On the Downlow and Pariah

In the startling documentary On the Downlow, Abigail Child investigates men who don’t identify as gay or bisexual but have sex with other men on the “downlow,” capturing their delicate balancing act to remain masculine and keep up appearances while justifying their desires. (2007, video, 54 minutes). Child’s work has been screened at Women with Vision 2006 and is in the Walker’s Edmond R. Ruben Film and Video Study Collection. This film is preceded by Pariah, a short focusing on a lesbian teenager in the Bronx who juggles multiple identities to avoid rejection from friends and family (2006, video, 27 minutes).