Excerpt from BBC Online (Aug 31, 2010):

The former president told the Mexican newspaper La Jornada that there were moments of great injustice against the gay community. 

"If someone is responsible, it's me," he said.

In the 1960s and 70s, many homosexuals in Cuba were fired, imprisoned or sent to "re-education camps". 

Mr Castro said homosexuals had traditionally been discriminated in Cuba, just as black people and women. 

But, nevertheless, he admits he didn't pay enough attention to what was going on against the gay community. 

"At the time we were being sabotaged systematically, there were armed attacks against us, we had too many problems," said the 84-year-old Communist leader.

"Keeping one step ahead of the CIA, which was paying so many traitors, was not easy." 

In 1979, homosexuality was decriminalised and, more recently, there have been efforts to legalise same-sex unions.