Brittany Luce

Who's doing the bending?

Yes, with the famous line, who's doing the bending?

Where Janet Jackson's character, she receives a positive HIV diagnosis.

And the audience is supposed to understand that this happened because her husband was stepping out on her with another man.

Or even thinking about like Insecure, the HBO show where Molly's big issue with the guy she's dating is that he's openly bisexual and was comfortable telling her about dating a man in the past.

Like she has the idea that there's some black gay man in the past that is a threat to their current relationship.

heterosexual romance in their possible future.

These ideas are reproduced through entertainment and are making people a lot of money.

So as you all say, it's not just the DL Whisperer online.

It's not just the conversations that people are having amongst themselves in real life.

This is also something that is fascinating enough to a general audience

predominantly straight audience that this boogeyman is reproduced over and over again in culture.

And this brings me to a question.

You know, it seems like the DL archetype is a form of misplaced fears and anxieties.

What is a more productive way to think about the way some Black men are navigating their sexual and social lives?

Hmm.

Not just accepted.

I want to note that you use the word celebrated.

Kai, Jeffrey, I've really enjoyed this conversation.

Thank you both so much.