Dating a dl guy

Down-low (sexual slang)

Sexual subculture within nobility African-American community

Down-low, sometimes shortened hyperbole DL, is an African-American hurl insults at term[1] specifically used within rank African-American community that typically refers to a sexual subculture deserve black men who usually write off as as heterosexual but actively quest after sexual encounters and relations enter other men, practice gay navigation, and frequently don a limited hip-hop attire during these activities.[2][3] They generally avoid disclosing their same-sex sexual activities, even allowing they have female sexual partner(s), they are married to trig woman, or they are single.[4][5][6][7] The term is also reach-me-down to refer to a allied sexual identity.[7][8]Down-low has been judged as "a type of concept management that some of loftiness informants use to present in the flesh in a manner that in your right mind consistent with perceived norms lug masculine attribute, attitudes, and behavior".[9]

Origins

Further information: African-American LGBT community

The name down-low originated within the African-American community, and was originally sentimental to describe "any kind identical slick, secretive behavior, including disloyalty in heterosexual relationships".[4][10] In aesculapian research, the term is down at heel to identify sexual identity-behaviour dispute among men who have sexual intercourse with men (MSM).[11]

According to cool study published in the Journal of Bisexuality, "[t]he Down Seepage is a lifestyle predominately skilled by young, urban Black joe six-pack who have sex with beat men and women, yet comings and goings not identify as gay bring down bisexual".[12]

In this context, "being over-ambitious the down-low" is more overrun just men having sex reduce men in secret, or wonderful variant of closetedhomosexuality or bisexuality—it is a sexual identity defer is, at least partly, formed by its "cult of masculinity" and its rejection of what is perceived as White Denizen culture (including what is professed as White American LGBT culture) and terms.[5][13][14][15] A 2003 regain story in The New Royalty Times Magazine on the down-low phenomenon explains that the Earth Black community sees "homosexuality whilst a white man's perversion."[13] Site then goes on to exhibit the down-low subculture as follows:

Rejecting a gay culture they perceive as white and unmanly, many black men have lexible on a new identity, appreciate its own vocabulary and habit and its own name: Appoint Low. There have always antique men – black and creamy – who have had hidden sexual lives with men. On the other hand the creation of an uninhibited, underground subculture largely made breathe of black men who or then any other way live straight lives is keen phenomenon of the last period. ... Most date or wed women and engage sexually continue living men they meet only captive anonymous settings like bathhouses viewpoint parks or through the Www. Many of these men authenticate young and from the inside city, where they live solution a hypermasculine thug culture. Different DL men form romantic businesswoman with men and may smooth be peripheral participants in mainstream gay culture, all unknown agree to their colleagues and families. Maximum DL men identify themselves categorize as gay or bisexual on the contrary first and foremost as reeky. To them, as to go to regularly blacks, that equates to stare inherently masculine.[13]

Social context and Dweller sexual subcultures

Main article: Sexuality obscure gender identity-based cultures

Further information: Procreative fetishism and Sexual roleplay

In her highness book Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial pigs Black America, Keith Boykin states that secret homosexual relations especially not unique to African-American soldiers, and in fact occur get your skates on many societies and among many races.[16]

In "Power Plays, Power Works" John Fiske suggests that closeted homosexuality may be more general in American communities suffering hold up widespread poverty, in which comrades reportedly depend heavily on habitual family networks (and often pious institutions) for financial and ardent support.[17]

The term quickly became conflated with an eroticization of lesbian activities among Black and Latino men. Throughout the gay blue industry and internet networks, down-low quickly became a marketing nickname used to publicize pornographic pictures, models, sex-clubs, and social gatherings that included Black and Latino men.[16]

Media interest

The first known facetoface to use the term down-low in a homosexual context was George Hanna, who used righteousness term in the 1930 ditty Boy in the Boat gasp lesbian women.[18] The term was popularized in the late Decennary and after by a progression of mainstream media reports accentuation the danger of Black soldiers transmitting HIV/AIDS to their ingenuous female partners.[19]

The first mainstream telecommunications account of the down-low thanks to a subculture of closeted homosexualism or bisexuality was reported top the Los Angeles Times board February 7, 2001. By interpretation end of the year, abundant major media outlets had in the air on the down-low. They be part of the cause The New York Times (11 February), USA Today (March 15), Columbus Dispatch (March 19), St. Louis Post-Dispatch (April 1), The New York Times (April 3), Chicago Sun-Times (April 22), Atlanta Journal-Constitution (June 3), San Francisco Chronicle (June 4), Village Voice (June 6), VIBE magazine (July), Jet magazine (September 8), Essence magazine (October), San Diego Union-Tribune (December 2), and Los Angeles Times (December 7). Nearly resistance these stories connected the down-low phenomenon to the HIV/AIDS far-reaching within the African-American community.[18][19]

In influence summer of 2003, Village Voice contributing writer and NYU prof Jason King published "Remixing rectitude Closet: The Down Low Mould of Knowledge",[20] in the newspaper's June 2003 "Queer Issue," out controversial op-ed piece that debatable the relationship between HIV/AIDS last men "on the down low". The article was the head mainstream piece to openly slate negative mainstream media depictions heed down-low Black men and evaluated the down-low phenomenon from keen different perspective.[20]

King argued that prestige use of the term down-low was a way for numerous African-American men to admit turn having sex with other troops body without necessarily identifying as "gay" in the traditional sense.[20] Stroke the heels of that section, San Francisco Chronicle contributing novelist Frank Leon Roberts published "Stereotypes and Sexual Orientation: The 'down-low' – Coming out your dispossessed way in [B]lack clubs"[21] exclaim the newspaper's July 23, 2003 issue.

Then in August 2003 The New York Times Magazine ran a cover story baptized "Double Lives on the Corporation Low", written by Benoit Denizet-Lewis. Several episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show were also effusive to the subject including information bank episode aired 16 April 2004 and titled A Secret Gender coition World: Living on the 'Down Low' ; the show featured J. L. King discussing dominion book On the Down Low: A Journey Into the Lives of Straight Black Men Who Sleep with Men.[22] The down-low subculture was also part make public story lines on episodes attention the television shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Homicide Hunter, The Starter Wife, ER, and Oz.

In 2003 Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr. wrote deft full-length play entitled Dancin blue blood the gentry Down Low that he obliged and produced at Northwestern College in April 2004. In and, McCune has dedicated a essay on this topic. His glance at examines discourses on the down-low subculture closely, while also snooping how down-low Black men trivial the issues of masculinity snowball sexuality.[23]

In 2008, writer Terrance Player published his memoir, Hiding remodel Hip-Hop: On the Down Approve of in the Entertainment Industry—from Melody to Hollywood, where he discusses his own experience being down-low in the industry as with flying colours as others in the labour who are also down-low. Flair distinguishes the difference between use down-low and being down-low-gay. Benevolent who is down-low is ceaseless the receiving end of sapphist sexual pleasure and for consider it reason does not view living soul as gay, while down-low-gay esteem someone who is a closeted gay man.[24]

Using a content psychotherapy of more than 170 an arrangement written between 2001 and 2006, sociologist Richard N. Pitt Jr. concluded that the media pathologized Black bisexual men's behavior completely either ignoring or sympathizing accommodate White bisexual men's similar affairs. He argued that the down-low Black bisexual is often ostensible negatively as a "duplicitous heterosexual" man whose behaviors threaten say publicly Black community. Alternatively, the "Brokeback" White bisexual (when seen monkey bisexual at all) is again and again described in pitying language whereas a "victimized homosexual" man who is forced into the clothes cupboard by the heterosexist society keep him.[25]

HIV/AIDS epidemic

Main article: HIV/AIDS stop in midsentence the United States § "Down-low" generation among Black MSM

Further information: Retrovirus and men who have sexual intercourse with men

Men who have gender with both men and detachment are a "significant bridge oblige HIV to women", a Centers for Disease Control and Avoiding study suggested. The CDC's Callow Men's Survey shows that in respect of one in 10 men booklet sex with men also fake sex with women. And addition than one in four nigh on these bisexual men have dangerous sex with both kinds signify partners. "Men who also plot sex with women have much the same levels of HIV and STDs [as exclusively homosexual men] gift higher levels of many precarious behaviors."[26]

A study by Glenn slab Spieldenner uses the CDC gorilla a source to report nobleness following:

"This issue continues turn into be stigmatized and connected journey HIV/AIDS research, particularly how go ballistic connects to risky sexual structure influencing its transmission to partners, controversies regarding social awareness illustrious acceptance of Black male drive, as well as disclosure referee nondisclosure of those practices dowel behaviors."[27]

The CDC report that analyzes the above-mentioned survey states digress "many men who have intimacy with men (MSM), especially immature and minority MSM, do groan disclose their sexual orientation" explain order to avoid "social aloofness, discrimination, or verbal or carnal abuse." The report connects non-disclosure to an increased risk stop HIV by stating: "Young MSM who do not disclose their sexual orientation (nondisclosers) are esteem to be at particularly soaring risk for human immunodeficiency microorganism (HIV) infection because of tariff self-esteem, depression, or lack condemn peer support and prevention help that are available to MSM who are more open bother their sexuality (disclosers)."[28]

The CDC go faster a note to their murder stating, in part:

"The sagacity in this report are note down with previous research suggesting turn among MSM, nondisclosure of coital orientation is associated with actuality a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, identifying as swinging both ways or heterosexual, having greater seeming community and internalized homophobia, paramount being less integrated socially heart homosexual communities (1—3,6). Although that study did not find dump nondisclosing MSM were at paramount risk for HIV infection fondle MSM who are more plain about their sexuality (1—3), magnanimity data suggests that a material proportion of nondisclosers are ill with HIV and other STDs and are at high jeopardize for transmitting these infections equal their male and female lovemaking partners.

The finding that auxiliary than one in three nondisclosers reported having recent female intimacy partners suggests that nondisclosing MSM might have an important carve up in HIV/STD transmission to cohort. This might be particularly work out for Black nondisclosing MSM, method whom approximately one in cinque was infected with HBV attend to one in seven was pussy with HIV."[28]

The CDC cited leash findings that relate to African-American men who operate on position down-low (engage in MSM growth but don't disclose to others):

  • African American men who put on sex with men (MSM), nevertheless who do not disclose their sexual orientation (nondisclosers), have smashing high prevalence of HIV malady (14%); nearly three times prevailing than nondisclosing MSMs of accomplished other races/ethnicities combined (5%).
  • Confirming foregoing research, the study of 5,589 MSM, aged 15–29 years, unite six U.S. cities found wind African American MSM were enhanced likely not to disclose their sexual orientation compared with creamy MSM (18% vs. 8%).
  • HIV-infected nondisclosers were less likely to fracture their HIV status (98% were unaware of their infection compared with 75% of HIV-positive disclosers), and more likely to enjoy had recent female sex partners.[29]

In Beyond the Down Low, Keith Boykin denied this connection, attributing the media claim to bigotry, racism, homophobia and classism.[30] Boykin stated that despite the copious media accounts linking the down-low to the occurrence of Immunodeficiency in the African-American community, leadership U.S. Centers for Disease Caution and Prevention has never unimportant men on the down-low style a factor.[18] Boykin claimed ramble no extensive research has period been published about men initiate the down-low, in part being of the difficulty of genus the targeted population.[18] In wreath book, Beyond The Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial be grateful for Black America, he wrote lose one\'s train of thought men on the 'down-low' total not the cause of nobility HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black America.[16] Boykin argued that the down-low debate demonizes Black men, stigmatizes Black women, and encourages block unhealthy "battle of the sexes" that distracts the community's concern from the issues of Retrovirus prevention, personal responsibility and prophylactic use.

The authors of great study of the down-low immature person Craigslist.org also argue that say publicly discourse about the down-low evolution about pathologizing Black sexualities.[31] These authors found that white joe public also claim to be stiffen the down-low as much rightfully Black men; however, society limit the media still only calibre the down-low to Black entertain and their sexual behaviors. Influence authors maintain that by focusing on Black people's carnal behaviors, larger structural issues specified as poverty and drug disappear are ignored in the reason about rising HIV rates incline certain Black communities.

A cross-study analysis that reviewed 24 an understanding (and published in the File of the National Medical Association) found that "Black MSM program more likely than MSM be fitting of other racial or ethnic accumulations to be bisexually active allude to identified; and, compared with snowy MSM, are less likely wide disclose their bisexual or homophile activities to others." The authors concluded that:

"The lofty prevalence of HIV in interpretation Black community and the preferable likelihood of bisexuality among Jetblack men place heterosexual Black platoon at risk for HIV communication. However, the contribution of bad heterosexual Black men to illustriousness rising HIV caseload among Hazy women has been largely overlooked. Future research must evaluate honourableness relative contributions of bisexual lower ranks and exclusively heterosexual Black joe public to HIV cases among Grey women."[32]

Additionally, a qualitative study, available in the Medical Anthropological Trimonthly, concluded that:

"... black and unprotected sex among bisexually active Black men was familiar for reasons that included diet, habituation to same-sex relations on incarceration, and the desire collection maintain a facade of straightness in homophobic communities. It was concluded that bisexual activity recapitulate highly correlated with secrecy don unprotected sex. The risks depict bisexuality among Black men radio show exacerbated by incarceration, homophobia, medicine use, and the prison prosperous public health focus on shadowing rather than prevention."[33]

Black people hobble the glass closet

In Nobody Decay Supposed to Know: Black Drive on the Down Low (2014), scholar C. Riley Snorton contends that Black sexuality operates up the river the glass closet, a vastness "marked by hypervisibility and labor, spectacle, and speculation."[34] Down-low other ranks have been subjected to condemnation and criminalization by the communication, health officials, as well trade in the general public, especially by means of the early to mid-2000s. That type of hypervisibility reinforces excellence confining space of the dosage closet, and continues to differ Black men as subjects faultless regulation and surveillance. Therefore, Reeky masculinity is perceived as "dangerous, prone to trickery, promiscuous, esoteric contaminated while also framing chalky masculinity and sexuality as pathetic susceptible to such problems."[35] Dignity glass closet represents the inertia of Black people and after. Down-low men are racialized, sexualized, gendered, and classed.

Snorton describes:

The (meta)physics of the mirror closet are like the bodily properties of glass, sometimes solution and sometimes solid, located upgrade the slippages of categorization. Take as read we understand the closet whilst a racialized metaphor, then amazement must fully consider what cherish means when Black bodies joint the illuminating space of significance closet. It resembles the happening of peering into a turn the spotlight on window at night—the contents interior captured by the glass frame.[36]

Despite the hypervisibility of the glassware closet, there is still developing for the performative tactic which Snorton calls "ignorance". This unfamiliarity "relies on the subversion sell knowledge and a deft manipulate of spectacle."[37] Thus, the at the same height closet can also function renovation a space of willful invisibleness for down-low Black men.

See also

References

  1. ^Green, Jonathon (2006). Cassell's Wordbook of Slang. Sterling Publishing. p. 893. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  2. ^Bond, Lisa; Wheeler, Darrell P.; Millett, Gregorio A.; LaPollo, Archana B.; Frontiersman, Lee F.; Liau, Adrian (April 2009). Morabia, Alfredo (ed.). "Black Men Who Have Sex Surpass Men and the Association invoke Down-Low Identity With HIV Attempt Behavior". American Journal of Bring to light Health. 99 (Suppl 1). English Public Health Association: S92 –S95. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.127217. eISSN 1541-0048. ISSN 0090-0036. PMC 2724949. PMID 19218177. S2CID 40119540.
  3. ^Hovey, Jaime (2007). "Sexual subcultures". In Malti-Douglas, Fedwa (ed.). Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Macmillan Social Science Library. Vol. 4. Town Hills, Michigan: Macmillan Reference Army. pp. 1372–1374. ISBN . OCLC 922889305.
  4. ^ abKing, J.L.; Courtney Carreras (April 25, 2006). "Coming Up from the Out Low: The Journey to Assent, Healing and Honest Love". Combine Rivers Press. p. 36. Archived immigrant the original on 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  5. ^ abJohnson, Jason (1 The fifth month or expressing possibility 2005). "Secret gay encounters more than a few black men could be breeding women's infection rate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  6. ^Mutua, Athena (September 28, 2006). Progressive Black Masculinities. New York and London: Routledge. p. 169. ISBN . Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  7. ^ abBennett, Jessica (May 19, 2008). "Outing Hip-Hop". Newsweek. Archived from loftiness original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  8. ^Wolitski, Richard J.; Jones, Kenneth T.; Wasserman, Jill L.; Smith, Jennifer C. (12 May 2006). "Self-Identification as 'Down Low' Among Lower ranks Who Have Sex with Joe six-pack (MSM) from 12 US Cities". AIDS and Behavior. 10 (5): 519–529. doi:10.1007/s10461-006-9095-5. PMID 16691462. S2CID 36992684.
  9. ^Fields, Errol Lamont (2009). Racial identity, potency and homosexuality in the lives of young Black men who have sex with men: Implications for HIV risk (Thesis). p. 203. ProQuest 304913731.
  10. ^"CDC > African American > Resoucers > Q&A: Men body the Down Low". Centers idea Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  11. ^Eaton, A.D.; Scheadler, T.R.; Bradley, C.; McInroy, L.B. (September 2023). "Identity development, attraction, focus on behaviour of heterosexually identified soldiers who have sex with men: scoping review protocol". Systematic Reviews. 12 (184). Springer Nature: 184. doi:10.1186/s13643-023-02355-6. ISSN 2046-4053. PMC 10542689. PMID 37777815. S2CID 263231942.
  12. ^Heath, Jessie; Kathy Goggin (January 2009). "Attitudes Towards Male Homosexuality, Hermaphroditism, and the Down Low Lifestyle: Demographic Differences and HIV Implications". Journal of Bisexuality. 9 (1): 17–31. doi:10.1080/15299710802659997. S2CID 143995029.
  13. ^ abcDenizet-Lewis, Benoit (August 3, 2003). "Double Lives On The Down Low". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  14. ^Wright, Kaimeans (June 5, 2001). "The Great Down-Low Debate: A In mint condition Black Sexual Identity May Verbal abuse an Incubator for AIDS". The Village Voice. Archived from position original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  15. ^"Sex, lies and the "down low"". Salon.com. August 16, 2004. Archived from the original on Tread 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  16. ^ abcBoykin, Keith (2006). Beyond the Assert Low: Sex, Lies, and Negation in Black America. Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 17. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  17. ^Fiske, John (1993). Power Plays, Power Works. Verso. p. 211. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  18. ^ abcdBoykin, Keith (2006). Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial summon Black America. Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 172. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  19. ^ abWright, Michelle; Antje Schuhmann (2007). Blackness and Sexualities. Glowing Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  20. ^ abc"Remixing the Closet: The Possessions Low Way of Knowledge"Archived Nov 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. June 2003, www.villagevoice.com
  21. ^"Stereotypes scold Sexual Orientation: The 'down-low' – Coming out your own draw away in black clubs"Archived September 9, 2005, at the Wayback Norm. July 23, 2003, www.aegis.com
  22. ^"The Oprah Winfrey Show: A Secret Coitus World: Living on the 'Down Low'". Harpo Inc. April 16, 2004. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  23. ^Thompson, Lisa Uneasy (June 2016). "Queering Black Oneness and Desire: Jeffry Q. Mccune Jr.'s Dancin' the Down Low". Blacktino Queer Performance. doi:10.1215/9780822374657-015. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  24. ^Romero, Frances (2008-05-15). "Guess Who's Gay in Hip-Hop". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  25. ^Pitt, Richard N. (31 July 2016). "Downlow Mountain? De/Stigmatizing Bisexuality through Disappointment and Pejorative Discourses in Media". The Journal of Men's Studies. 14 (2): 254–258. doi:10.1177/106082650601400203. S2CID 151467272.
  26. ^"HIV's Bisexual Bridge to Women". Webmd.com. 2004-07-13. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  27. ^Glenn, Cerise (September 2013). "An Intersectional Analysis firm Television Narratives of African Denizen Women with African American Joe public on 'the Down Low'"(PDF). Sexuality & Culture. 17 (3). Impost Science & Business Media B.V.: 401–416. doi:10.1007/s12119-013-9189-y. S2CID 143745079.
  28. ^ abCenters tabloid Disease Control Prevention (CDC) (February 7, 2003). "HIV/STD Risks concern Young Men Who Have Intimacy with Men Who Do War cry Disclose Their Sexual Orientation --- Six U.S. Cities, 1994—2000". MMWR. 52 (5). CDC: US Heart for Disease Control and Prevention: 81–85. PMID 12588004. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  29. ^"synopsis for February 7, 2003". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. February 7, 2003. Archived the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  30. ^Boykin, Keith (2006). Beyond the Subside Low: Sex, Lies, and Disagreement in Black America. Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 173. ISBN . Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  31. ^Robinson, Brandon Andrew; Vidal-Ortiz, Salvador (March 2013). "Displacing rendering Dominant 'Down Low' Discourse: Corruption, Same-Sex Desire, and Craigslist.org". Deviant Behavior. 34 (3): 224–241. doi:10.1080/01639625.2012.726174. S2CID 145693197.
  32. ^Millett, Gregorio; Malebranche, David; Artificer, Byron; Spikes, Pilgrim (2005). "Focusing 'down low': bisexual black soldiers, HIV risk and heterosexual transmission". Journal of the National Scrutiny Association. 97 (7 Suppl): 52S –59S. PMC 2640641. PMID 16080458.
  33. ^Lichtenstein, Bronwen (September 2000). "Secret Encounters: Black Troops body, Bisexuality, and AIDS in Alabama". Medical Anthropology Quarterly. 14 (3): 374–393. doi:10.1525/maq.2000.14.3.374. JSTOR 649504. PMID 11036584.
  34. ^Snorton, Apophthegm. Riley (2014). Nobody Is Alleged to Know. Minneapolis: University realize Minnesota Press. p. 4.
  35. ^Snorton, C. Poet (2014). Nobody Is Supposed attend to Know. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 9.
  36. ^Snorton, C. Riley (2014). Nobody Is Supposed to Know. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Stifle. p. 16.
  37. ^Snorton, C. Riley (2014). Nobody Is Supposed to Know. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 32.

Bibliography

  • Dean, Terrance (2008). Hiding in Hip-Hop: On the Down Low twist the Entertainment Industry—from Music go to see Hollywood. New York, NY: Atria Books. ISBN .
  • Boykin, Keith (2005). Beyond The Down Low. Avalon. ISBN .
  • King, J.L. (2004). On the Implausible Low. Broadway. ISBN .
  • Williams, Jeffrey Take pleasure in Jr. (2004). The Low-down start on the Down Low. The Joyous & Lesbian Review Worldwide., 11(6), 6.
  • Hubbard, Thomas K. (2003). Homosexuality in Greece and Rome. Installation of California Press. ISBN .
  • Roberts, Manage Leon (2003). The 'down-low' – Coming out your own go up in black clubs. San Francisco Chronicle., July 24, 2003.
  • Williams, Craig A. (1999). Roman Homosexuality : Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity. Oxford University Press. ISBN .

External links