Gay life in Brazil still thrives in the large cities, despite the long shadow cast by AIDS. In general, the scene has benefited from a relatively relaxed tolerance in attitudes towards sexuality - certainly when compared to the rest of Latin America - and the divide between gay and straight nightlife is very blurred.

Attitudes, however, vary from region to region. Rural areas and small towns, especially in Minas Gerais, the Northeast and the South, are deeply conservative; the medium-sized and larger cities less so. The two most popular gay destinations are Rio and Salvador, though even here the scene is remarkably discreet when compared to many northern European, North American and Australian cities.

And even in Brazil's big cities, there's an ugly undercurrent of homophobia present and gay visitors are advised to be cautious. In 1999 alone 170 gay men and lesbians were murdered in Brazil, and in February 2000 there was a widely publicized gang murder of a gay man in São Paulo's Praça da República, one of the city's main cruising areas. Some of the culprits were apprehended by the police and are now awaiting trial: remarkable in a country where over the past twenty years only 4 percent of murders have led to criminal convictions. For an up-to-date view of gay- and lesbian-related issues in Brazil, check out the electronic magazine "G!Web" (in Portuguese) at www.gweb.com.br.