I was at home today, adn its been raining all week here in OKC. I'm cleaning up a lot inside the house and moving stuff around, etc... I re-read this article from an April 2003 New York Times Magazine called "Double lives on the downlow." remained just as fascinating and now that I have this blog I thought maybe others may find it a bit absorbing. anyway, according to the reported number at that time, as many as 1/3 of young black men "living on the downlow" were considered HIV infected, and 90% of those had no idea. wow, that's sobering.
what made me rethink something today was the comparison of "in the closet" to "on the Down low":
"While DL guys regard the closet as something alien (a sad, stifling place where fearful people hide), the closet can be temporary (many closeted men plan to someday ''come out''). But black men on the DL typically say they're on the DL for life. Since they generally don't see themselves as gay, there is nothing to ''come out'' to, there is no next step."
Then I compared my life and decided that I'm probably closer to the DL life than the closet life, although I'm not exactly "actively enjoying sex with men" while wanting to live a non-gay life or whatever.... The whole fear of not being seen as masculine is probably true with men regardless of race.
well anyway, if you read the article, feel free to share any thoughts here. Or if you are not completely OUT and PROUD then are you living a closet life or on the DL?
2 comments:
Interesting article, man. I definitely feel like I'm in "the closet," even though I have a lot of the same concerns as "DL" guys are said to have.
It's all too much to think about sometimes. All I know is that the situation, as it stands, sucks!
Nothing Golden Staya
you said: The whole fear of not being seen as masculine is probably true with men regardless of race.
the sad thing is that being gay has absolutly nothing to do with mascilinity. it has everything to do with -- and only with -- being physically attracked to another man rather than a woman. it is a matter of sexual desire and nothing else.
when will people stop this most destructive sterotype of a gay man as being non-masculine or feminate acting?
I am all man ... it just so happens that i am physically attracted to men. that's it. nothing else. sexulaity and masculinity have nothing to do with each other!
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