Often I stay at Hotel Lido, right off of Prado, so I walk past El Payret all the time.
I shake my head when I hear the excuse that people in Cuba have to sell their bodies to survive.
Cultural prejudice may permeate public attitudes, though not as much as you may think, but the governmental attitude is quite welcoming of gays.
When a group of tourists nears, the young men and women prepare for battle: they straighten out their clothes, take out cigarettes, ask for a light, smile, make suggestive gestures.
An hour or an entire night of pleasure, or all the time needed to satisfy the lustful cravings of those who pay.
In short, a desperate country without dignity for most.