i, ii Almost all of these claims were in the context of feminism because of the narrative that these men were purposefully deceiving their women partners, thus creating the idea that being “on the DL” was antifeminist. Because of the belief that the spread of HIV/ AIDS was largely due to men who have sex with other men, feminists and prowomen politicians were quick to point to this group of individuals, claiming that their homosexual encounters were spreading HIV/AIDS to their longterm Black female partners. When there was a sudden rise in HIV/AIDS among heterosexual Black women in 2001, the public began to blame the community of Black men who identify as “on the Down Low (DL).” “On the DL” is code for having sex with other men while still maintaining heterosexuality by participating in heterosexual relationships, identifying as heterosexual or non-homosexual, and maintaining hyper-masculine expression.
