‘—

Assignment 11

In the reading, “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic”, the author Amalia L. Cabeza talks about sex tourism in two countries and how it effects both the country and its citizens. Early on Cuba and the Dominican Republic were somewhat closed off from the rest of the world but in recent years these two countries have shifted their policies and seek to promote the money tourism brings into the country. The geographic region of these locations (beautiful beaches and landscape)  make it a natural location for vacation from people all around the world with a majority of these tourist coming from the Unites States and West Europe. Amalia quickly shifts into sex tourism talking about how the government allows prostitution to occur as it supports the economy, most of these occur in hotels and in wealthier areas of the country. In tourist filled areas people are judged different based on the color of their skin which brings up citizenship and how people are mistreated despite being all citizens. In a way it brings up the question, what does it mean to be a citizen. If you were someone of lighter skin walking around it would be commonplace but if you were someone with a darker skin tone people would immediately assume that you’re a prostitute. They would get arrested more often than those with lighter skin. Also nothing thing that is brought up is how males were treat far better than females even though they’re in the same industry; male sex workers  were viewed as heroes while females ones were seen as anomalous. She also brings up migration of how a worker had the possibility or migrating to another country if relationship between the two was great. It also assists in gaining citizenship status in the tourist’s country.