Читать книгу Still Straight - Tony Silva - Страница 16

While most of the men I interviewed identified as white, this does not mean that most straight MSM are white, nor does it mean that most straight MSM are black, as media portrayals suggest. My analysis of one nationally representative survey shows that there are no significant racial differences in sexual identification among MSM.223 Thus, while popular culture treats the “down-low,” or secretive sex between men, as a mostly black phenomenon,224 in reality about the same proportion of men from different racial/ethnic groups identify as straight and have sex with other men.

The incorrect linking of blackness and secretive male-male sex reflects racist stereotypes about black sexuality and heightened scrutiny applied to black people.225 Public health researchers have examined the down-low among black men to examine its relationship to HIV transmission.226 HIV research is critically important to reduce rates of transmission. At the same time, public health research does not always take into account the fact that people of all racial groups engage in secretive sex.227 Black and Latino men are at much higher risk for contracting HIV than white men,228 but this reflects broader health inequities at the intersections of race, gender, economic status, and sexuality rather than the down-low itself.229

There is no single definition of what it means to be on the down-low. While some down-low men identify as straight, others identify as gay or bisexual. Many feel that “down-low” refers to men in relationships with women more than sexual identification.230 Other black men describe themselves as down-low because they feel that “gay” means feminine and that “bisexuality” does not exist, is too ambiguous to make sense for them, or is too stigmatized and thus an unattractive identity to adopt.231 Some men perceive the “down-low” as an identity, whereas others view it as a description that reflects their masculinity, level of secrecy, or romantic relationships with women. The construction of sexual identity for many black MSM is complicated because they navigate both racism and homophobia.232 Because of the complex meanings of the term “down-low,” I do not use it to describe the men I interviewed, and most of them did not use it to describe themselves either. It is, however, important to know that many men of all racial and ethnic identities are secretive about their sex with men, and that no one group is more likely to identify as straight than another. By analyzing white, straight MSM, this book helps correct what has so far been a focus on black and, to a lesser extent, Latino MSM.