He sticks around he finds people whose lives he can follow over a couple of years. He does not just sail into such cities as Cairo, Nairobi, Kampala, Ramallah and Istanbul, interview a few gay locals, deplore their plight and depart. This is a valuable book not only for the quality of Gevisser’s analysis and the scope of his research, but because he spends a good deal of time with the people on whose lives he focuses. While in some countries there has been great progress, in others, such as Egypt, Russia, Nigeria and Kenya, increased gay visibility and demand for rights have resulted in a growth of open animosity against gay people. The “Pink Line”, as Gevisser sees it, is sometimes a clear demarcation between liberalism and prejudice, but the line can waver in response to protest and pressure, or become dotted or faint. A gay rights activist is detained for attempting to hold a protest rally in Red Square, Moscow.
