“The MSM culture: Men on the down low”

“I knew those feelings of wanting to be with another brother were not dead; they were just asleep.” ― J.L. King, On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep with Men

In the last five years, the number of people living with the HIV/AIDS virus in the United States has skyrocketed to a whopping 1.1 million. This qualifies it as an epidemic. HIV can affect anyone who engages in high risk behaviors such as drug use and unprotected sex. This virus however, disproportionately affects the minority population as compares to the white population. Why are African American and Hispanic men more prone to the virus than other racial groups? Homosexuality, MSM (Men Sleeping with men) and Social Stigmas about homosexuality play a big role in the explanation.

One in every fifteen African American men are incarcerated. Statistics show that one in every three black men can expect to go to prison at least once in their lives. This level of incarceration explains why there is a higher percentage of men sleeping with men. Homosexual rape is generally perceived as a common occurrence in male prisons. According to Saum’s article “..studies show that inmate involvement in sexual acts within the confines of prisons varies greatly… Sexual activity is also most consensual. People I know don't use protection because it's not available. People are knowledgeable [about HIV] but still have sex.” (Saum) Studies show that in a group of 174 incarcerated men, as much as thirteen percent admit to being bisexual. This particular study also showed that the rate of homosexual interactions were higher in the maximum security prisons. About twenty five percent of inmates admit to having consensual sex while incarcerated and as much as e...

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...isease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.

Martinez, Jamie, and Sybil G. Hosek. "An Exploration of the Down-low Identity: Nongay-identified Young African-American Men Who Have Sex with Men."National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.

Gregorio Millett, David Malebranche, Byron Mason, and Pilgrim Spikes. "Focusing "down low": Bisexual Black men, HIV risk and heterosexual transmission" Journal of the National Medical Association 97.7 (2005): 52S-59S.

King, J. L. On the down Low: A Journey into the Lives of "straight" Black Men Who Sleep with Men. New York: Broadway, 2004. Print.

Millett, G., et al. "Focusing “down low”: Bisexual black men, heterosexual black women, and HIV risk." Journal of the National Medical Association 97.7 (2005): 52S-59S.