j.l. king – imploring sexual responsibility
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photo by steed media service
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Activist, Author, On the Down Low
Three years ago, J.L. King became a cultural phenomenon, a New York Times best-selling author and
even got an audience with media maven Oprah Winfrey for his explosive exposé, On the Down Low. Yet,
despite announcing to the world that he engaged in sexual congress with men while married — all while
refusing to accept the gay label — King recently stated that he continues to get hit on by many women
to this day. “And they know how I roll,” he laughs. “I’ve had many women who have said to me, ‘just let
me spend one night with you, and I promise you if you get some of this, you won’t ever look at another
man again.’ ... And I chuckle at that. ... And I like the fact that they are comfortable talking with me
about that.”
And that’s the point, King says. At least they are talking about sexual orientation and the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. There has to be a lot more discussion, interaction, and mostly action to rescue the community
from this peril. “The churches, the media, schools, the households all need to take ownership of this
disease. If we don’t do anything about it, we are going to become an endangered species. We are going
to have millions of orphans, like they have in Africa,” he says.
Therefore King, a father of three who has published fi ve more books since On the Down Low crashed
against American sensibilities, moved to Atlanta from Chicago and has taken a leadership role in the
fi ght against one of the most prolifi c killers the world has ever seen. He also has a publishing company
that seeks to help writers become entrepreneurs. But mostly King is going to use his international platform
to inform and transform thinking about HIV.
“I am an activist and I refuse to be silent,” King says. “... We have to take control of this disease.”
–terry shropshire
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