Playing~"Deliverance will come"-Shea Norman
I've been involved in HIV/AIDS stuff since my sophomore year in college. Atlanta has a lot of organizations here to aid in the fight against HIV/AIDS, so I thought it was time for me to get involved. I wanted to volunteer with a local HIV/AIDS organization here, but you have to attend this all day class (8 hours). Well, I woke up Saturday ready to go. I got there and I was offend.
One workshop along with a few other things was just wrong! I realize the downlow is in people's mind, but I didn't know how deep. A Professor from Morehouse College helped me realize how deep it is even in the minds of scholars. "Black women rates are so high, because of the down low." "I'm not saying white men aren't on the down low, but they are using condoms and black men aren't."(sidenote: I don't disagree that the downlow is a major issue in the black community, but I don't think that it is THE ISSUE) I could have just went through the floor. LADY SEAT YOUR @** down! I hate when ignorant (that's not a bad word...u simply don't know or are misinformed) people have a mic and speak with certainty. You have about 50+ people listening to you and they are going to go back and tell people the exact same thing. I took it upon myself to inform her otherwise after the workshop. "Actually, recent studies are showing that black males rates are more alarming than black females....why do you think it continues to be present as black females, when research is showing the contrary?" I think she got where I was going with my question...scholar get your facts right.
First, what are your feelings on the downlow? Second, why do you think there is no focus on the crisis black males are facing regarding this disease? The professor thinks it's because those numbers are estimates. Ms. all of this is estimate! Give me any additional thoughts you have about this post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Hey life.
I did volunteer work at an HIV/Aids clinic in Atlanta too. Here are my thoughts.
The down low is an issue but the main issue is as you said IGNORANCE. I know we all have had occasions where we slipped up and didn’t use condoms, but some of the sexual practices going on are just crazy.
"Statistics" they are just statistics. They can be swayed to make something out of nothing and nothing from something. But HIV is serious.
But when you think about it, what community goes to clinics? The poorer, largely black and Hispanic population and others who cant afford insurance. Those make up the bulk of the numbers, which get reported to the CDC. The rest of the population either gets either private and confidential care or don’t get tested at all. Do I think the numbers are as unbalanced as reports show? NO. But, I do think we are in crisis and something definitely needs to be done. YES.
I don't think that "the downlow" is an issue at all. The issue is people having unprotected sex. The only reason that the term "the downlow" exist is because people need someone to blame for their fuck ups! If Black women feel that they are being victimized by bisexual black men, then why don't they stop having sex?
@ D: Great points
@Dude: I definitely think the downlow is an issue there have been many cases to prove that to be true. To tell people to stop having sex, because of fear of being victimized...let's be more rational here.
Unprotected sex does place you at risk and that is the part that people of males and females are nonchalont about! Might of spelled that wrong...
The Downlow is just another one of those hate terms used to oppress the homosexual community. Though I am not a fan of those who claim to be living on the DL I do think they are being used to shift the focus away from the HIV/AIDs epidemic, but is rather focusing on blame.
I applaud you for setting the woman straight in her views.
Man, all we can do is talk about HIV/AIDS--- that way we will break down the stigma and fears associated with it.
Look at you, you little activist!!!!
I think that I am being rational when I tell women to stop having sex. No one is forcing women to have sex, they do it on their own accords.
To me, blaming Black gay and bisexual men for the surge in HIV/AIDS among Black women is like blaming the government for you being broke. People need to quit blaming others for their problems and take responsibility for their own actions.
Women need to protect themselves and make men wear condoms. Most of these women will just say "he looks safe" and go ahead and have sex anyway. If a man tells me "I'm not wearing a condom" then he's not getting any.
It has always been my belief that if I contract HIV, it is no one's fault but my own. I'm not going to blame some phenomenon such as "DL" or anything else. I would have been my choice to have sex knowing what could possibly happen.
To me, its the intentions of the downlow person. If you are downlow and just into sex, then state your business, don't be out here trying to have a relationship and you are not open about your sexuality. Also, if you use the term downlow to mean that you have a wife and kids and want a man on the side that they don't know about, then you are dead wrong because you should not mislead people or make anyone think you are committed when you are actually fooling around with someone else.
Then there are people who use the term downlow as not to be out for several reasons including job security. I can deal with these types. They are gay for all practical purposes but assume themselves to be downlow because they have prestigious jobs or whatever. I question them, but something inside of me understands a little.
AIDS...now that kind of downlow is a problem. Its a very sensitive type of downlow because once again, many have AIDS and they mislead other people. Also, once you are downlow, its hard to break out of that label. You live your whole life to be downlow and that means you hide everything from everybody including your status. That's frightening. Something in me hates these kinds of people, but at the same time, I feel for them because they have AIDS. That's crazy but my heart still goes out to them.
Post a Comment