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Thursday, November 15, 2007
I came across this HIV/AIDS prevention commercial on youtube last night by mistake and I've had conflicting feelings about it ever since. I'm all for spreading the word about the dangers of HIV/AIDS, especially in the black community, but the approach used in this video is a little troubling. It's titled the Down Low Brother PSA and it's a plea to closeted "bisexual" men to stop their behavior in an effort to stop the spread of HIV amongst black women.
The problem that I have is that it sends the message that closeted gay or bisexual men who also sleep with women are the cause of increased infections among black women when there is no statistical data to support this claim. For the record I don't approve of down low behavior, actually I find it deplorable, but until we create a world where people are free to be themselves without the fear of being attacked spiritually or physically the down low brother will continue to exist. Whatever happend to personal responsibility? It seems like we're always looking for somebody to blame and the down low brother has become the perfect scapegoat.
12 Comments:
"Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and women but who do not identify as gay or disclose their bisexual activities to main female partners, also known as men "on the down-low," have been cited as the primary reason for the increase in HIV infections in black women, according to a report in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association."
Honestly, I have not been up to date on this subject, but from a socioeconomic perspective, the entry gate of black women being infected with HIV/AIDS was primarily through the gay black male (Gay, Bisexual or DL). If not this is the case, what PLAUSIBLE way can this be otherwise?
November 16, 2007 12:06 AM
I think that Darian was saying that in the age of HIV/AIDS, sexually active heterosexual black women are responsible for their own sexual health, i.e., it's up to them to exercise their freedom of choice by 1) knowing the HIV status of their sex partners before they have sex and 2) insisting they use protection. If a man doesn't want to put on a condom, hey, female condoms do exist. Even better, don't have sex with him at all. Unless she was raped, she had a choice. It's called taking responsibility for your own goddam life. By the way, I am a black gay man. I have never had any pussy. I have never even seen a pussy in real life (only in pictures, porn videos and/or DVDs). So don't put me in with bisexual and/or DL men.
November 16, 2007 4:51 AM
@anonymous: did u ever walk through a supermarket on a hot sticky day and smell one?
@captain: there are two kinds of liars in the world< liars and statisticians
u should wake the fuck up and not put the chicken before the egg: the PRIMARY reason for HIV infections in black women is that they are taking dick without a condom on it
November 16, 2007 9:38 PM
ponoono: I used to share an office with a white female. I once smelled a strange offensive odor that I could not identify. For some reason, I thought back to school days when the boys would talk about girls and a "rotten fishy smell". I put two and two together and figured out that I was smelling this woman's pussy.
Yuck.
November 17, 2007 4:05 AM
Stan: I have to say for once I agree with the Captain. Lawd, what is wrong with me. To me, "downlow" is a title most bi-sexual men deal with in todays' society. Its not as derrogatory as being called a fag, punk, or fudge packer(oh my, my blond roots are showing). I think this PSA met the men where there congregate. What I got out of the PSA was this?
1. No matter who you fuck, be safe.
2. Get tested
3. Think about the family member that also lose when you become HIV positive because of your unsafe practices.
So overall, I think it was agood PSA for the audience it was trying to reach.
November 17, 2007 11:09 AM
The last anonymous, you are correct that the PSA was "good for the audience it was trying to reach". My argument is with "the captain" who uses the PSA to blame black gay men for the HIV infections in black women. Black women should know by now that they have to know the HIV/AIDS status of the men they are fucking before they start fucking. Period. Of course men should be honest about their sexuality and/or HIV status. But what if they're not. What if they don't know their HIV status (many do not). What if they know they are hiv+ but decide to be dishonest about it. Sexually active straight black women are responsible for themselves, and most of them know this. It's been what, three years, since J.L. King's notorious book about the DL. Give me a break. Straight black women today are big girls, they don't need to be patronized by the likes of you, captain. This is something else for you to chew on captain: some black women are too sexually promiscuous. For example, I'm sure you know that many black women today don't know and/or aren't sure who their "baby's daddy" is. Is that solely the fault of the "black man", captain. If a black woman doesn't know who her baby's daddy is, she probably doesn't know what his HIV status is. If a black woman isn't sure or doesn't know who her baby's daddy is, she probably didn't tell him to use a condom or use the female condome herself . Get my drift, captain.
November 18, 2007 8:58 AM
Captain: the days of guilt tripping black gay men over the so-called HIV/AIDS crisis among straight black women are OVER. Do you hear me captain, OVER. One study several years indicated that 46% of black gay men in five cities may be HIV+. Who cares about that. If your answer is, it's their own fault. Then, guess what, I feel the same way about black women, especially with all the information available today about HIV/AIDS.
1. Know the HIV status of your sex partners BEFORE you fuck them.
2. Use a condom. And there are FEMALE condoms.
November 18, 2007 12:26 PM
ANONYMOUS: For your clarity, our Black women are being infected because of high-risk males are bringing HIV/AIDS to the heterosexual community. Yes, I agree females should be aware of their sexual partners. However, if you look at the cross-cultural effect, white females are not infected at these alarming rates, why is that? Could we assume that the majority of white males are solidified in knowing who they are and not switching their sexual role every two weeks? It seems our Black men are playing the bi-sexual field too much and now "cross-infecting" from the two sides, homosexual and the heterosexual world. The cause of female infections is not linked to "dumb females" syndrome, it's linked to black men (Gay, DL, Bi) bringing it in to the heteroseuxal world causing problems for wider society.
If our black men would stop sleeping with other men, then we would see a drop in these exponential rates. Is this linked to a decision process for black men to choose definitively if they want a man or woman? Yes, we must make a clear decision to which gender we should be with, but because we preach expressionisim and individuality without responsibility, our black community is now suffering more, thanks to our beloved sick homosexuals.
November 18, 2007 6:12 PM
Captain: You are the one who needs clarity. How are gay men (one of the things GAY MEN do not do is fuck pussy) responsible for bringing HIV/AIDS to the heterosexual world?
Sexually active straight black women should know the HIV status of any man they fuck BEFORE they fuck and INSIST on condom use. Why are so many of them not doing this when so much info about HIV/AIDS is readily available?
Captain: You never addressed my comments about the sexual irresponsibility among some straight black women.
November 19, 2007 12:23 AM
Darian I agree with you, the problem with this PSA and so many more of its type is that it places the responsibility on the black man, not the black woman. Women have to be encouraged to use protection at all cost. It's not just the down-low man bringing AIDS home it's the man who's creeping with other females, prostitutes, and/or IV drug users. Black women are responsible for protecting themselves, no one will do it for them. (Maybe that should be the next PSA announcement).
November 20, 2007 7:58 PM
Frankly, I do NOT care about straight black people (male or female).
What about BLACK GAY MEN who are struggling with HIV/AIDS issues. What about us?
November 21, 2007 7:43 AM
Obviously, it's a woman's responsibility to know a partner's status before engaging in unprotected sex.
This PSA, though, is about WIVES--which suggests a supposedly monogamous relationship. Now, let's say a woman gets her husband tested on their wedding day, and he promises to be faithful. She can still contract HIV if he has unprotected down-low relations.
The PSA's just saying that if you choose to have down-low relations when you're ALREADY in a monogamous heterosexual relationship, AT LEAST have the courtesy to use a condom so you don't KILL your wife instead of just cheating on her.
The PSA doesn't have anything to do with sexual politics or morality--it's fundamental human ethics. And it applies just the same to a husband cheating with another woman--if you choose to cheat, that's emotionally damaging. If you choose to pass on a lethal virus, that's fatal.
February 04, 2009 3:37 PM
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