Go Tell It On The Mountain
By Keith Boykin, in movies
Monday, December 19 2005, 9:12 AM
Early talk described it as a "gay cowboy movie." Gay men jokingly referred to it as "Bareback Mountain." Its supporters say it's a love story. Film critics say its a tour de force. Its detractors say it's morally reprehensible. Depending on who you talk to, everybody seems to have an opinion about Brokeback Mountain, already the year's most controversial film.
But there's one thing they haven't said about the film that needs to be said. If these characters had been black, they would have called this movie a film about the down low. Instead, they're calling it a classic love story. It's for that reason that I love Brokeback Mountain and I hate it. I love Brokeback as a film that is able to move beyond the down low pathology, but I hate what it says explicitly and implicitly about the double standards in America based on race and sexual orientation.
Let me be clear. I don't hate the film itself. Brokeback is an excellent film. Heath Ledger gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Ennis del Mar, the Wyoming cowboy conflicted about his feelings toward the aptly named Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). The acting is superb. Ang Lee's direction is brilliant and inspired. The cinematography is gorgeous. And the story is beautifully told.
And the message is important too. For all the damage that these two men inflict on their wives and their relationships, there is one scene in the movie that reveals the inherent and unquestioned privilege of heterosexism. When we see a young girl about to be legally married to her new boyfriend, we can't help but juxtapose that reality against the story of two older men who will never find acceptance of their love. The message is clear. A straight couple who barely know each other are more valuable to society than two men who have loved each other for decades.
A White Down Low Story
But make no mistake about it. These men are on the down low. The term "down low" is commonly used to refer to "men who have sex with men but do not identify as gay." If that's the case, these two rugged cowboys are saddled up for the down low. Ennis and Jack are married with children and yet they're secretly sleeping with one another. If that ain't the down low, then what is? If the cowboy boot fits, then wear it.
The reason why we don't say they're on the down low is simple -- they're white. When white men engage in this behavior, we just call it what it is and move on. But when black men do it, then we have to pathologize it into something evil called the "down low." Therein lies the double standard.
It's not the first time we've seen this double standard. Last year when New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announced that he had cheated on his wife with another man, no one ever said the governor was on the down low. Why? Because he is white. If the governor had been black, it would have been an entirely different story.
But the media and the public don't see things through the eyes of black gay and bisexual men. Out of more than 4,000 published stories on Google News, the Chicago Tribune was the only publication that even hinted at the down low angle in the film.
When Ennis del Mar claims, "I ain't queer," after his first sexual encounter with Jack Twist, Jake Gyllenhaal's character quickly agrees. "Me neither," he declares. Despite their sexual attraction, they are not ready to deal with the baggage that comes along with homosexuality. And so, like so many men on the down low, they deny it, even as they delve deeper and deeper into their relationship. Over the course of 20 years or so, their relationship becomes more complicated as they balance their romantic encounters with their duties to their wives and their children.
In a film review in the Chicago Tribune, critic Michael Phillips observes, "The screenplay...observes some interesting corners and ripple effects of such a declaration [of not being "queer"], especially as it affects the wives of men who travel the high country, the low country and the down-low country." That's the only reference I could find in the mainstream media to the possibility that these guys were on the down low.
The Down Low Double Standard
Except for the fact that the series of events takes place among cowboys in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, this story is not unusual. There must be thousands of young black men who "experimented" with homosexuality in high school or college and then repressed those feelings for years until they resurfaced again later in life after marriage. When the black men do it, we condemn them for being on the down low. When the white men do it, we create beautiful Hollywood stories about them that win record numbers of Golden Globe nominations.
At this very moment, I know of half a dozen black films in the works about the harm of the down low in the black community. Black America continues to move toward demonization of homosexuality and bisexuality while white America is being forced to confront it from an entirely different perspective.
The problem is that the demonization approach is wrong. If we really want to do something about the down low, we have to understand why these men are on the down low in the first place. We have to understand how society pushes these men -- black and white -- into sham relationships that are destined for self-destruction. And we have to have the courage to change that narrative.
Frankly, after a year of writing and talking about the down low, I'm tired of all the people asking me why don't black men come out and be open about their sexuality. Why would they? Why would a gay cowboy or a black bisexual man "come out of the closet" given the consequences? Think about it. If you knew that coming out would mean your church would condemn you, your family would disown you and your friends would ostracize you, would you come out? Yet that's the choice we expect black gay and bisexual men to make in our homophobic culture.
If we really want to do something about the down low, we need to do something about the culture of homophobia that encourages these men to be on the down low in the first place. Until then, we're just blowing smoke up our asses.
Comments conceal
Laura
December 23 2005, 5:12 PM
janetta said: "do not infect women with hiv and leave their children motherless because you are selfish and cant face what it is that you are."
heterosexual women need to put some thought into what they are doing before hopping into bed with somebody just because they have a dingaling dangling between their legs.
they are equally as complicit in the spread of hiv among themselves, and the fatherless children they inflict on the world.
they should either clear the rocks out of their head before knockin boots, or do us all a favor and just keep their panties up.
janetta
December 23 2005, 12:12 PM
if men do not want to be considered down low or on the down low they should make up their minds about what side of the fence they want to play on.women do not want to be sharing a bed with a man that has sex with other men.be true to yourself if you like having sex with men then stay with men.do not infect women with hiv and leave their children motherless because you are selfish and cant face what it is that you are.stop pretending, life is to short.
mike
December 23 2005, 11:12 AM
I am poz, gay and my birth cert lists me as white, however as a child I was always asked if I were mulatto, high yella, etc. As an adult it depends on where I'm at in the U.S. where people ask me. Anyway, I posted Keith's editorial on a site I belong to and I got blasted (Keith did) for saying anything about the movie. Very say gay white men responded that way. Only one man said anything supportive. The others were saying things against Keith Boykin, talking about the times not being what they are today, etc., without THINKING about what Keith's point is.
I still look at the world with rose glasses and hope people change and cast off their hatreds and narrow views. Then some turn around and sorely disappoint me.
Laura
December 23 2005, 2:12 AM
"The term "Down Low" would not have ever been used if it weren't for men of color themselves resisting identification with being gay."
it's more like some idiotic hangup they have with "masculinity" and whether the people who hate them for having same sex think of them as "masculine enough", by status quo standards, of course.
ho's for the status quo, petrified of what others think.
i can't stand them.
norge
December 22 2005, 3:12 PM
The term "Down Low" would not have ever been used if it weren't for men of color themselves resisting identification with being gay. I don't see this so much as a country inventing the double standard so much as it is some men of color insisting they are not "gay" but they are "men who have sex with men" or take care of business on the "down low". Seems "being in the closet" was just "too white" and "gay" for some.
thomas morrow
December 22 2005, 10:12 AM
I saw Brokeback Mountain in New York last weekend and again last night in Philly. In my opinion, people who are Progressive, Outside the Box and Independent thinkers, view Relationships as just what they are........Two people exploring Love. Closed minded, Bible toting, Clone-thinkers who thrust their INTERPRETATION of Religion or their force fed ideas about How Humans are supposed to Suppress their inate, honest feelings......... are just going to always hate the Reality of Homosexuality. There are alot of Independent thinking Heteros who are Minorities. We just tend to focus on the Negative ones (those who Hate on us for being honest and Out). Thats the same way White people Group negative stereotypes of Black people....so we need to stop. Growing up in the Midwest, I felt I could connect with Jack and Ennis..... The whole story, the acting, the movie and scenery was simply beautiful and REAL. The subtlty in Ennis character was potent and when he hung the shirts in the closet and said, Jack..... I swear...... so many emotions swept over me for all that he could never say to Jack Twist when he was alive..... I just lost it right there in the theater.... Luckily I was with friends....... (smile).
Laura
December 22 2005, 5:12 AM
brklynbro said, "Black gay men today even use the term DL regularly to be more sexually appealing, more masculine.....not more loving."
lolol so "masculine" and "love" are suddenly mutually exclusive and unrelated for these people. they treat each other the way they treat clueless hetero women. how interesting.
no wonder i don't respect any of them, they are vile.
RTA
December 21 2005, 8:12 PM
Don't you think it is J.L. King's fault that the "Down Low" Syndrome even exists at this point. No one was talking about it, that I can recall, before he appeared on Oprah. It's not America's fault that such a movie with two Black men would have been referred to differently. It's J.L. King and Oprah's fault!
Regan DuCasse
December 21 2005, 11:12 AM
I'd read the story by E. Annie Proulx and I just saw the movie.
I know gay men and couples who live in WY.
The fact remains that one character (Ennis) had been traumatized by being shown the mutilated body of a presumably gay rancher who had been murdered.
The equivilent of little black boys growin gup around the knowlege and witnessing of lynchings of black men in the Deep South.
That sort of psychological trauma is a tool.
Anyway, the story was a hearttbreaker and a study in how the heterosexual majority interferes with young gays and lesbians and their social and mental adjustment-to the extent that young wives and husband end up betrayed too.
All the way around, hetero conceit is driving the train.
And everyone suffers unnecessarily.
Lance
December 21 2005, 11:12 AM
Yeah, I agree with Keith. I came out of the movie saying it was a White "down low" story in the sense that these were two White MSMs who do not identify as gay and whose identity choices have an impact on the women in their lives.
I thought the film was thought provoking and I recommend it. Whether or not the film is a "classic" love story is a question. I'm not a fan of deeming certain stories universal and therefore relatable across time, space, community, etc. Whether or not a story resonates with you on some level is more important than whether or not it is universal.
Finally, as a side note, I don't think stories about being on the down low necessarily reveal the complexities and/or range of Black masculinities. To do that writers/filmmakers need to depict a variety of ways Black men perform their gender and sexual identities in multiple settings. Why not put the down low brothas in conversation with Black men who regularly make different identity choices? We need to interrogate those aspects of Black culture that produce the down low phenomenon (e.g. normailizing and at times celebrating the hyper-masculinity of athletes and entertainers) rather than use it as a framework to tell stories about Black life.
Ron
December 20 2005, 11:12 PM
Many thanks to Bklynbro for his very lucid yet brief comments. Helped me enormously. I had the distinct feeling that Kieth simply got it very wrong on this one.
;-)
Ron Lee
December 20 2005, 9:12 PM
Although I have not seen the Movie the story sounds as ole as time. Do yall remember "DELIVERANCE" with Jon Voight & Burt Reynolds? Made in the 70s'about a campimg trip gone arie. Of-course there were no love story here; but basically what it does tell is how some men see and desire other men " If only for one night". There was a time in the West, when Woman were a hot and seldom seen camodity. It was not unusual for two cowboys whose paths crossed in the day to confort one another at night. The next day, they would get up and ride off into the sunset never to meet again. Kids they invented "the one night stand". As for the"Down-Low",bisexual men themselves coined that term and it seems a lot of gay men are jealous of these guys mostly because these men are butch,perfer woman and are not usually clockable. I know so-called straight guys when discussing something they want kept confidential they still say keep it on the "down-low",they are refusing to give that term up. When it comes to"DL" thats a bisexual issue,it's not an isue for "GAYS".
Luke in Vancouver BC
December 20 2005, 9:12 PM
Being “in the closet” basically refers to knowingly hiding one’s homosexual tendencies or desires. It does not necessarily imply being homo- or gay-active, or being in love. There are quite a number of men and women, especially one to two generations ago, who were not aware at all of their homosexual tendencies. These can not be called “in the closet,” they may have been struggling but they genuinely did not know what their struggle was about.
There are men and women who, unlike the characters of the movie, consciously or unconsciously repressed their homosexual tendencies via different mechanism, sometimes with struggle and sometimes with little struggle at all. Concept of family life, social and personal responsibility (toward children,) religious or philosophical pressure, super ego, fear, sublimation, and more could have caused them to live outwardly a fairly successful family life and meeting the social expectations. Their sex life may not have been very fulfilling, but then again sex is not always that important to certain people in certain social context and time.
Today, almost every young child in the industrialized western world is aware of concepts of homosexuality, bisexuality and sexuality as a whole. Life is really different and as life changes, cultures and sub groups are dynamic and change too, language adapts, behavior, attitudes, and opinions change.
I discovered – and I do not claim this is a true fact – that Down Low originated in African American slang, simply meaning “secret information.” Please, refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-low
Certainly “in the closet” and “down low” overlap to some degree in meaning. I think however, their respective meanings are quite distinct. The down low does no apply readily to the white culture, or any other culture, mainly because it is a typical African American colloquial expression. I am not being prejudicial of any culture or behavior. Non African American can and do hide in various manners their same sex desires and/or acts while playing or assuming the role of being straight. Does pretending to be straight have to imply cheating on one’s wife or partner? No, there are gay bachelors, who are not sexually active but, who are in the closet, and thus assume outwardly a straight lifestyle.
I also think there is a difference in men deceiving themselves (being in denial) really believing not to be gay while having often sex with men, and knowing to be gay (or bisexual) but outwardly living (pretending/acting) a straight lifestyle. It is true that having a one time sex experience with a guy does not make you gay (especially if you are a woman – duh!)
Finally, thank you bklynbro for your explanation on the down low. It was clear and needed to be said. It prompted me to do some more research and to write this way too long piece.
Luke in Vancouver BC
December 20 2005, 9:12 PM
Being “in the closet” basically refers to knowingly hiding one’s homosexual tendencies or desires. It does not necessarily imply being homo- or gay-active, or being in love. There are quite a number of men and women, especially one to two generations ago, who were not aware at all of their homosexual tendencies. These can not be called “in the closet,” they may have been struggling but they genuinely did not know what their struggle was about.
There are men and women who, unlike the characters of the movie, consciously or unconsciously repressed their homosexual tendencies via different mechanism, sometimes with struggle and sometimes with little struggle at all. Concept of family life, social and personal responsibility (toward children,) religious or philosophical pressure, super ego, fear, sublimation, and more could have caused them to live outwardly a fairly successful family life and meeting the social expectations. Their sex life may not have been very fulfilling, but then again sex is not always that important to certain people in certain social context and time.
Today, almost every young child in the industrialized western world is aware of concepts of homosexuality, bisexuality and sexuality as a whole. Life is really different and as life changes, cultures and sub groups are dynamic and change too, language adapts, behavior, attitudes, and opinions change.
I discovered – and I do not claim this is a true fact – that Down Low originated in African American slang, simply meaning “secret information.” Please, refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-low
Certainly “in the closet” and “down low” overlap to some degree in meaning. I think however, their respective meanings are quite distinct. The down low does no apply readily to the white culture, or any other culture, mainly because it is a typical African American colloquial expression. I am not being prejudicial of any culture or behavior. Non African American can and do hide in various manners their same sex desires and/or acts while playing or assuming the role of being straight. Does pretending to be straight have to imply cheating on one’s wife or partner? No, there are gay bachelors, who are not sexually active but, who are in the closet, and thus assume outwardly a straight lifestyle.
I also think there is a difference in men deceiving themselves (being in denial) really believing not to be gay while having often sex with men, and knowing to be gay (or bisexual) but outwardly living (pretending/acting) a straight lifestyle. It is true that having a one time sex experience with a guy does not make you gay (especially if you are a woman – duh!)
Finally, thank you bklynbro for your explanation on the down low. It was clear and needed to be said. It prompted me to do some more research and to write this way too long piece.
Ron
December 20 2005, 9:12 PM
We should not forget that black men created the term "down low" in order to separate themselves from white gays and other "out" men. For years the "down low" was glamorized and used as a way to seem more attractive than men who were comfortable with their sexual orientation and presumably "clockable." Today, that term has been turned against black men and we are partly responsible.
Derrick from Philly
December 20 2005, 4:12 PM
Oh, Roy Cohn and J. Edgar Hoover--they're typical examples of white men on the DL, I guess.
Derrick from Phillly
December 20 2005, 4:12 PM
Thank you, Bklynbro
Your definition of "DL" was about as clear and accurate as I've ever heard. But there must be a white version of the Down Low. If the characters in "Brokeback Mountain" are in the closet (men who are aware of their homosexual desires, but just don't want to be out to the world as Gay, then what kind of white men would be their version of being a DL?
I guess the difference between being "in the closet" and being on the DL has to do with emotion and self-analysis. If it's romantic emotion involved with the sex, then it's being "in the closet" because you secretly admit your love for member(s) of the same sex. But if it's just sex and you appear to have a contempt for those men who feel romantic emotion for each other, then it's being on the DL.
Does that mean that in the black community, Langston Hughes would have been "in the closet" but NOT on the DL? And what about Eddie Murphy with his lust for Asian drag queens-- in what category does he fall? Murphy's a DL-ADL: down low Asian drag lover...of African descent.
Bklynbro
December 20 2005, 3:12 PM
“Down low” is a term that originated from within the American Black community. And became a huge issue by Black women and Black media. The DL has always had much more to do with secret sex than with having a serious love affair with another man. What I saw in Brokeback were two men in the closet in "1963 WYOMING" who are in love. Nothing like the Black DL men of today who are only about secretive sex and no love. There's no comparison. Black gay men today even use the term DL regularly to be more sexually appealing, more masculine.....not more loving.
byron
December 20 2005, 10:12 AM
I posted a very similar argument on my blog a couple of weeks ago and updated it this weekend after I saw the film. Great minds think alike i guess!
Check it out.
http://www.byronmason.com
QV Ediotr
December 20 2005, 5:12 AM
When I see films whose leads are black and who play characters who are going through emotional or physical challenges similar to my own, their skin color is irrelevant.
This is logically true in the reverse, black audiences identifying with white characters. This holds true for gay audiences watching straight characters. The same logically holds true for straight audiences watching gay characters.
In the case of Brokeback, the ordeal is forbidden love. While this is importantly a movie about the forbidden love between two gay men, the color of their skin is irrelevant. As Morgan Freeman (brilliant person) said on 60 Minutes: stop talking about it. Stop raising issues where none needn't exist.
Brokeback Mountain is a gift from Annie Prouxl and Ang Lee to all of us. The beauty, tenderness, love, passion, tragedy, pain, suffering is universal, human.
fogel
December 19 2005, 10:12 PM
I said the same thing months ago in a post on this message board (see the "Breaking Down Brokeback" spread). I am so glad that Keith has picked up on this-- I was beginning to feel that I was alone in my ideas about this.
As I said in my original post, I think that we need to use this film (which by all accounts is going to be HUGE, especially once it is widely released and on everybody's Oscar list) to open a dialogue about how the DL has been use to vilify black men and build up sterotypes about black male sexual behavior and (supposed) pathologies.
John
December 19 2005, 10:12 PM
Just a thought: We live, we love. Nothing else matters.
Openly gay love is love that is without the masks that one can live without; love on the down-low is love that is not in a position to pronounce its name.
Openly gay love is freedom; love on the DL is choice. Life is never a process from freedom to freedom, but a process from choice to freedom.
So, love him and let him love you.
Will
December 19 2005, 8:12 PM
I also think that had the characters been black then one of them would have died of AIDS. I was particularly concerned about the scene where Jack goes to Mexico. I just knew that he would have contracted a disease and brought it back, but he did not. If it were a black story, I think he would have.
I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but I too think it is a reflection of a double standard because as we all know white people don't contract HIV.
Onllwyn Cavan Dixon
December 19 2005, 7:12 PM
Well, as it always seems another film is being hailed as a masterpiece. But does it represent the gay community? No, it does not. Again, the media is hailing a piece of art as a representing gay communities. It doesn't represent me and it doesn't represent most gay men I know. How much attention did the film Brother to Brother get in comparision?
cmoney
December 19 2005, 7:12 PM
Good review. I've been waiting to see this movie for a long time and will do so as soon as it gets out of its extremely limited opening in NYC and L.A. (What's that all about?). In 2005, just getting to see ANY movie worth the price of admission is a rare treat. A movie with a gay theme is even better. I'll just try to enjoy it mow that you have made the disturbing observations about the double standard applied to African-American gays in reality and on the big screen. How long will it be before the porno knock off "Bareback Mountain" comes out? You know it's coming! :-)
Deacon
December 19 2005, 7:12 PM
I went to see the movie expecting one thing but was surprised that it was nothing like I expected, it wasn't a tender lover story but rugged story about two men in love with one another. As a gay man I was glad to see a movie with homosexual characters that weren't drag queens, dying of AIDS (as if only gay persons could have AIDS in movies), or the comic relief. As a black man I hope that one day our story's about being gay will told but until then Brokeback Mountain will have to do. As far as the DL issue yes they were technically on the down low but I think the movie was more than just about two men in love on the down low, I think at the heart of the movie it was about relationships, good bad or indiiferent. One thing to remember is that it was written from a white persons perspective. I think that when it comes to black men and "The Down Low" it's more about the the physical act of sex than love, I could be wrong but how many down low black men will admit to being in love with the guy there having sex with. All in all it was one of the best movies I've seen, black or white one way or another there is at least one thing in the movie everyone could relate to.
Luke in Vancouver BC
December 19 2005, 5:12 PM
Keith and all,
My partner, who is of Black African descent, and I, of average White European descent, saw the deeply moving movie together. We both liked it thoroughly.
Your comments are valid and needed to be brought up. Culturally, behaviorally, and dare I say, even racially not all blacks within the United States are the same. There is even more diversity worldwide. We could say the same about other races.
I yet have to see a comprehensive definition of the term “in the closet.” It is used with different meanings; however, a common denominator seems to be not being “openly gay.” It is more or different then just not being openly gay.
Is the “down low” a term that originated from within the American Black Community? Where more specifically are its origins found?
Is there not a substantial or clear difference between “in the closet” and “the down low?” What is it? It seems too simplistic to say that one is used for Blacks and the other for Whites.
I also have not yet seen a comprehensive definition of the term “down low.” I presume that it is also used with different meanings.
I would suggest to all to read the short story of Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx, and Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay, also by Annie Proulx.
Origianally it is a short story as part of the book, Close Range: Wyoming Stories, by Annie Proulx.
The story is set in a specific setting and during specific period of time. It’s a love story.
Keith, of course I should have read your books first, but it would be great if you could enlighten us a bit on your website too. Thank you.
Finally, thanks to many who have posted here and given me (at least) insightful information and opinions.
PHOENIX
December 19 2005, 5:12 PM
Any success in the movies about gay culture when it is enlightening to those who are ignorant is a success for all.WE CAN FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE RAMPANT PREJUDICE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY:We need only use words to do so when we use them to counter the negative comments of others.We each need not do it everytime,merely some of the time for example:"I think gays are freaks"...."oh yeah,well you need to learn to get along with everybody"...."I don't want any gays around me"...."Oh yeah,well a lot of those gays don't want YOU around them when you suddenly think you need a big favor"...."gay people are sick"...Oh yeah,well thats what whites used to say about blacks and now you have become just like them:you are now a white person of the same variety"
Kola Boof
December 19 2005, 4:12 PM
Keith, you're absolutely right and this article was so good you should save it for an anthology.
Excellent writing and editing. Very keen observation.
I love how you're not afraid to share your inner feelings.
Go child!
Kola
john
December 19 2005, 4:12 PM
true marks: I perused your posting. it was so well put! you are profound and you touched my heart.
sardento
December 19 2005, 4:12 PM
Keith...you hit the mark
True Marks: You seemed to miss completely what was being said. I'll stop
Brad
December 19 2005, 3:12 PM
I have never heard the term "down low" until I got the Logo TV station, where I heard it on a news report (CBS on Logo). The guys I've known who have sex with married men talk about their partners being closeted or married.
But then again, I live in South Dakota where the perception is that two black people live in our entire state. Not unlike Wyoming. Perhaps the reason they don't use the term in the movie, is because people in Wyoming don't use that term?
Just a thought. Excellent post about the tricky scenarios. Oh how I wish Brokeback Mountain would come to South Dakota!!!
MinnesotaMichael
December 19 2005, 3:12 PM
" The term 'down low' is commonly used to refer to 'men who have sex with men but do not identify as gay.' "
I have yet to see the film so I'm going to pose this as a question. Don't the men in "Brokeback Moutain" fall in love? Doesn't the story take place over the course of twenty-some years?
Or perhaps I've misunderstood the down low. I thought the down low was sex only and not likely to be long term.
Help me out!
M.
Texas76132
December 19 2005, 3:12 PM
You are correct. Black America continues with the demonetization of homosexuality while White America is forced to deal with it head on.
Even though homophobia in Black America goes unchecked, there are straight Black people willing to help us. Unfortunately much of the fault can be blamed on us Black gays because we are not willing to revoke Black America's free-card when it comes to abusing us. There is a video on Dallas/Ft Worth Channel 8's website under the Metro TV show about Black gays in the Dallas' Black community. There are Black church's and straight people willing to help us. I felt better after watching it.
Black gays cannot afford to make the same mistake that Black women made in the late 80's. Do you remember when Snoop Dog was chosen to receive an Image Award from the NAACP? The National Council of Negro Women had a fit and the NAACP backed-down from giving him the award. Unfortunately, Black women did not follow through. Many of them even supported the Rap music industry, saying that they did not need the Council for help. Some of Rap's biggest stars at the time cussed-out some of the councils members in speeches. It was truly a sad situation. Black women had the support of all of Black America but did act on their new-found strength to be respected. Now look. The only thing that has happened is that Black women have replaced White women in videos, and not only has Snoop Dog received an Image Award, he was a host of the show! They squandered a chance to be elevated to the equal status of the Black man in our community.
We Black gays cannot sit back and make that same mistake. We have to move forward and not care what our community thinks. If not for ourselves, at least for the next generation. There is too much talent out there in the Black gay community not to take advantage of. Maybe issues like the DL will go away.( I'm looking to support Black gay businesses when I can find them).
The White gay community has rode on the coattails of the civil rights movement from the start. That's why White celebrities can come out of the closet and not suffer the consequences to the same degree as their Black counterparts. Now it's time for us Black gays to use their coattails for our benefit. Cheryl Swoopes just came out of the closet. The criticism from the straight Black community was non-existent. Yes, there were jokes, but at the same time there was acceptance.
They still have problems with segments of White societies acceptance of gays. K.D. Lang was banned from Country music, and just recently ABC"s Good Morning America Sunday did a story on gay cowboys. The gay cowboys said they feared Brokeback Mountain would set them back.
Sometimes you just have to push forward and not care what others care. The White gays are taking away the Whites free-card to beat them up, us Black gays need to do the same in our community.
Melchus
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
Ok Keith, I'll be kind this time because you speak truth. I miss living in NY and being the first to view films such as Bareback Mountain (Dec 9th). In Atlanta, the first viewing was Dec 16th which was viewed by the entire gay community in GA and its surrounding states in one brokendown Landmark Theater in midtown. I joined my fellow gay football team [http://www.atlantathunderfootball.com/ ] for the film that evening. The team is mixed and have a great time together and this one was like no other. We all enjoyed the film for all the reasons you gave and concurred on the down-low being exemplified through the charactors. We had no protestors from the southern 'you are goin to burn in hell' .org society. And, afterwards we enjoyed fellowship at a local watering hole to express our likes and high points of the film...which was of course the tent scene, jumpin off the cliff, the flippin of Michele Williams by Heath in bed, and the 'lost shirt' found scene at the end. I advocate changing of perception of the down-low image American society has on gay black & white men.
www.tab2012.com
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
www.tab2012.com
Nyah Molineaux
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
Personally I do not want to see a movie about white gay cowboys. The movie just seems boring to me (probably I have been watching too much Logo).
I preferred seeing "Rent".
Adrian
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
I disagree wholeheartedly. I think that certain terms are merely cultural terms that date back to their orgination. I have always heard white people say "closeted," and black people say "down low." In fact, in my opinion, it would sound quite strange for someone to refer to a non-black person as down low, almost as extreme as using terms like "oreo" or "sellout." I also feel that although there is an undeniably large amount of demonization, we certainly cannot go to the other extreme: innocence. Married men who willingly and selfishly have sex with other men are not to be "understood" merely beceause society is homophobic and has repressed them. You have no right to live a dishonest lifestlye that includes possibility harming your wife, children, etc. If you feel that you want to have sex with other men, then it would be much more acceptable to leave the marriage, NOT to continue into deception. Society demonizers cheaters of all forms.
Ostracism is a sure possibility, but it is more courageous and admirable to live authentically than false. We have compared the gay struggle numerous times to the Civil Rights movement--let's go further. Black people were socially and psychologically oppressed, told that they were significantly inferior to white America; however, there were those who risked their lives in order for the possibility of living free. Is it too much to ask men to do to the same? No, I'm not marching in gay parades, but I'm not deceiving women, my family, and more importantly, myself. Maybe I'm peculiar for this, but I have ALWAYS felt that sexuality is something that is so inherently and intrinsically part of one's character that denial is possiblity, but lack of awareness is certainly not. How can one NOT know that one is stimulated at some level by the other gender. Also, in cultures that are not as socially oppresive, when someone realizes 10 years into the marriage that he is gay but has never had such feelings before, what proof is there? You've NEVER felt it before yet you somehow KNOW that you are now? Would not the same apply in opposite manners, whereas one who has always felt that he is gay somehow realizes that he is really straight and now is fully attracted to women? Would not that be possible since one can seemingly convert to a new and foreign sexuality that has never been even thought of by him/her before? We argue that social oppression so much, but we must also attempt to analyze the psychological element. Keith, I have asked you this on this forum numerous times, and you have never responded--If you did not know that you were gay until you were in college, and you had not been attracted to a man (even secretly) before then, what were your attracted to prior to that realization???????
What angers me is any justification of this behavior. Empathy is one thing, but approval is another. The line is very fine. Let's make sure that the blame goes ALL around...not just on straight, religious zealots.
Charles
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
Thank you John, as it is a word and/or phrase that is used in the Black Community...it is not used in the white community. For some reason the "black community" has to place a name to everything in order to make something of it. It is in my opinion the ultimate downfall, because it will always limit the growth of things. By giving it this catchy name it limits any true discussion because no one wants to admit to being on the "down-low". In addition, the black community is so harsh when it comes to men giving up the manhood and being gay. An excellent book to read: Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities
While I understand what Keith has written here, it is not a movie about the "down-low'. It is not about the white gay community getting the chance to make a film like this. The mainstream Hollywood machine, wants what will sell, if Spike Lee said that he would direct a serious tale about gay black love, trust me there would be consideration to make it. Our own directors do not want to tackle this particular story. As I have also read the short story (which I strongly advise everyone to do), it is a story about the vast measures that these men had to go to be with one another during the 60s and in the middle of nowhere. It is hard for me to place the term "DL" here as it is does not apply. However, I feel strongly that many people of today such as the Governor of New Jersey was on the "down-low". As today within a major city there is a gay community to be a part of. In addition, there is the internet and other forms and means of connecting. The governor did not want to lose his power in politics by admitting he was gay. Now that is wrong but it is a story as old as the hills. Remember the head of the FBI during the 60s. Within the short story and apparent in the movie, these men were 20 years old and faced with something that they never had experienced before during that time of getting married and having children. You can not make the blanket statement that they should have told their wives, it was not what was done. There was no language in their head to make that work for them. Sort of like Harriet Tubman, who had to convince slaves to run because they had never even considered such a notion; and furthermore threatened to kill anyone who wanted to turn back. Yes, it is wrong, but how could they explain what they really did not know within themselves. Again, these 2 characters had no mirror to look out upon and cast an image from.
I feel that Keith is off the mark with this one. Yes, there are avenues for the Black Community to address these issues and it is happening, slowly but surely and thank you Keith for being out there.
It is going to take time; it has been mere years maybe since the late 1990s that the Black Community has been even mentioning the term homosexuality in a somewhat positive light. We as a community are behind in some ways (economically, politically, educationally etc, and we can not blame the white community), as this generation grows and expand their views (Thank you Kayne, Kamero from MTV Real World and others) things will change in Black culture.
Mark
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
I thought it was a great film, but what I loved most about it is that there was no talk of any struggle with identity in it. The struggle was about finding enough time to be together. These guys were not marked as "innately" homosexual at all - the only time gay identity was even mentioned was when they both insisted to each other that they weren't "queer"! Ennis was depicted having no problem having sex with his wife, and he never even looked at another guy besides Jack. On the other hand, Jack definitely had a taste for sex with men, but did not consider himself queer because of that either. It might have just been an acquired taste. Even the boss on BB Mountain, played by Randy Quaid -- when he tells Jack that he won't hire him again -- doesn't say "I don't want no queers around here." Instead he says, "I wasn't paying you guys to let the dogs babysit the sheep while you stemmed the rose!" There is no indication in the movie at all that only queers like same-gender loving. No doubt, a willing viewer can imagine in his/her mind that Ennis is a closet homosexual and that his straight life is a sham, but the movie itself doesn't offer any support for that. What Ennis experienced, any guy could experience, and that is what makes this movie truly subversive. And I think that can provide an insight into what people are really afraid of with the DL. It's not just gay men not being true to themselves and living a lie, pretending to be attracted to their wives when what they really want is another man. Rather, it's ordinary men becoming more open to other experiences and finding they like it -- and the population that is susceptible to that is potentially unlimited. What makes people really afraid of the DL is that all their own unconscious, repressed homosexual desires are being cast up before their eyes and minds. The prisoner in the basement of their own psyches is starting to beat on the kitchen door, and they're terrified.
True Marks
December 19 2005, 2:12 PM
I disagree. I do not see any double standard here at all. Brokeback Mountain is indeed a classic love story in that it addresses the yearning for something one cannot have. The reason does not matter; the longing is universal. It happens to be about gay men and
they happen to be white. I do not think you can apply a hypothetical here and say if this was
about black men we’d be saying this or that. It is not about black men and black men (primarily) are saying it, anyway. It is bad enough that the media has reduced this great film
to “The Gay Cowboy Movie”. Let’s not further denigrate its art or its potential for dialogue about the subject by calling it, essentially, “The Gay White Cowboy Movie”.
And I think the comparison that we condemn black men for being on the down low and make
beautiful movies about white men who do it is just ridiculous. This is one movie; not a genre, not some emerging trend in filmmaking.
We condemn “down low” activity because it is dishonest and harmful. Just because it might be
called something else in other communities does not mean it is looked upon any differently or more favorably.
John
December 19 2005, 1:12 PM
I think the phrase 'down-low' circulates in black community, usually.
I have seen a lot of black gay men advertise themselves as 'dl brother' or 'brother on the dl'. sometime the word 'discreet' is used. Is it more like a black slang? I seldom see whites use this phrase.
Kenneth Winfrey
December 19 2005, 12:12 PM
There was some discussion about it on the messageboard a while back. http://www.keithboykin.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=191&start=0
I think most of us are on the same page, now...
alicia banks
December 19 2005, 12:12 PM
dear keith:
today, u have penned sheer poetry
i will see it and review it asap
thank u!!!
ditto re white gay filmmakers getting it
unlike their black media peers...
ie
black celebs do not come out as white celebs do for the same reason...they will be crucified by black fans far moreso than white fans like those who overwhelmingly accept elton john, kd lang, ellen, etc...
can u imagine 2 bm actors secure enough to play these roles? or, how they would be dogged as will smith and others who gare to play gay film roles have been???
the fact remains:
there is no more ruthless gaybasher than a black one
see more on the DL bs at my site...
peace
ab
Rodney
December 19 2005, 12:12 PM
Keith..after reading this and realizing society's pressures reminded me of this clip that everyone should watch..
http://current.tv/studio/media/1191792
Jon
December 19 2005, 12:12 PM
Well said Keith!! We must never forget that this country
was built by African-American for White Men!! For centuries, they were allowed to do anything, cheat on
their wives with black slave women and men, yet as the
country became more diverse, whenever African American men do anything, we are criticized and
demoralized! White men have been on the down low
for centuries. But like you mentioned, they do what they
do, then move on. Also, if people are concerned about
HIV in the African-American community and the high
rate among African-American women, why pin that on
Black brothers? White men sleep with black sisters, too, they have more disposable income to have sex
with black prostitutes, they outrank us in population,
and THEY are the ones causes numerous diseases. They do this to any group which they come in contact with, including themselves. Food for thought!!!
Eric
December 19 2005, 11:12 AM
Bravo Keith!!
Ben Frost
December 19 2005, 11:12 AM
Hi Keith and all that may read my comments.
Yesterday (Sunday), I went to an afternoon viewing of Brokeback Mountain here in Philadelphia. A very diverse crowd of gatherers all under one roof the view this film. After purchasing my ticket online and arriving 20 minutes early, I'd figured I would find the best seat to watch the movie without distractions. Well, as the people fold in, the theater quickly packed up. A few minutes after the previews began, a mid-age (I'd say 50-something) African-American woman walks in and sats right next to me.
As the picture begins and develop, there were some clearing of the throat, "mmmms", and other gestures... but, what was most disturbing to me was a later comment from her. (Recap the first scene that united the two men after four years of not seeing each other outside Ennis' house.) "Hmmmm, down low, uh huh.... down low," whispered my neighbor. And so, in totally disbelief, I sort of glanced at her in this pitchblack room, and she spoke back to me, "well, you know that's what it is."
Andrew in Seattle
December 19 2005, 11:12 AM
Too true, Keith. The double standard here is quite clear.
Hopefully the film can lead to a more intelligent conversation about men who have sex with men but don't "identify as gay." Perhaps the film can help people confront homophobia more directly by giving them a recognizable frame of reference. And perhaps the financial success of the film could lead to other film or tv projects with black characters, stories that confront the issue with the same level of empathy and avoid the racist demonization.
Until then we need informed and articulate voices like yours to point out the contradictions. Keep up the good work.
Tyler
December 19 2005, 11:12 AM
well said Keith!