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I worked in a rehab where 50%of the patients were HIV poz. I did research of my own 50% of the HIV poz males contracted HIV from another male or a woman who slept with a poz bisexual male. I just believe for every case of HIV there is a bisexual male somewhere in the equation. I have a exbestfriend and cousin who is POZ they both deny that they are POZ. The reason i know that they are POZ is because they both went to jail for soliciting sex with POZ HIV results. There HIV status is public record
Kudos,Dr.Bond.Rote, lazy,dishonest screeds of specific racist pathology generalized homophobia don't help so-called DL men or the people they might infect.The misogyny and internalized homophobia attendant to some men's sexual secrecies is often affected by racialized experience,but isn't exclusive to it.Women and men have gotten STI's from other men long before we knew of HIV.Ending social and religious cultures of shame and sexphobia may help change things.Looking for boogeymen won't.
The Term DL or in the closet bi-sexuals was made famous by a black man in a book, remember. And please note that the Black Community and Black Church is still the highest recorded increase in HIV Numbers. Latin folks do not have a term for Bi-Sexual just, Fem or Macho.. Whats up....
Down Low. The very term states that anyone of any race whom operates on the DL is not honest about their sexuality and their individual risks they are taking, period. This dishonesty of ones sexuality is the real cause of the spread of HIV and that coupled with ignorance, bigotry, intolerance and numerous other factors are causing the spread of HIV. Unfortunately at large, gay men are less accepted in the African American Culture than are White men thus more black men operate on the DL.
Blackmen are the only that has this stigma put on us their are also white down low men ,latin down low asain down low men middle eastern men and others .But somebody always start with black men and only black men by being str8male think that is wrong on so many levels and and you also can get from a females that came in contact with other str8 males that shot up on low ,having sex with to many partners.The person that did this study she went with all the races not just black men
I sorry Dr. Lisa Bond research doesn't make any since, for the DL is a slang term for in closet Bi-sexual, in that reference non-DL term doesn't exist, yet in this study. To make up a new word to say it is a study is disappointing. I am happy the the black community is becoming honest to move to at least addressing different human sexuality issues in the direction of using a term called bi-sexual and hope they can accept GLBTQ folks in the community in the future with honor
The DL is hardly a myth. If you've spent any time working in HIV/AIDS, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. It's also funny how the lead researcher likes to pretend only black men are being demonized by the media. She's apparently incognizant of the fact that every white poz male who's status is revealed gets pretty much the same treatment. She had a political agenda here, so it's not surprising that personal responsibility or the black community's resistance to reality never came up.
Cheryl
I find it hard to understand how valid this study can be, when men who are truly Down Low, would not POSSIBLY have revealed their sexual practices. These men are extremely protective and secretive with this information, so how could any appreciable number have participated in such a study? That certainly would seem improbable, invalidating the numbers.
January 8, 2010 • Atlanta