S. African gays suffer despite legal protection


At an informal, unlicensed bar at a house in a remote corner of Soweto, South Africa, men and women sip lukewarm beer, mingle, flirt and sometimes dance to driving and monotonous kwaito rhythms. They share a secret.

The bar, called a shebeen in the townships, is one of the places where young black gays don't have to hide who they are, where they can talk openly, and find companionship and a safe haven in an often hostile township.