Don?t blame bisexual African American men for the high rate of HIV among African American women, says a . The article, called ?Focusing ?Down Low?: Bisexual Black Men, HIV Risk and Heterosexual Transmission,? claims that only 2 percent of African American men are behaviorally bisexual. But at least one study showed ?black MSM? who were ?on the down low? were less likely to engage in risky behavior than men who were open about their activities.

?The flawed logic that is often perpetuated by the media is that ONLY homosexual men have HIV, bisexual men ONLY contract HIV through homosexual behavior, and the ONLY way black women contract HIV is through sexual contact with these bisexual men,? said one of the report?s authors in an interview.

The JAMA article doesn?t present any new research, and it?s basically just a survey of the existing literature. In exonerating bisexual African American men from HIV infections among women, the study reaches for other stereotypes, including the idea that blacks are more promiscuous or likelier to trade sex for drugs than other ethnic groups. Black heterosexuals are likelier to have unprotected anal than vaginal sex, the authors claim. They also point to a higher prevalence among African American women of vaginal douching, which may increase their susceptibility to HIV. They admit that the causes of HIV in the African American community need further study, but make a plea for people to treat the issue as more complex than just secretively bisexual men on a rampage.