Gay Cuban Marries Transsexual

A gay dissident Cuban man and a transsexual woman married Saturday in Havana in what's believed to be a first in the island nation. Ignacio Estrada, 31, and Wendy Iriepa, 37, draped themselves in a rainbow flag and rode through the streets of the capital after the ceremony. It was hailed as an advancement of gay rights, and many well-known dissidents and diplomats were in attendance. It's not technically a same-sex marriage, which is prohibited in Cuba, and authorities did not block it. Iriepa went through Cuba's first state-sanctioned sex change in 2007 and is legally a woman. The wedding was also held on Fidel Castro's 85th birthday, and the couple called it a "gift" to the aging leader.