The Cuban revolutionary state is known for its successes in giving women greater financial independence and more control over their reproductive capabilities. In recent years, the Cuban state has received international attention for its support of Cuba's LGBT population, a population it once targeted for social exclusion. Despite increased rights for Afro-Cubans, women, and Cuba's LGBT community, lesbians, especially black lesbians, continue to be one of Cuba's most socially marginalized populations. I argue that there are several intersecting factors that produce this contradiction. These factors are culturally based discourses concerning race, gender, sexuality, the limitations of post-revolutionary citizenship discourse to address these forms of social inequality, and finally the economic downturn called the "Special Period." This essay addresses how several women make sense of and navigate these social issues in their everyday lives.