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DL stands for "Down Low" which in essence describes a culture consisting of men who have sex with other men but do not see themselves as being gay. Some years ago I first heard the term MSM but that term seemed to have been used only in professional HIV-prevention circles. The more current and hip term used to describe these brothers dressed as heterosexuals, is DL, or "Down Low."
In his article, The Low Down on Down Low, Steven Fullard rightly states, "Black gay culture is presumed guilty of harboring an unidentified silent killer in heterosexual clothing." Much media attention has been garnered in recent weeks especially after Guy Trebay's 2000 Article, Homo Thugz Blow Up The Spot in the Village Voice. In the article we saw young, black, same-sex loving males who said they despise gay people. These males display the character of a roughneck, looking and acting as macho as they possible can, trying to ward off any and all behavior that is stereotypically gay. The same is true in Malcolm Venable's A Question of Identity in the July 2001 issue of Vibe magazine. There, young DL brothers appear to loathe their own existence. Also, in Samiya Bashir's Strictly For The Ladies, in the July 2001 issue of XXL, a portrait of empowered lesbians is painted, and like their male counterparts, they only find comfort in their own hip hop environments.
These "DL" gays and lesbians live behind the façade of what appears to be straight lives. Their true identities (homo thugz and hip hop lesbians) are hidden from their hoods, families, wives/girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends. At nights they can be seen in nondescript spots, listening to their music of choice and to pick up dates, entirely avoiding the homophobic pressure of a straight hip hop club. The choice for them is between a hip hop identity and a gay identity. It would appear that being gay is so antithetical to the hip hop lifestyle that one must live a closeted life. The terms homo thugz and hip hop lesbians are contradictory because hip hop is misogynistic and extremely anti-gay.
Through its representatives, hip hop's message is clear; it has no use for gay men and women. Eminem, the most attacked for his anti-gay lyrics, is not the only homophobic rappper. From DMX to Jay Z to the notorious B.I.G., anti-gay lyrics abound. In their lyrics, 'faggot' means soft, all that is not male. Even female rapper, Lil' Kim protests "Naw, I ain't gay, this ain't no lesbo flow." From this viewpoint, the culture hits gay men the hardest. Women are usually not the subject of rap, unless it is about the ultimate guy's fantasy to have a menage a trois. Women as a group are referred to as bitches, skeezers and hoes. Young black gay men and women love a music and culture that doesn't seem to love them in return.
Why are we even having this discussion? Well if we don't we might not be here in a few years. Don't forget that silence equals death. It doesn't matter if you are straight, bisexual or gay. Because of the wide spectrum of human sexuality, the possibility of contracting the HIV virus is greater especially with DL culture. It is dangerous for a man or woman to be having sex with other men or women, contracting a venereal disease and bringing it home to his girlfriend/wife/male lover. It's one thing to be on the DL but quite another thing to be cheating. Homophobia, Hip Hop and AIDS are connected via honesty and not necessarily sexuality. If we were better able as a society in general to be honest, then there would be no need to be on the DL, no need to be homophobic, and the alarm for contracting HIV/AIDS due to DL culture would be greatly lessened. The walls of ignorance will continue to get higher if we do not begin to talk to each other across perceived sexual boundaries whether they be imaginary or real. As long as this non- communication continues, black and Latino men and women will continue to put themselves at risk for catching HIV. Ignorance of one's sexuality will continue to be passed down from generation to generation. And perhaps, worst of all, after the smoke has cleared, nobody will be left to talk about anything.
It is important that DL brothers and sisters send a message to hip hop reps letting them know that homophobic lyrics are not cool and are definitely not acceptable. We are consumers of the music and ought to be respected. But will we have the courage to do this and boycott buying the music? Or will we continue to live in contradiction?
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