Down Low Factor
Came across an interesting article in the SF Chronicle today. They say HIV rates have spiked among heterosexual African American females and attribute that increase to heterosexual African American males having unprotected sex with other men, contracting the disease, and passing it on to their unsuspecting female partners. They call this the "down low". Being on the down low is like being on "the under". In other words, it's like a secret door in the proverbial "closet". I'm no expert but I have seen and heard enough from other men to have some sense as to why this has been occurring. The article confirms what friends and coworkers have told me over the years in terms of DL factors. Two key drivers are said to be: 1) stigma of being gay in your own community and 2) feeling unwelcome by your white brothers and sisters in the gay community. Is it possible to be gay and racist in San Francisco? Refer to Robert Haaland's "Queer Notes: Badlands is Bad and Spawn of Satan" for a case in point. My comments do not capture the complexity of this issue. Check out the link (below) and discuss.
Link
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1 Comments:
Keith Boykin has written some of the most cogent things about the much-discussed "DL" phenomenon. He's the author of the book "Beyond the Down Low" and his website includes the article "10 things you should know about the DL" which does much towards clarifying the issue.
Perhaps if this study is conducted well, it will also clarify what the actual situation is.
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