On the "Down Low": Homophobia in the workplace

[Modem Butterfly]

I got drawn into a conversation about men who live "on the down low". One of my co-workers said, "If you think a man might be gay, then he probably is, and you just need to stay away," and another co-worker said, "And if your little boy is playing with dolls, he's probably going to turn out gay, too and you need to put a stop to it," In a group of four or five people, including me, everyone turned and looked at her. Someone said, "You can't stop someone from being gay," and someone else said, "Yeah, all you can do is make them feel ashamed," and I said, "And that's why some guys live 'on the down low'- because they're ashamed of being gay and afraid to tell people," and another lady said, "Those guys already have it rough because a lot of them are black AND gay," and the conversation turned to racism in general.

Wow. I hardly had to say anything.

[Bok_Tukalo]

1. You don't have to stop it. Just call them action figures instead.

"And if your little boy is playing with dolls, he's probably going to turn out gay, too and you need to put a stop to it,"