By Lauren Tuck (Editorial Assistant, POZ)
An old boyfriend of mine loved hip-hop. Driving in his car or hanging out at home, he would always blast the bass and rap along with the fast-paced lyrics. He educated me on the classics from Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. to modern-day marvels such as 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Although I have abandoned my studies since our breakup, I still occasionally like to listen to Eminem and catch up on the culture.
So recently, among my biannual Google search on the world of rappers, I saw that Game (formerly known as The Game and a Grammy Award-winning artist) said that AIDS is spread by closeted gay men having sex with women. Rap I may not know much about, despite my efforts, but HIV/AIDS I definitely do.
Game---also known as Charles Louboutin, Chuck Taylor, Hurricane Game and his birth name Jayceon Terrell Taylor---has been known to tweet homophobic 140 character thoughts. In an effort to connect with the LGBT community he often hates on, Game recently went on VLADtv.com, an entertainment gossip site focused on hip-hop culture, to set things straight.
Watch the interview:
According to him, he doesn't have a problem with gay people. In fact, he believes that Beyoncé's new hit single should have said, "Who run the world? Gays!" What he does have a problem with, he explained, is men who pretend to not be gay---those who have sex with women but sneak around with men on the side. In other words, men on the "down low" (DL).
He says:
Just as my ex-boyfriend taught me about an unfamiliar way of life, I hope to inform Mr. Taylor (and hopefully others) about the flaws and misinformation of his beliefs.
It is a myth that black men on the DL are responsible for the rising rates of HIV among black women.
Although AIDS is the leading cause of death for Africa-American women ages 25 to 34, other factors are fueling the spread of HIV among this demographic (and among the black community and impoverished communities as a whole). Such factors include poverty, untreated sexually transmitted infections (STI), homelessness, high rates of incarceration, sexual violence and lack of health care.
When researchers interviewed more than 1,100 black men who have sex with men, they found that 59 percent of those who self-describe as being on the DL and 59 percent of those who are openly bisexual reported unprotected sex with women, and both groups had similar HIV rates (44 percent of DL men had the virus compared with 56 percent of those not on the DL).
What's more, according to lead researcher Lisa Bond, PhD, "not all black men on the so-called down low are having sex with women, and some men who don't identify with the term down low do have sex with women---and these two findings really underscore the limited utility of using a label like down low for targeting HIV prevention efforts."
So what is useful in lowering the high HIV rates? How about doing something about the high rates of unprotected sex, which seems to be common across the board.
All of this research is supported by Kevin Fenton, MD, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He says, "[T]he reality is that bisexual black men account for a very, very small proportion of the overall black male population in the United States. Our research suggests that about 2 percent of black men will report being bisexually active."
Charles Louboutin may have intended to make amends with the gay community, or just cover his butt, but even just using the "down low" term could potentially harm HIV prevention for black men.
The best outcome from all this coverage is that the conversation has been started all across the web. Perhaps with a little more knowledge about the intricacies of the DL and HIV rates in the black community, Game could improve his advocacy game.
An old boyfriend of mine loved hip-hop. Driving in his car or hanging out at home, he would always blast the bass and rap along with the fast-paced lyrics. He educated me on the classics from Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. to modern-day marvels such as 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Although I have abandoned my studies since our breakup, I still occasionally like to listen to Eminem and catch up on the culture.
So recently, among my biannual Google search on the world of rappers, I saw that Game (formerly known as The Game and a Grammy Award-winning artist) said that AIDS is spread by closeted gay men having sex with women. Rap I may not know much about, despite my efforts, but HIV/AIDS I definitely do.
Game---also known as Charles Louboutin, Chuck Taylor, Hurricane Game and his birth name Jayceon Terrell Taylor---has been known to tweet homophobic 140 character thoughts. In an effort to connect with the LGBT community he often hates on, Game recently went on VLADtv.com, an entertainment gossip site focused on hip-hop culture, to set things straight.
Watch the interview:
According to him, he doesn't have a problem with gay people. In fact, he believes that Beyoncé's new hit single should have said, "Who run the world? Gays!" What he does have a problem with, he explained, is men who pretend to not be gay---those who have sex with women but sneak around with men on the side. In other words, men on the "down low" (DL).
He says:
"...The No. 1 issue with [being on the down low] is that you can be foolin' somebody, and you can give them AIDS, and they can die. That in-the-closet shit is real scary...It's just not fair to other people, and then that shit spreads because that girl that you might be foolin' might leave you and go find another dude that ain't gay and give him the disease and he goes and cheats on her, so it's an ongoing thing. So it ain't cool to be in the closet. So if you gay, just say you gay man. Be gay and be proud."
Just as my ex-boyfriend taught me about an unfamiliar way of life, I hope to inform Mr. Taylor (and hopefully others) about the flaws and misinformation of his beliefs.
It is a myth that black men on the DL are responsible for the rising rates of HIV among black women.
Although AIDS is the leading cause of death for Africa-American women ages 25 to 34, other factors are fueling the spread of HIV among this demographic (and among the black community and impoverished communities as a whole). Such factors include poverty, untreated sexually transmitted infections (STI), homelessness, high rates of incarceration, sexual violence and lack of health care.
When researchers interviewed more than 1,100 black men who have sex with men, they found that 59 percent of those who self-describe as being on the DL and 59 percent of those who are openly bisexual reported unprotected sex with women, and both groups had similar HIV rates (44 percent of DL men had the virus compared with 56 percent of those not on the DL).
What's more, according to lead researcher Lisa Bond, PhD, "not all black men on the so-called down low are having sex with women, and some men who don't identify with the term down low do have sex with women---and these two findings really underscore the limited utility of using a label like down low for targeting HIV prevention efforts."
So what is useful in lowering the high HIV rates? How about doing something about the high rates of unprotected sex, which seems to be common across the board.
All of this research is supported by Kevin Fenton, MD, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He says, "[T]he reality is that bisexual black men account for a very, very small proportion of the overall black male population in the United States. Our research suggests that about 2 percent of black men will report being bisexually active."
Charles Louboutin may have intended to make amends with the gay community, or just cover his butt, but even just using the "down low" term could potentially harm HIV prevention for black men.
The best outcome from all this coverage is that the conversation has been started all across the web. Perhaps with a little more knowledge about the intricacies of the DL and HIV rates in the black community, Game could improve his advocacy game.
I love your writing style!!
I believe I got HIV from a bisexual ex boyfriend somewhere in my past. I grew up in theater so most of my friends in high school and college we're bisexual or bi curious It's not such a hush hush thing these days to get drunk and 'play' with your friends together.
It is NOT talked about however the risk the youth is taking when they 'play' their 20's away.
I read your article, and another reason isn't mentioned. That many Black men who go to jail/prison and have sex with men don't look at it as a Homosexual act or "thing". To them, it's just sex, no more, no less. Then when they are released,they find a girlfriend/wife/female to have sex with to "re-prove" their "manhood" to themselves. And do you think they are going to tell anyone they had sex with a male while incarcerated? No!
Then there is the IV drug usage by those who are incarcerated. That in itself is the fastest way to pass on STD's or other infection's/problem's. Being incarcerated is one of the main routes to becoming infected with HIV
Enough of rappers spouting off about HIV I'll informed facts.
Logic (?) should tell him that if say one quarter of a million black women are HIV Positive... Hypothetically speaking, that there ARE one quarter of a million Positive black men on the Down Low? Spare us this crap and put your mouth to work and help instead of spreading falsehoods. IV drug use, dirty shared needles, prostitution, etc., are contributing factors and those who do NOT know their HIV status are bigger causes of HIV in our black community. Besides, the virus doesn't choose where it finds a human home or care.
Hey " The Game" can you see Africa and their huge HIV problem? Heterosexual to hetersexual contact. Stop the blame 'game' it helps no one and makes you and others who think as you do sound and look foolish! His mind is worse than t he narrow minded male view in the very early 1980's when the world became aware of HIV, when I was asked by a black male friend of mine: "what are you worried about, this only affects white men!" EVERYONE needs to know their HIV status and be tested often if you are sexually active with multiple people.
Back in the day there was no HIV Cocktail for anyone either so there is a life after HIV should it become your life. New man, new woman in your life, both go take an HIV test. Correct information is a life saver!h
Ronald Dennis: bump! I like everything you just said.
The issue that I actually have with this crap that the Rapper game is the comment that he made pretty much assuming that just because your gay you have aids. That is such discrimination on so many levels. And why he is so worried about how many closet rappers their are, try to come up with a solution to stop the spread of HIV retard.