Gay down low

While a handful of people of all ethnicities retain violent opposition to LGBTQ people, Black families and social circles have consistently disproven the myth that they are exceptionally hateful and incapable of loving transformation when one of their own comes out. It details widespread bullying and . “Down low” describes men concealing same-sex relationships due to societal, cultural, or personal pressures.

With an HIV epidemic raging among African-Americans , the down-low was a convenient rationalization of the numbers and diverted attention from how the most hard-hit populations had been neglected by public health systems and campaigns. The "down low" (men who have sex with both men and women but who don't identify themselves as gay or bisexual) has often been blamed for the alarming rates of HIV in black America. An outdated coping mechanism cannot be upcycled into a badge of honor, especially when it still results in fear and shame of oneself.

But that’s what being a gay man on the down-low is all about. There is no Kinsey scale for Black men, no difference in how the twos and sixes are perceived or treated. Signs may include hyper-vigilance about phones, unexplained social circles, overcompensating masculinity, or vagueness about the past. Photo by Anete Lusina from Pexels.

On February 15, Muhsin Hendricks, an openly gay imam, Islamic scholar and LGBT rights activist was shot and killed in Gqeberha, South Africa as he was leaving to . Hungary deepened its repression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people on March 18 as the parliament passed a draconian law that will outlaw Pride . While some. This report documents the range of abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in secondary school.

The Taint of Misinformation While white gay and bisexual men were granted victimhood in the narrative about their lives in the closet, any Black gay man who was not upfront about his sexual orientation suddenly became an AIDS superspreader lying in wait -- a pathology whose taint soon splashed onto Black openly gay men, and ultimately Black men altogether.

Down-low, sometimes shortened to DL, is an African-American slang term [1] generally used within the African-American community that typically refers to a sexual subculture of men who usually identify as heterosexual but actively seek sexual encounters and relations with other men, practice gay cruising, and frequently don a specific hip-hop attire during these activities.

View fullsize. King has been a national socialite on the Black gay scene -- no shade. That would be a far more genuine flex of masculine prowess than indulging in DL cosplay on social media. While plenty of Black gay and bisexual men described themselves as DL in their online profiles to indicate they were not out of the closet, the casual term underwent a formal redefinition in an August article in the New York Times Magazine.

No matter how comfortable a Black gay man was with his same-sex attractions and experiences, a significant portion of society considered him DL if he was slightly more masculine than the stereotypical gay man, with all of the sinister implications embedded in their perceptions. Someone who is down-low is on the receiving end of homosexual sexual pleasure and for that reason does not view themselves as gay, while down-low-gay is someone who is a closeted gay man.

Hyped as an existential plague for Black America, the down-low has always been, and stubbornly remains, a stylized closet. He's either gay or straight, and this absence of nuance is intimidating even for men who would like to be more honest about their sexual fluidity. According to writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis, Black men who identified as being on the down-low, or DL, had an undetectable desire for gay sex, which they sated in the shadows while maintaining relationships with girlfriends and wives.

The latter is a warning to the gay and bisexual men enamored with being DL: There is little honor or dignity for Black folks who run from their identity, and the facade is rarely worth your soul. While white gay and bisexual men were granted victimhood in the narrative about their lives in the closet, any Black gay man who was not upfront about his sexual orientation suddenly became an AIDS superspreader lying in wait -- a pathology whose taint soon splashed onto Black openly gay men, and ultimately Black men altogether.

It is a symptom of the gay deification of hyper-masculinity in dating ads and erotic art, as well as the rigidity with which both gay and straight Black people view male sexuality. Being gay doesn’t require you to dress a certain way, speak a certain way, or broadcast your love life to the world. Photo by Asiama Junior from Pexels. DL’s meaning in gay slang refers to gay and bisexual men who live their lives pretending to be straight, refusing to come out, or living in denial.

Back Articles Videos Podcast. The distrust provoked by DL-themed media coverage also poisoned Black heterosexual relationships, as straight Black women especially in a city like Atlanta began fearing whether their suitors or even their husbands, liked dick as much as they did. And that’s valid. Within hours of returning to power Monday, United States issued a stunningly broad executive order that seeks to dismantle crucial protections for .

In reality, it often requires lots of sneaking around, looking for gay sex on the side, and participating in pretty unsatisfying relationships (sexual or otherwise). Down Low: The Down Low, like many terms and phrases in the American culture, can attribute their genesis to the Gay and Urban [Black community], The. The "down low" (men who have sex with both men and women but who don't identify themselves as gay or bisexual) has often been blamed for the alarming rates of HIV in black America.

However, grown men silencing their truth is unlikely to lead them to satisfaction, nor protect those who are more vulnerable. For many guys—especially those with families, religious backgrounds, conservative workplaces, or personal trauma—living openly just isn’t an option. Content About Us Donate Shop. Here’s what you need to know about down-low’s meaning.

Are you worried that your boyfriend or husband might be on the down low? Some defend the continued existence of the down-low based on lingering intolerance, and the suggestion that Black families and communities remain too hostile for everyone to come out. Here are 45+ signs to be on the lookout for.

All the blame for the down-low cannot be placed on those who embrace that label. Of course, there are challenges. [2][3] They. Someone who denied their Judaism to avoid Nazi death camps generally receives total absolution for misrepresenting their identity, while empathy for a light-skinned Black person who passed for white during Jim Crow might be accompanied by a side-eye.

Municipal officials in the town of Łańcut, Poland, have abolished the country’s last remaining “LGBT Ideology Free” zone, righting more than five years of political assault on .