Representations of Lesbian Motherhood in Cuban and Puerto Rican Cinema

The essay aims to challenge the belief that, within the Hispanic Caribbean context, cinema that portrays lesbian lives focuses on sexuality. in line with Rosamond King, we propose that the representation of women who love women has moved beyond issues of visibility, to rather act as a means to expose larger concerns affecting the community as a whole. Looking at the depiction of lesbian motherhood in Puerto Rican and Cuban cinemas, the article examines instances in which the up-and-coming lesbian cinematic discourse may or may not replicate heterosexual norms in order to question social and legal standards precariously established to arguably enable the LGBTQII community on the islands. We specifically look at Carla Cavina's Mice Heaven (Puerto Rico, 2009), Milagro Farfan's La tarea (Cuba, 2008) and Erian Ruiz Montano's Iris (Cuba, 2013).