NPR Series Examines Phenomenon of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men ‘On The Down Low’
NPR's "News & Notes with Ed Gordon" this week aired a series of interviews, a commentary and a roundtable discussion about the "down-low" phenomenon -- men who have sex with both men and women but do not mention their male relationships to their female sex partners, friends or family members -- and the accusation that these men are contributing to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among African Americans. Summaries of the segments appear below:
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"On the Up and Up" With "Down Low" Men: The segment includes an interview with Brenda Stone Browder, ex-wife of J.L. King, author of "On the Down Low: A Journey Into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep with Men." Browder discusses her book, titled "On the Up and Up: A Survival Guide for Women Living with Men on the Down Low" (Gordon, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 3/15). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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Keith Boykin: "Beyond the Down Low": The segment includes an interview with Boykin, author of "Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America" (Chideya, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 3/16). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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Courtland Milloy: My Wife, Reading "On the Down Low": Although you "can't blame black women for being concerned or even paranoid" about HIV/AIDS, "trying to determine if the man you're dating or married to is bisexual is not going to solve the problem," Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy says in a commentary. "AIDS, for all its deadly consequences, is merely a symptom of pervasive dishonesty," Milloy concludes (Milloy, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 3/16). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
- Roundtable: Women and the "Down-Low" Lifestyle: The discussion focuses on the "down-low" lifestyle's implications for women's health, well-being and committed relationships. Guests on the program included Dr. Pam Foster, an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Allied Health and Nursing at Tuskegee University; Paulette Hogan, an HIV-positive mother and peer motivator; and Danyell Smith, an author and former editor at Time Inc. (Chideya, "News & Notes with Ed Gordon," NPR, 3/17). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.