First up, I want to say thanks to MamaBuddha. I love you girl
and big ups to you for representing. I don't think I could have said it any better than this:
"the Vibe article was poorly written and only present a very small piece of the the gay world.
Basically beware of who you sleep with, period. you need to know the 411 on any person that you let enter your bed."
I will say that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, men who have sex with men do make up a significant portion of HIV/AIDS cases. But, also according to the CDC, the
biggest risk to women and women of color is heterosexual sex, especially heterosexual sex that involves sex with with infected drug users.
But beyond all that, beyond all the advice that folks should beware of these "homothugs," I do have to wonder about the real solution to the real problems. Of course, individuals are responsible for their own behavior. I am not an advocate of excusing personal responsibility in favor of blaming systemic factors. But systemic factors, beliefs and institutions do play a large part in this "homothug" phenomenon.
Perhaps these brothas wouldn't feel the need to be on the down low if African-American culture as a whole (and society at large) was more accepting, validing and affirming of something other than 100% heterosexuality. Perhaps if homosexuals weren't ostracized and oppressed on the daily, they wouldn't feel the need to lie about and repress who they really are.
Until we start opening up the communication about sex and sexuality, and begin to acknowledge and affirm the people who may not have the same sexual orientation as "the norm," the phenomenom of down low brothas will be around, as it no doubt has always been around.
I, too, was disturbed by the Vibe article; first, because of the one-sidedness of it and poor quality and second, because it indicates complex problems within a culture that need to be addressed.
I apologize for the length, but that's my $19.25.