A “DL trade” is a homosexual male, that presents himself as a very masculine straight guy (trade). He’s gay, but keeps it on the down low (dl). He usually keeps his relationships with other men hidden.
— “Look at that fine ass guy! You think hes gay?”
“Ho that man is a dl trade, steer clear.”
— “My man my man my man, I wanna take him to the alter.”
“He’d have to come out first bitch!”
Dl (meaning down-low) Bi (bisexual) trade is a phrase describing a bisexual man who is at least moderately attractive that f*cks with dolls (trans women).
The historical definition of trade originated from ballroom culture in NYC in the 80s/90s, stemming from black and latino trans and gay culture. The word described a black or latinx man who was masculine appearing but also a little gay. Now the term has been coined by many trans women to describe hot men who they find attractive or vice versa.
Omg, I saw my dl bi trade in the dining hall today, he was staring at me.
The grindset is a contemporary ideology of self-exploitation disguised as strength, deeply tied to the aesthetics of the “sigma male” and to new digital forms of patriarchy. It promotes the idea that human worth depends on productivity, economic success, absolute emotional control, and the ability to work endlessly, turning vulnerability, rest, community, and tenderness into signs of weakness. Beneath its rhetoric of discipline and power often lies a profound inability to relate healthily to pain, fragility, and human interdependence.
“That’s the grindset, brother. While weak men sleep and complain, sigma males stay disciplined, work in silence, suppress emotions, and build power while everyone else wastes time chasing comfort.”