J.L. King’s “Onthe Down Low” is a best-seller.

J.L. King is anactivist who travels to college campuses with the message that education canprevent young people from being infected with the HIV virus and other sexuallytransmitted diseases.

He lectures onsafe sex and about black men “on the down low,” — men in heterosexualrelationships who secretly have sex with other men.

That was thesubject of his best-selling book.

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

Dressed in aloose-fitting, all-black, dashiki-type outfit, King thanked Albany State forhaving him. Then he dove right into the subject, saying that HIV is killing theAfrican American community.

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

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

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

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

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

All racesparticipate in these acts, King said. STDs do not care about race, sexuality ormoney.

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

Other statisticsthat King cited: 16,000 young people are infected with HIV every year.

About 950,000Americans might not know that they are HIV positive.

King especiallyheld the audience’s attention when he discussed young men who do not like towear condoms, admitting that he does not like them, either. King said that themain excuse that young black men use are that the condoms are too small andwould break.

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

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

As the Sept. 28convocation neared its end, King gave some tips to young people about newrelationships.

He told them toget to know the person they are seeing, not to rush things, and to try to be asopen as possible.

The authorthanked the sororities that have supported him and his cause. No fraternity orother black male organization has wanted to get involved, he said. Theymaintain that the issue has noting to do with them.

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

King said thosein the audience should urge family members to protect themselves, check theirstatus and get to know their partners.

During thequestion-and-answer session, a student asked King why he thought young peopledid not talk about “down low” brothers, STDs, and so on. Young people areuncomfortable talking about that, King said.

Another askedwhat 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 hearit. But he said they need to be sexually responsible.

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

Derek Wolfe, a19-year-old sophomore business management major, said he was surprised thatKing talked so much about HIV and STDs, expecting him to talk just about hislife story.

GwendolynGunter-Wilson, an 18-year-old freshman mass communications major, said herfavorite part of the convocation was the condom demonstration that proved thatyoung men had no excuse not to use one.

Copyright Southern Digest Online

• Adam M. Peace