Sexual Discretion: Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing

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 McCune 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; from E. Lynn Harris’s contemporary sexual passing novels to McCune’s own interviews and ethnography in night clubs and on-line chat rooms. Sexual Discretion details the causes, pressures, and negotiations driving men who rarely disclose their intimate secrets.