Title: Sexual discretion : black masculinity and the politics of passing /
Authors: McCune, Jeffrey Q.,
Year: 2014
Subjects: African American gay men.; Closeted gays.; Gay men Relations with heterosexual women; Masculinity
Abstract: "African American men who have sex with men while maintaining a heterosexual lifestyle in public are attracting increasing interest from both the general media and scholars. Commonly referred to as "down-low" or "DL" men, many continue to have relationships with girlfriends and wives who remain unaware of their same-sex desires, and in much of the media, DL men have been portrayed as carriers of HIV who spread the virus to black women. Sexual Discretion explores the DL phenomenon, offering refreshingly innovative analysis of the significance of media, space, and ideals of black masculinity in understanding down low communities. In Sexual Discretion, Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr. provides the first in-depth examination of how the social expectations of black masculinity intersect and complicate expressions of same-sex affection and desire. Within these underground DL communities, men aren't as highly policed--and thus are able to maintain their public roles as "properly masculine." McCune draws from sources that range from R&B singer R. Kelly's epic hip-hopera series Trapped in the Closet to Oprah's high-profile exposé on DL subculture; and from E. Lynn Harris's contemporary sexual passing novels to McCune's own interviews and ethnography in nightclubs and online chat rooms. Sexual Discretion details the causes, pressures, and negotiations driving men who rarely disclose their intimate secrets."--Publisher's Web site.
Contents: Introduction: Discrete/discreet acts, goin' Down Low -- Yo' daddy's dysfunctional: risk, blame, and necessary fictions in Down-Low discourse -- "Out" in the club: the Down Low, hip-hop, and the architexture of black masculinity -- Goin' Down Low: virtual space and the performance of masculine sincerity -- The pages are ridden with discretion: pedagogy of the pass and present -- Conclusion: From sexual discretion to sexual suspicion.