Cape Town serves as a beacon of safety and freedom for LGBTQ people throughout the region. Although most of the men featured were born and bred in Cape Town, some of the men settled later, as adults, seeking a place where they could flourish, originating from places like Congo, Kenya, and Namibia. And beyond this multinational diversity, Cape Town is a very multi-ethnic place, blending around 50 percent mixed-race ('colored' in local parlance), 30 percent black, and 20 percent white; this unique demography is reflected on the pages of Elska Cape Town.
The stories written by each of the men give some perspective into particularly South African issues. For example, there's Fahad H's story about the challenges of being in a mixed-race coupling; there's Kai B's piece lamenting the lack of queer spaces for black men in particular; and there's Ashley S's discussion of growing up feeling that his skin was too dark, his lips too full, and bum too shapely. Other stories here move beyond issues of race, like JP de C's tale of finding true love at a gay sauna; Jannie B's piece on discovering that he's into much older men; and Terrence D's confessional on being able to finally recognise sexual assault and not downplay it.
Elska Cape Town is 164 pages and is available in a classic collectible print version or in a download version. A companion e-zine called Elska Ekstra Cape Town is also available containing outtakes, behind the scenes tales, plus images and stories from a few more men not featured in the main mag. A list of stockists and details of how to order online can be found on the Elska's website.
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