Este ensayo recupera, analiza y amplía críticamente la polémica que se establece en torno a la obra del poeta cubano Emilio Ballagas en la época de la revolución. La valoración de su obra se agrava, más que por su condición homosexual, por su postura ideológica, contraria al régimen castrista. Artistas que comparten su opción sexual lo atacan desde el lado del poder al que se inclinan. El centro de discusión gira en torno a la relación que tiene su escritura con su condición sexual, importancia relativizada tendenciosamente por la crítica. Norge Espinoza rescata el criterio de Virgilio Piñera sobre el motivo sexual de la riqueza poética, remarca su trascendencia sociocultural y política, destacando el legado para el movimiento gay: su lenguaje.

This essay retrieves, analyses, and broadens critically the controversy that is established around the work of Cuban poet Emilio Ballagas at the time of the revolution. The assessment of his work is aggravated, more for his ideological stance which opposes the Castro regime, than by his homosexuality. Artists who share his sexual orientation attack him from the side of power that they bow. The center of discussion revolves around the relationship between his writing and his sexuality. Importance tendentiously relativized by the critic. Norge Espinosa rescues the criteria of Virgilio Piñera about the sexual motive of the poetic richness. He remarks its cultural and political significance, highlighting the legacy for the gay movement: its language.