Persecuted in Senegal find refugee in New York! (from the New York Times)

Mr. Mbaye, 24, is an entertainer from Dakar, Senegal, known for his dancing, singing and storytelling.
Though Senegal passed an antisodomy law in 1965 that forbids “an improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex,” homosexuality has traditionally been quietly tolerated in Senegal, particularly among the creative class of musicians and artists .
In February, a Senegalese magazine published photographs of what was reported to be an underground gay marriage and said that Mr. Mbaye, who appeared in the photos and is gay himself, had organized the event.six months later, Mr. Mbaye said, he was harassed by the police, attacked by armed mobs, maligned in the national media and forced to live on the run across West Africa.
In July, the United States government gave him refugee status, one of the rare instances when such protection has been granted to a foreigner facing persecution based on sexual orientation.