Safe Sex, “the Down Low” and a Warning That All Are at Risk

J.L. King's "On the Down Low" is a best-seller.

J.L. King is an activist who travels to college campuses with the message that education can prevent young people from being infected with the HIV virus and other sexually transmitted diseases. He lectures on safe sex and about black men “on the down low,” -- men in heterosexual relationships who secretly have sex with other men.

That was the subject of his best-selling book.

The gymnasium at Georgia’s Albany State University was packed with more than 1,000 spectators as King spoke at this year’s freshman convocation.

Dressed in a loose-fitting, all-black, dashiki-type outfit, King thanked Albany State for having him. Then he dove right into the subject, saying that HIV is killing the African American community.

King took a brief poll, asking who in the room was sexually active. All hands raised. King told the audience that everyone is at risk.

King said an “invisible fraternity” of black men live heterosexual lives, but also secret ones in which they have unprotected sex with other men.

They go back and sleep with their girlfriends, wives or significant others and often give these women sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS.

Because of this, 72 percent of new HIV cases have been African American women, he said. The women usually find out during a routine checkup at the doctor’s office.

The author said that that black women’s suspicion of black heterosexual men has become so great that many men are falsely accused of living “down low” lives.

All races participate in these acts, King said. STDs do not care about race, sexuality or money.

King noted that the word is spreading, as such magazines as Essence and Ebony, and television shows such as “Law and Order” and “Girlfriends” address the topic.

Other statistics that King cited: 16,000 young people are infected with HIV every year. About 950,000 Americans might not know that they are HIV positive.

King especially held the audience’s attention when he discussed young men who do not like to wear condoms, admitting that he does not like them, either. King said that the main excuse that young black men use are that the condoms are too small and would break.

He then demonstrated how big the device is by taking an ordinary Lifestyles condom and rolling it over his fist. It didn’t break. Young black men no longer have an excuse not to wear a condom, he said.

King said he is a former “down low” brother and had been one for 25 years. He had the ideal marriage with a wonderful wife, he said. He thought that everything was perfect and that he would never get caught. But his wife found him in the act and his whole life changed. And that, he said, is when he decided to do something about “down low” brothers.

As the Sept. 28 convocation neared its end, King gave some tips to young people about new relationships. He told them to get to know the person they are seeing, not to rush things, and to try to be as open as possible.

The author thanked the sororities that have supported him and his cause. No fraternity or other black male organization has wanted to get involved, he said. They maintain that the issue has noting to do with them.

“There are no ‘down low’ Kappas,” he said sarcastically.

King said those in the audience should urge family members to protect themselves, check their status and get to know their partners.

During the question-and-answer session, a student asked King why he thought young people did not talk about “down low” brothers, STDs, and so on. Young people are uncomfortable talking about that, King said.

Another asked what advice to give friends who are on the “down low,” both male and female. Don’t tell them to stop, King said, because they are not going to want to hear it. But he said they need to be sexually responsible.

After King’s talk, Dr. Walter Kimbrough, Albany State’s vice president for student affairs, announced that the infirmary would increase its HIV testing from once a month to every day.

Derek Wolfe, a 19-year-old sophomore business management major, said he was surprised that King talked so much about HIV and STDs, expecting him to talk just about his life story.

Gwendolyn Gunter-Wilson, an 18-year-old freshman mass communications major, said her favorite part of the convocation was the condom demonstration that proved that young men had no excuse not to use one.

J.L. King’s Campus Schedule

Adam M. Peace is a student at Albany State University who writes for The Student Voice.

Posted Oct. 8, 2004