamed in society.  Female sexuality is deserving of protection, and sexual citizenship can thus “point us toward the affirmation of women’s diverse and complex sexualities “( Cabezas, 25). This is an arrangement for women who occupy positions outside of heteronormativity as well. Whether a woman is engaging in sexual encounters for love, marriage, money, or just pleasure she has the right to her own body and that is  important for a women’s advancement and substance .

Amalia L. Cabezas defines “sexual citizenship” to the situation of many women who live in the Caribbean, specifically the women called camareras or jineteras in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. These women do not conform with heterosexual standards of behavior and monogamy, and exchange sex, romance and friendship with foreigners who give them gifts in exchange for their hospitality. Also, women do not identify themselves as prostitutes or sexual workers, in contrast, they believe that by using their bodies an providing pleasure, romance and company to visitors or “amigos” they can support their families, migrate to other countries and perhaps get married.

These women have adapted to the “sex tourism” economy because they want to escape poverty and necessity. And tourists have no legal boundaries to look for sexual services and companionship. However, these women are susceptible to get arrested, raped and extorted by the police. Women get sentenced for prostitution when they are seen alone in the streets near nightclubs and public spaces. Many of these women are sent to rehabilitation centers where they work in agriculture, and get paid low wages. “Jineteras” are seen as deviants by the law and society. Apparently, they lack morality and the social values of socialism. But prostitution is not illegal in Cuba. Dark or light skin color divide a line between who gets labeled as sexual worker or deviant in this economy.

This is ironic because males that show the same behavior and make their living by receiving meals, clothes, trips and jewelry in exchange for sex and companionship do not get stigmatized as deviants, nor get arrested or bothered by the police. In contrast, male that are sexually involved with tourists are seen as “machos.” These male are called, jinetero, pinguero and sanky pankys .

What is important to see is that women and men are immersed in the sexual economy of the tourism industry in the Caribbean imposed by capital relations of western dominant countries. Colonialism and neoliberalism create the conditions for this workforce in the sex tourism sector, which  require skills and specific look and skin color to entertain  customers at the hotel complex.  The sex economy is based in good service, hospitality, romance and love.  And the profit earned from the tourist industry is an important asset for both Cuban and the Dominican Republic governments.

In her article Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship, Amelia Cabezas utilizes her fieldwork with women who have participated in the sex trade in the Dominican Republic and Cuba to help define sexual citizenship within these Caribbean countries. Women (and men) practice what she calls “sex tourism”, basically a form of prostitution in which they rely on relationships with tourists from other countries to earn a living. (Often, Cubans and Dominicans seek other opportunities besides money: gifts, travel, and even marriage and migration.) Cabezas describes how these countries’ economic and social moralities have almost circled around sexual practices, a labor force that has generated much capital for their lower-class citizens. How the Cuban and Dominican Republic governments perceive citizenship is based upon heteronormative ideologies, which include hierarchies of gender, class and skin color. Gendered sexual practices affect nationalist pride; where women hurt the country’s pride by “eroding patriarchy” and men influence a powerful national identity.

Ironically, the legal systems pertaining to prostitution and selling one’s sexual practices are not explicitly laid out. Even so, the states have drawn lines between prostitution and a “sex worker”, and they regulate heterosexual activity in heavy tourist areas. These regulations are often based on class and color. In Cuba, where prostitution is not illegal, women are criminalized and often put through rehabilitation for merely walking the streets alone at night and therefore being a “threat” to societal normality. What is most ironic, however, is that while heterosexual women and their heteronormative sexual behaviors are condemned by the state, women’s sexual rights have not even been established in the legal system. According to Hubbard, not having sexual rights and rights over their bodies makes women “partial citizens”. Further, through the state (in both Cuba and the DR), promiscuous sexual acts by nonheteronormative women are not legally recognized at all. There are no legal ways of disciplining these women – no rehabilitation, no mass incriminations. Cabezas argues that without recognition of the citizenship of all women in “sex tourism”, there is no way to challenge the mechanisms that are used to police and discipline women in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

In “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic” by Amelia Cabezas, the author argue the sex citizenship in labor organization, sexual morality and the reality of sexual tourism. The author use Cuba and Dominican Republic as examples, the cause of political issues, the development of economic is behind other countries. It is the major reason of many sexual industries is growing behind the stage. There are many modern literatures to representing the sex tourism during twenty century, and how the inequality relationship between kinds of race, class and sexuality.

The political and economic issues impact the labor industry develop much faster, the social impact is connected between sex tourism and local labor market. Local people believe the sex industry is a quick way to earning money and alive. The financial issues push many young women or man to become a part of industry. Many people believe the industry can save their lives and lead to marriage and migration. The conception and identity sex relationship between body and romance in the society. There are also the legal issues between tourism and local government. The violence and inequality behavior of polices in the third world country. Also, it’s an invisible hand between sex tourism and sex workers.

The moral ideology about sexuality and human’s right. Most of women do not have basic social value and education level to estimate how is the sexual industry. They should have oppurntiries known about the women’s right and social status of the different class, gender should have. The “heteronormativity” which describes the sexual worker in these countries is alive and how their value. There are many women who choose exchange their body for alive. The society should more care about the sex tourism industry and how to solve the issues of sex industry.

In Amelia Cabezas’, Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, she discusses sexual issues/actions as well as the legal and social effects of these in Cuba and the Dominican Republic . She also brings up the idea of “sexual citizenship,” which promotes a society in which sexual and gender diversity is widespread and the norm, instead of being dominated by male heterosexuals. This would in turn help women and help eliminate discrimination against them regarding their sexuality and gender. Sexual citizenship aims to create a society where people are responsible and decide their own sexuality and gender without dealing with oppression and discrimination.

Women who occupy positions outside of the norm, or more specifically: heteronormativity, would welcome this change as there would be little to no oppression due to their personal choices regarding their sexuality and gender.

In the Dominican Republic and Cuba, there is sex tourism which is when people visit in order to engage in sexual activities with the women there due to the loose restrictions regarding it when compared to other countries. Many women there encourage and participate in this in order to get money and support their family. Of course, others see this as a problem and believe what they are doing is immoral and wrong and ruins the reputation of the native women from said countries. This leads to them being harassed and oppressed for their actions even if it is the only way they can provide money for the family at home. While sexual citizenship would greatly benefit women of all genders and sexuality, it would also help Cuban and Dominican women in this position by allowing them to do as they choose with their bodies without facing negative repercussions/harassment.

I think Amalia Cabezas defines sexual citizenship as women being able to choose what they want to do with their own bodies and how they express their sexuality. She talks about how the women in Cuba and Dominican Republic often choose to have sexual relationships with the tourists that visit there so that they can provide for themselves an their family. The tourists have money and can also provide food, clothes, etc. for them. Even more important though is that many of them are also seeking to be able to have a longer lasting relationship that will eventually let them be able to move to a different country and get married. These women however, are seen as bad or “sexual deviants”. The problem with this is that sex workers are classified because of their race, class, and culture. For example, according to Amalia Cabezas, a white women who spent time with a mexican tourist, and also had sex and received items from the man wouldn’t be seen as a sex worker. Instead, it would be seen as a romantic relationship that could bloom into something more. This wasn’t met with any negative reactions. However, women that were seen as a lower race or class would seen as sex workers and prostitutes. They would get arrested by the police if they were seen bothering tourists and be abused physically. Of course, this includes women who are seen as outside heteronormativity also as they are seen as dangerous because they don’t fit into a gender that is seen as normal by the state. The women that are involved in sex tourism are blamed for having a no morals or greedy instead of it being blamed on the tourist and tourism. Despite all of this, men involved in sex tourist are seen as heroes that help improve tourism and help the state get more money from them.

Amalia Cabezas’ essay, “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic”, she explains and defines the term “sexual citizenship”. She also goes into the specifics of the connection between women who do not ‘fit the standards’ set by heteronormativity and this kind of sexuality she explains prior. Sex, travel, and globalization are now intertwined in the political order and are an important part of the tourism industry in the world today. The sexual labor of women, starting from the times of the European colonizations and then going on for over five hundred years, has always been a part of the economic and political world (1). And so the author brings up a very clear question, how is globalization now making such environments for sexual acts and sexualized identities to be created (2)? Amalia Cabezas believes that the tie between sex and tourism derives from the need of labor which changes seasonally, from the formal and informal sections of the economy. She also argues that workers and individuals are constantly changing and forming the labor process due to their own intimacies and sexualities. Not only that, but Amalia Cabezas also states that the not understanding of such practices and stereotypes of sex tourism are highlighted in the juridical framework and how sexual morality fits with sexual citizenship (5). Sexual citizenship goes straight to show the double standards on how society accepts and reacts to the actions of a woman to the actions of a man. A male sex worker can be seen as a hero, a national identity, someone working for the economy of the country, helping it grow. But on the other hand, a female sex worker will be considered the deviant, making them the link between tourism and prostitution, and are shamed for the work they have taken upon. The actions of a male sex worker are seen to be less politically charged and less culturally condemning, but a female sex worker? Well, that becomes a different story in the eyes of society (22).  Towards the end of her essay, Amalia Cabezas attaches a promise to this kind of sexuality, especially for those women outside of the “heteronormativity” spectrum. She states that the sexual rights of a woman (such as the right to her own body), can help challenge the ‘standards’ and ‘traditional’ views used by society to keep not just the sexual outlaws, but all women, in check (25).

In “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic” Amelia Cabezas defines “sexual citizenship” as the relationship between citizens and sexual labor. Cabezas focuses on “sex tourism,” or the practices of sex workers who are dependent on their labor and the wages that are earned from their sexual services. This form of prostitution is seen as deviant behavior, of course, and considered of lesser value or importance to society. Of course there is gender inequality in sex work because men are given more sexual freedom and authority than woman. Outside of prostitution, women are demonized for being sexually active, called promiscuous, while it is acceptable for men to have multiple sex partners and engage in prostitution. Ironically, a majority of sex workers are women serving the needs of men (instead of male prostitutes serving the needs of female clients. In the DR and Cuba, anything outside the heteronormative patriarchy is considered wrong and demonized by society (including sexually deviant women, prostitution, homosexuality, etc.). In the DR and Cuba, sexual minorities of any kind are treated as lesser members of society. Latin American countries are typically very religious (Catholic) with an importance and emphasis on family – sexual practices that exist outside the purpose of producing children or maintaining the family are seen as immoral, wrong and those individuals will be ostracized by society. But, sex tourism and the practices of these sexual workers is accepted when it is seen as loving and romantic. Many people who engage in sexual tourism are seen as participating in mutually beneficial romantic relationships – where the tourists receive companionship and sexual services from the citizens in the DR and Cuba and the citizens receive financial benefit and economic support from the tourists. Considering some of these women are single mothers with children to support, it is understandable that they would seek this type of companionship to provide for themselves and their families.

I believe Amelia Cabezas defines sexual citizenship as women’s sexuality and the complexity behind what can be written off as sex work. In the article, Cabezas seems to be showing that women who are called “sex workers” seem to be criminalized for taking control of their own sexuality, more so than they are criminalized for prostitution. The women in the article seem to be the same as what one would call a “sugar baby, being that they are with tourists in typical relationships which can involve romance and relationships, but also lead to some sort of financial support either in the form of actual monetary payment, or more commonly gifts.
There seems to be quite a double standard in that men who participate in the same activities, are not prosecuted by police, nor are they seen as deviants in the same fashion. In both Cuba and the Dominican Republic, men and women in the resorts especially, take advantage of the wealthy men and women visiting to help them pay there bills, and take care of their children, which likely would be unnecessary if they were paid well enough in the first place. To add to this, there are different standards to the same activities based on your socioeconomic class, your education level, and your skin tone. Women with lighter skin, in a higher class, and with better education can participate in the same activities as jinetera, but they are not described as one. Instead, there interactions with tourists are seen as romantic and possibly leading to a future.
While I do not agree personally with the idea of people using sex for monetary gain, I also believe that the government has no place in regulating this, and I also find it quite appealing that women can be arrested without any proof for sentences which have no official end date. Rather than wasting money on rehabilitation centers which clearly do not work, I think they should spend money on sex education and STD testing, or even just working on paying their people a living wage so they do not feel the need to participate in sex work.