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Post by Blaque on Mar 14, 2007 12:03:15 GMT -5
The dark cloud of HIV continues to hover over the African-American community. African-Americans make up a mere 12.3% of the US population, but account for 50% of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States (2000 Census). African-American men primarily contract HIV through contact with other men, while the primary mode of transmissions for African-American women is through heterosexual contact.
Unfortunately, messages of prevention and a real viable solution to these alarming numbers are muffled by the blame game over who's at fault. Are so-called men on the down low the problem? Are all gay men at fault under the perception that the entire community is the root of the virus, even though it's been proven otherwise? Can we ignore the women who refuse to protect themselves by repeatedly putting their health in the hands of other people—gay or straight?
According to HIV/AIDS Guide Mark Cichocki, "For years, experts have attributed the high rate of HIV among African American women to a behavior that has been called "being on the down low". The basic contention is that African American men have sex with other men then come home to their wives or girlfriends and infect them with HIV, never having told them that they have unprotected sex with other men."
As our collective fingers collide over who's at fault—mainly pointing in the direction of African-American men on the down low—misconceptions manifest throughout the general population and the research community. There is also an innate assumption that men who secretly having sex with other men is a problem exclusive to the African-American community. Mark Cichocki points to an article written by Anne Harding on how the "down low myth" incorrectly plays the race card and how by doing so it distorts HIV research and prevention.
In her article "Down low” myth distorts HIV research, prevention, Harding cites Dr. Chandra L. Ford of Columbia University in New York City. Ford wrote in a Annals of Epidemiology article:
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Post by pelicanguy on Mar 14, 2007 15:32:18 GMT -5
Don't get me started on this crap. The "down low" is just a cop out by straight black folks to push accountability away from themselves.
We black folks are the ones who came up with the term "down low." It actually came from R. Kelly from his song with the same name that talked about keeping an affair with a married woman on the hush-hush. How the hell did that term go from meaning keeping an affair on the hush-hush to men secretly having sex with each other?
As far as I'm concerned, black folks were looking for someone or a group to blame for the rise in HIV/AIDS infection rates among us....gay black men are the scapegoats. They didn't spread this disease by themselves. Plenty of straight men and women knowing or unknowingly spread the disease. Some people know they're infected and are in denial.
If someone gets infected, it's no one's fault but his/her own because he/she should have used protection and asked about the other person's status.
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jazzlover
B.E. Sergeant First Class
It Takes Pressure to Make a Diamond
Posts: 3,912
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Post by jazzlover on Mar 15, 2007 7:05:21 GMT -5
Well you guys will be piss at me for saying this but wtf.....DL is just a slick way of avoiding calling a man a sissy, black Gay men STILL don't want to appear soft so the hide behind calling themselves Bi-Sexual or on the DL, HIV is so high in our community because black men are in JAIL more than any other race and Homosexual activity in jail is VERY HIGH! Unprotected ANAL SEX!!! Black women HAVE to protect them selves...just cause Rakeem said he was a Muslim in jail or he don't roll like that do not believe HIM, 70% of all inmates engage in homosexual sex! I know I have spent 4 years as an officer and about 10 in prison ministry, WOmen wake up don't trust them jail birds without them getting tested!
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Post by pelicanguy on Mar 15, 2007 11:04:25 GMT -5
And where do you get those stats from? Unless you come up with a source, I will dismiss them as hogwash. It may be true where you are, but you can't say that's the case for all inmates nationwide. Again, it isn't just gay men spreading the disease. When will we black folks get that ignorant thought out of our heads?
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Post by dolphinfan on Mar 23, 2007 22:20:56 GMT -5
Don't get me started on this crap. The "down low" is just a cop out by straight black folks to push accountability away from themselves. We black folks are the ones who came up with the term "down low." It actually came from R. Kelly from his song with the same name that talked about keeping an affair with a married woman on the hush-hush. How the hell did that term go from meaning keeping an affair on the hush-hush to men secretly having sex with each other? As far as I'm concerned, black folks were looking for someone or a group to blame for the rise in HIV/AIDS infection rates among us....gay black men are the scapegoats. They didn't spread this disease by themselves. Plenty of straight men and women knowing or unknowingly spread the disease. Some people know they're infected and are in denial. If someone gets infected, it's no one's fault but his/her own because he/she should have used protection and asked about the other person's status. COP OUT, this is not a cop out. I want people to know, that booty banging men, GANSTER men, and there girl/ NO ITCHES, are the problem. Do you really know how many women WAIT, for homy the clown to get his azz out of jail? or how many of there drug head girlfriends , they are screwing!!! no protection??. Thats the problem. I also think the numbers are scewed, to make it seem, like all black males, are HIV positive. I agree with your point about RESPONSIBILITY!! PERIOD.
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Post by pelicanguy on Mar 29, 2007 10:09:12 GMT -5
Dolphin, this has nothing to do with who's waiting on who to get out of jail. We're basically saying the same thing, except I'm not trying to shift the blame to the guys in jail...as you're implying.
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Post by dolphinfan on Apr 13, 2007 20:31:11 GMT -5
Well you guys will be piss at me for saying this but wtf.....DL is just a slick way of avoiding calling a man a sissy, black Gay men STILL don't want to appear soft so the hide behind calling themselves Bi-Sexual or on the DL, HIV is so high in our community because black men are in JAIL more than any other race and Homosexual activity in jail is VERY HIGH! Unprotected ANAL SEX!!! Black women HAVE to protect them selves...just cause Rakeem said he was a Muslim in jail or he don't roll like that do not believe HIM, 70% of all inmates engage in homosexual sex! I know I have spent 4 years as an officer and about 10 in prison ministry, WOmen wake up don't trust them jail birds without them getting tested! I was about to agree whole hardly with Brother B, but your point, made even more sense. Brother B, your point is EXTREMELY, made well. Black women have to wake up, and stop pretending, it not my man, who just spent the last five years in jail. To brother Bs point. If your gonna PLAY, you must KNOW and UNDERSTAND the rules. I have been bless to never been burnt. I do use protection, and yes it has happen, were we have run out of rubbers. But i'm responsible, and would if anything happen,do whats needed to be done. You should have protection all the time, thats not lost on me!!!, but it can happen. I personally keep a stash. But it can happen. Anyway..................
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