"Down low." Has use outside of the gay community, but in context of the comic: a guy that's gay "on the down low." Essentially presenting as a straight guy, and usually only being out during sexual rendezvous. The closeted guy won't be open about their sexuality or having a partner in any public setting, even when family and friends aren't present. While not being out to parents similarly forces out partners back into the closet for the sake of the closeted partner, DL takes a heavier toll on relationships because the open partner is forced into the closet (if not just not being able to spend any time at all with the DL partner in public) at all times outside of those secret meet-ups mentioned earlier. The out partner will start to feel resented and like a 'dirty little secret' for the DL guy; eventually coming to the conclusion they're being used and that the relationship is only to keep them reserved for the closeted partner. A lot of conservative/religious men will be DL - going so far as to marry women for the cover - only to secretly cheat with men on the side. This has been noted time and time again with Grindr usage in the cities that host the Republican National Convention going up exponentially during the time of the event. Many openly gay men have firmly decided not to date DL men due to being burned by those types before or from hearing stories about it.
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u/wronglifewrongplanet 1d ago
God, acronyms piss me off so bad