Link: https://belly-of-the-beast.kit.com/posts/cuba-s-first-trans-athlete-enters-the-ring-and-makes-history

In June 2024, kickboxer Ely Malik Reyes became the first transgender athlete officially recognized in Cuba. In an exclusive interview, Belly of the Beast’s Liz Oliva Fernández speaks with Reyes about breaking barriers in Cuban sports.

March 19, 2026
[weekly newsletter about Cuba (with YouTube video links) from the Belly Of The Beast news collective. Their videos can also be found at: https://peertube.world/c/cuba_botb_videos/videos]

Also:

• Solidarity convoy arriving in Havana
• Daniel Montero: “Regime change through starvation”
• No, NBC, you’re not the first to report from a Cuban Hospital
• New poll: most people in U.S. oppose oil blockade
• What do Cubans think of U.S.-Cuba talks?
• U.S. warns its citizens about blackouts it is causing
• Russian oil tankers to the rescue?
• Costa Rica cuts diplomatic relations with Cuba
• Cubans abroad allowed to open businesses on the island
• Trump: “I can do whatever I want with Cuba”
• Rubio contradicts NYT report on Cuba talks
• Five detained following violent blackout protest in Cuba