Down Low Revisited

March 29, 2006 by Marc Lamont Hill

It’s that time again! In what has become a spring tradition, BET is returning our collective attention to the “down low” phenomenon with yet another show dedicated to this “crisis.” In spite of the work of brilliant scholars and activists such as Keith Boykin, who wrote the incredibly important “Beyond the Down Low” in response to JL King’s “On The Down Low”, many of us still adhere to a misguided set of beliefs about Black male sexuality. Instead developing a more nuanced and complicated set of understandings about what it means to be male or straight or gay, we have become obsessed with the most sensationalist, reductive, and ultimately inaccurate information available. Some of this misinformation includes: DL men are gay but won’t admit it, only Black men are on the DL, the DL is a new phenomenon, and the DL is making Black women the largest group of AIDS casualties in the world.

Categories: MLH
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5 Comments

1. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

I feel you omodiende. this whole thing is nuts to me…

March 29, 2006 @ 8:03 pm

2. ting wrote:

well omodiende and marc, what do you suggest we do? i think it’s important for women to understand what’s out there in terms of this behavior, but unless ya’ll plan on writing books about it,or presenting it on seminars everyday across the country, how else are we going to be informed?
As Sammy, who lives in San Fran, once stated before, different lifestyles are all around us, including cheating men in general. Until people decide to be honest with one another, we face a crisis with not only DL men, but with cheatin men having babies after one night stands and what not.

March 29, 2006 @ 8:23 pm

3. ting wrote:

SOooooOOoo, anyone check out my website and the clip from the Flavor of Love Reunion?? (crickets chirping)

March 30, 2006 @ 2:44 pm

4. SammyBee wrote:

I agree with Marc completely.

However personal attacks shouldn’t be made on people just because others dont agree with their opinions.

March 30, 2006 @ 3:31 pm

5. application wrote:

The school paddle is, is not an effective instrument to deal with bad students

August 31, 2007 @ 9:52 am

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