Secrets don’t make friends. That is a saying I learned in elementary school, and it has stuck with me these many years. It isn’t just that secrets don’t make friends; they end friendships, relationships, marriages, etc. One of the largest groups of people to keep secrets these days is African American gay men. What! You might say. Gay men are out of the closet, black and white alike. We all remember the real world San Francisco, the openly gay, interracial poster couple season. You might say, ‘hey, our community may be small, but we’re here and all you have to do is open your eyes to see us. Well, in some cases that is true, but many eyes are open with the wool coming down, because the so-called down-low brother’s are multiplying faster than rainbow flags. In case you were not aware of the term, a down-low brother is a gay man in secret; many have girlfriends or even wives, possibly children. They may or may not consider themselves homosexual, but nevertheless they have sex with other men for pleasure, in secret. Now, I am not one to even comment on lifestyle choices. To each his own, have fun and look good doing it is my motto, but don’t involve anyone unwillingly or unknowingly in it. There is no excuse for lying and cheating, opposite and same sex alike, but there is something fundamentally wrong about keeping your real sexual identity from a partner or spouse. What choices do women have if their partners cannot even be honest about their sexuality? That is the ultimate in unfair. And Dangerous. Is it possible that a down-low brother, so obsessed with secrecy and denial, might disregard or forget the condom? Is it outrageous to think that a man who lies to his partners would also be inconsiderate of safe sex practices? This is not a ’straight women beware’ rant. This is a get up and take responsibility for the truth and your lifestyle, be honest and forthright, get out of the shadows and into the open air where sexual freedom and choice is not only in the hands of one partner. Keep your sex on the up and up.

Anne Lamott wrote an interesting article for salon.com defending her Christian faith and her liberalism (something which many people find hard to reconcile), the article is here (you need to watch a short ad to view the whole thing):

God doesn’t take sides: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/04/27/gods_warning_signs/index.html

for more interesting discourse on christianity and liberal politics, check out jim wallis’ book ‘god’s politics: why the right gets it wrong and the left doesn’t get it’ … i haven’t read the book yet but i did see him interviewed on ‘the daily show’ with jon stewart, and he seemed to have intriguing ideas that i hope blast the stereotype of christians standing firmly on the side of the radical right.

Apple gets upset over a new biography of Steve Jobs and pulls books by the same publisher from its stores.

Click here for the article

-Jean Chen