The Oprah Winfrey Show

A Secret Sex World: Living on the "Down Low"

Author J.L. King blows the cover off a hidden sexual underground.
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Many of us thought AIDS was under control—we were wrong. AIDS is on the rise again and everyone is at risk.



New statistics reveal surprising high-risk groups AIDS/HIV in America
Not only are more African-Americans getting AIDS in record numbers, more women, more college students and people over age 50 are at greater risk than ever before.

Could your man be on the down low? Sex, Lies and Double Lives
J.L. King is breaking the silence about a hidden sexual lifestyle: husbands sleeping with other men. What it means to live on the "down low."

Unprotected sex puts everyone at risk for AIDS/HIV.
 Could This Happen to You?
AIDS is not just a gay white man's disease. African American men living on the "down low," and straight women—the new faces of AIDS.


Related Resources

J.L. King's book is called On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of "Straight" Black Men Who Sleep with Men
Organizations and online resources you can use to educate yourself about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

Original Air Date: April 16, 2004
TALK WITH OTHERS
As an African-American woman, this is a topic that affects the way I think about dating. The ignorance and denial about the fact that anyone can be vulnerable to HIV if they engage in unprotected sex, especially with men, is THE major factor in the spread of HIV in the African-American community.
— pisceanchk


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RELATED LINKS
AIDS: A Global Epidemic
Bono on AIDS in Africa
Vintage Oprah: AIDS in West Virginia