How Beneficial Is Having Knowledge About The Down Low

Many individuals have this malnourished ideal that HIV/AIDS is a disease based on race. “AIDS; which has ravaged minority community in disproportionately large numbers, must be viewed as racial issue, the national commission member on AIDS said yesterday” (Priest). Years ago Yale University law professor Harlon Dalton said this about HIV/AIDS, “We cannot approach the AIDS problem in a color blind fashion” (Priest). With this being said we need to stop pointing fingers at blacks’ for the disproportionate factor of HIV in this country. And also stop pointing fingers at black homosexuals.

Sex. It is everywhere. We see in television shows. In magazines. On the Internet. But sex is still seen as a taboo subject in our society. I believe that being educated about sexuality is vitally important to one health. Understanding one’s body and how it impacts your life. To understand how your beliefs about sexuality and sex have developed one needs to look back over the years and how your beliefs were engrained in your life. This essay will be based on my reflection by looking back on my sexual history on how and what have significantly impacted my development of sexuality. The focus will be on my reflection of answering the sexual history questions and how I have changed and developed over the years. It is important to analyze and reflect to understand how I came to be today, that the past has created my ideas and beliefs about sex and sexuality that have shaped me.

HIV/ AIDS affect African Americans at a higher rate than any other race (White, Asian, and Hispanic). With African Americans making up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, in 2014, they made up almost half of all new HIV/AIDS cases; 44 percent. African American men accounted for 73 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases, and of that 43 percent of African American men were heterosexual (CDC 2014). Since heterosexual African American men don’t equate to the larger population of HIV cases as compared to African American men who have sex with men, these heterosexual men are virtually invisible in the theoretical and empirical psychological HIV/AIDS literature (Bowleg, 2004, p.166).

It’s no secret that we all have sex. Every person grows up as an individual, learning things about themselves as they go along, as well as learning about others. We all eventually end up calling someone else our significant other, whether it be of the same sex or not, and we all end up making personal decisions about our sexual identity and actions as we progress through life. We define our sexual identities of something unique to only us and we acquire our identities with a mix of influences: biological, psychological, social, cultures, values, and society in the time in which we are growing up. After such influences, we make the choice when to lose our

Construct a 1,400- to 1,750-word personal response, analyzing the development of your own sexuality. Address the following topics in your paper:

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)

Human sexuality is a common phrase for all, and anything, pertaining to the feelings and behaviors of sex for the human race. Sexuality has been a topic that has been discussed and studied for as far back as 1000 years B.C. and is still being studied today. As the discussion of sexuality has progressed through history, theories have been created based on research and experiments that scholars have implemented, based on their own perceptions of human behavior. Out of the many theories that pose to explain sexual behavior, Sexuality Now explained ten that are seemed to be the most overlapped, and built off of theories. Of these theories, two that were discussed in the text were the behavioral and sociological theory. These two theories cover some of the basic ideas of what could possibly influence a person’s sexuality.

The article that I will be examines is “Booty call sex, violence, and images of black masculinity” by Patricia Hill Collins. The author has examined the black experience and how the media misrepresents black men; these effects are still felt in the present. Collins was using different forms of media such as sport, film, and historic events. To help the readers to learn where hyper sexuality, violet, and criminal stereotypes of black male come from.

Minority and sexual minorities understand the oppressive nature of majority groups. However, double minorities like Black gay men often suffer under virulent conditions such as the politics of Blackness, religious conservatism, homophobia, financial hardship, homelessness, lack of support systems, and isolation. Due to this Black gay men seek out comfort in spaces where other Black gay men frequent such as nightclubs. Sometimes nightclubs are the only spaces available where Black gay men feel safe. Often, stigma, racism, and homophobia force men into these spaces, but also these issues lead to negative health outcomes. These issues can prevent gay men from meeting up in healthier spaces and sharing their stories. And, because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the community lost a number of men who could have passed on a rich history.

In conclusion, the “down low” will always be a term stereotypically use toward the African American male. The term “down low” should not characterize African American community exclusively because research has shown Latinos utilized the term also. There is a barrier among the communities due to the fact white communities are not termed as such. Even with sexual preferences, there is still segregation among the cultures. If men on the “down low” would take responsibility for their actions and admit, they are gay or bisexual this would give the females a chance to know about their preferences and either leave or choose to use protection during sexual relations. As long as males of either community continue to be on the DL keep silent the number of women who infected with HIV or AIDS will continue to climb. For this reason, males within each community have a responsibility to inform their partners and to take precaution when having sex with other males.

The second topic touches upon how each person experiences moments where they feel like an outsider and do not fit in with the world around them. Problems can arise when this loneliness takes over and they either change a part of who they are to belong or isolate themselves from their peers because they feel misunderstood. The final point talks about how all humans have sexual desires whether it be for people of the opposite gender or the same gender. Failing to come to terms with these needs during childhood or adulthood can deeply affect a person's happiness and how they act in relation to the people around them. In order to live a prosperous life a person must not be narrow minded about human nature’s natural need for power, to belong, and for sexual companionship.

Various studies show evidence that link the relationship between social determinants of health and the risk for HIV. Interrelated social determinants of health can create a context of vulnerability and risk for HIV. It is very important to be able to recognize the interrelation components of HIV risk in order determine the HIV prevention response that is the most effective. For instance, research shows that HIV rates are significantly higher in Black men who have sex with men (MSM) than for MSM of other races. These rates, which are very disproportionate, are not attributable to a higher frequency of sexual risk behaviors. To appropriately address risk for MSM of different races, it is imperative to understand the process of disease transmission among these populations, in other words, the social determinants of health that are involved, such as access to healthcare (CHLA, 2012).

Collins approaches the beliefs of misconceptions already existent towards multi social groups’ underlying different issues mostly affecting African Americans. These issues highlighted by Collins include, “a set of ideas and social practices shaped by gender, race, and sexuality that frame Black men and women’s treatment of one another, as well as how African Americans are perceived and treated by others” (p.7). These ideas encapsulate a false understanding of the issues surrounding the persecutions the black community undergoes frequent. The notion of Black sexual politics addresses many connotations influencing behaviors as well as analyzing the reasons as to what affects explain the Black injustice created within our social structure. Furthermore, Collin does express how these perceptions created from gender, race, and sexuality not only affects the black community but also impacts other interracial injustices. These arguments affect a larger portion of society relative to: “Puerto Ricans, indigenous people, Haitian, Chicanos – as well as issues concerning poor health, homelessness, joblessness, and so on” (Collins p.13). This interracial component relates to global phenomena acknowledging these exploitations that affect society, nevertheless as a reader of Collins theories, she invites us to comprehend the actions and analyze our position within these issues. Other, components that relate to Black sexual Politics are the political structure and mass media. The development

Science is uncovered origins a lot of things over the centuries and the human created much great inventions and even explored the surface of the moon; however, one question still on everyone’s mind and science may have solved one of greatest mysteries yet which is: how did homosexuality and heterosexuality evolve? Many psychologist, biologist and scientist may agree with sexual orientation is output from a combination of biological, hormonal, environmental and emotional factors and those many factors that influence to a development of human sexual orientation. However, being homosexual or bisexual is not mentally ill or abnormal in certain ways, although sexual minority is part of social problems that makes output from misinformation or prejudicial attitude. Diversity in sexual orientation has been a subject that has been seen in different perspectives by the different people (LeVay, 2010). Today there are the homosexuals, heterosexuals and bisexuals orientated people are forming a part of our society. This paper conduct an overall study of important and strong factors and provides accurate information and explanation for those who want to better understand development of sexual orientation.

Throughout history there has been speculation about what influences sexuality in men and woman. Is sexual orientation biological or cultural in nature? There is a common misconception that sexual identity operate in parallel with gender roles( Sell, 2005 as cited in Wilkinson & Roys, 2005, p.65). Scholars have not came to an agreement regarding what actually comprise a person’s sexual orientation, however a sexual orientation has been deemed a cumulative experience and interaction of emotional and sexual feelings towards one or both genders (Wilkinson & Roys, 2005, p.65). The paper provides provides some clues as to what factors influence sexual orientation in men and woman.