In 1992 in his review of the autobiography, Mario Vargas Llosa observed: "This is one of the most moving testimonies that has ever been written in our language about oppression and rebellion, but few will dare to acknowledge this fact since the book, although one reads it with an uncontrollable appetite, has the perverse power of leaving its readers uncomfortable" (my translation).

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"Autoepitafio" ("Self-Epitaph"), one of the writer's last poems, splendidly captures Arenas's spirit of irreverence, pathos, and irony. The poetic voice, speaking in the third person, recounts the poet's instructions of what to do with his body after death: "He arranged for his ashes to be scattered into the sea / where they would flow forever. / Not having given up his habit of dreaming, / he awaits a young man to dive into his waters" (Voluntad de vivir manifestándose, my translation).

Although one cannot speak of a gay community in Cuba, one can speak of a homoerotic environment for meeting and socializing in Havana that is constantly moving and reshaping itself.

Although Latin Americans have produced many works that have homoerotic themes or gay and lesbian characters, their sensibilities are largely different from those of North American and European writers.

Acclaimed cinematographer Néstor Almendros earned fame for the painterliness of his film work, but he also directed documentaries exposing the persecution of homosexuals in Castro's Cuba.

The Legacy Walk in Chicago is an outdoor history museum that reclaims and celebrates glbtq contributions to world history and culture.

A major Latin-American literary figure, Cuban José Lezama Lima included problematic homosexual passages in his two best known novels.

Versatile Colombian-born author Jaime Manrique has written novels, short stories, poetry, and works of nonfiction with gay themes.