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| Handel has generally been accorded high esteem by fellow composers, both in his own time and since.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/01_january/13/composer6.shtml |title=BBC Press Release |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=13 January 2009 |access-date=13 April 2012 |archive-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127140028/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/01_january/13/composer6.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> ] attempted, unsuccessfully, to meet Handel while he was visiting ].<ref>{{harvnb|Dent|2004|p=23}}</ref> (Handel was born in the same year as Bach and ].) ] is reputed to have said of him, "Handel understands ] better than any of us. When he chooses, he strikes like a thunder bolt."<ref name="YoungMM">{{cite book |last=Young |first=Percy Marshall |url=https://archive.org/details/handel00youn_0 |title=Handel (Master Musician series) |date=1 April 1975 |publisher=J. M. Dent & Sons |isbn=0-460-03161-9 |page= |author-link=Percy Young |url-access=registration |orig-year=1947}}</ref> To ] he was "the master of us all... the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb."<ref name="YoungMM" /> Beethoven emphasised above all the simplicity and popular appeal of Handel's music when he said, "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means." | |||
| {{Redirect|Bisexual}} | |||
| {{Sexual orientation}} | |||
| '''Bisexuality''' is ] or ] or ] toward males and females. The term is especially used in the context of human sexual attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings toward men and women.<ref name="apahelp">{{Cite news |url=http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx |title=Sexual Orientation, Homosexuality, and Bisexuality |periodical=]HelpCenter.org |accessdate=July 16, 2012 |postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}</ref><ref name="glaad">{{cite web|title=GLAAD Media Reference Guide|accessdate=March 14, 2012 |publisher=]|url=http://www.glaad.org/document.doc?id=99|archivedate=January 1, 2011|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110101043203/http://www.glaad.org/document.doc?id=99}}</ref> ] may or may not be subsumed under bisexuality, with some sources stating that bisexuality encompasses romantic or sexual attraction to all ] or that it is romantic or sexual attraction to a person irrespective of that person's biological ] or ].<ref name="bisexuality">{{cite web|accessdate=March 14, 2011|title=What is Bisexuality?|work=The Bisexual Index|url=http://www.bisexualindex.org.uk/index.php/Bisexuality#binary}}</ref><ref name="Soble">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=IMTEiTtqqPcC|title=Sex from Plato to Paglia: a philosophical encyclopedia|volume=1|page=115 |last=Soble|first=Alan|isbn=978-0-313-32686-8|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|chapter=Bisexuality |accessdate=28 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="Sex and society">{{cite book|title=Sex and Society|volume=2|url=|page=593|last=Rice|first=Kim|isbn=978-0-7614-7905-5|publisher=]|year=2009|editor=Marshall Cavendish Corporation|contribution=Pansexuality|accessdate=October 3, 2012|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YtsxeWE7VD0C&pg=PA593&lpg=PA593&dq=Pansexuality&source=bl&ots=YYqrMAWKKC&sig=ND_-SUQUyuN7Bw6e7w-v9pBYmRk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ct9rUPCoKOTO2AWN7oHIAw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Pansexuality&f=false|quote=Those who identify as bisexual feel that gender, biological sex, and sexual orientation should not be a focal point in potential relationships.}}</ref> Bisexuality is one of the three main classifications of ], along with a ] and a ] orientation, all a part of the ]. People who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other may identify themselves as bisexual.<ref name="Rosario">Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E., Hunter, J., & Braun, L. (2006, February). Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time. Journal of Sex Research, 43(1), 46–58. Retrieved April 4, 2009.</ref> | |||
| Bisexuality has been observed in various human societies<ref name="Civil">{{Cite book|last=Crompton |first=Louis |authorlink=Louis Crompton |title=Homosexuality and Civilization |publisher=] |year=2003 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-674-01197-X}}</ref> and elsewhere in the animal kingdom<ref name="Bio">{{Cite book|last=Bagemihl |first=Bruce |authorlink=Bruce Bagemihl |title=Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity |publisher=Profile Books, Ltd. |year=1999 |location=London |isbn=1-86197-182-6}}</ref><ref name="Evol">{{Cite book|last=Roughgarden |first=Joan |authorlink=Joan Roughgarden |title=Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People |publisher=] |month=May |year=2004 |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=0-520-24073-1}}</ref><ref name="Bi Species">{{cite news |last=Driscoll |first=Emily V. |title=Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom |publisher=Scientific American |date = July 2008|url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species}}</ref> throughout recorded history. The term ''bisexuality'', however, like the terms ''hetero-'' and ''homosexuality'', was coined in the 19th century.<ref name="etymon">{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bisexuality |title=Bisexuality |accessdate=16 February 2007 |author=Harper, Douglas |year=2001 |month=11 |work=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> | |||
| ==Definitions== | |||
| ===Sexual orientation, identity, behavior=== | |||
| {{Main|Sexual orientation|Sexual orientation identity|Human sexual activity}} | |||
| {{See also|Situational sexual behavior}} | |||
| Bisexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction to males and females. The ] states that "sexual orientation falls along a continuum. In other words, someone does not have to be exclusively homosexual or heterosexual, but can feel varying degrees of both. Sexual orientation develops across a person's lifetime–different people realize at different points in their lives that they are heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual."<ref name="Rosario"/><ref>http://www.aapa.org/clinissues/2007C03.pdf</ref><ref name=apa2009>{{cite journal|title=Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation|quote=sexual orientation identity—not sexual orientation—appears to change via psychotherapy, support groups, and life events | |||
| |pages=63, 86,|url=http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/therapeutic-response.pdf|accessdate=May 15, 2011}}</ref> Sexual attraction, behavior and identity may also be incongruent, as sexual attraction or behavior may not necessarily be consistent with identity. Some individuals identify themselves as heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual without having had any sexual experience. Others have had homosexual experiences but do not consider themselves to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.<ref name=apa2009/> Likewise, self-identified gay or lesbian individuals may occasionally sexually interact with members of the opposite sex but do not identify as bisexual.<ref name="Rosario"/><ref name=apa2009/> The terms "]" and "homoflexible," as well as the titles "]" and "]," may also be used. | |||
| ] may or may not be subsumed under bisexuality, with some sources stating that bisexuality encompasses romantic or sexual attraction to all ] or that it is romantic or sexual attraction to a person irrespective of that person's biological ] or ].<ref name="bisexuality"/><ref name="Soble"/><ref name="Sex and society"/> The concept of pansexuality deliberately rejects the ], the "notion of two genders and indeed of specific sexual orientations",<ref name="Sex and society"/> as pansexual people are open to relationships with people who do not identify as strictly men or women.<ref name="Soble"/><ref name="Sex and society"/> The term ''pansexuality'' is used interchangeably with ''bisexuality'', and, similarly, people who identify as bisexual may "feel that gender, biological sex, and sexual orientation should not be a focal point in potential relationships".<ref name="Sex and society"/> | |||
| According to Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter, Braun (2006):<blockquote>...the development of a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) sexual identity is a complex and often difficult process. Unlike members of other minority groups (e.g., ethnic and racial minorities), most LGB individuals are not raised in a community of similar others from whom they learn about their identity and who reinforce and support that identity. Rather, LGB individuals are often raised in communities that are either ignorant of or openly hostile toward homosexuality.<ref name="Rosario"/></blockquote> | |||
| In a ] about sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youths, its authors "found evidence of both considerable consistency and change in LGB sexual identity over time". Youths who had identified as both gay/lesbian and bisexual prior to baseline were approximately three times more likely to identify as gay/lesbian than as bisexual at subsequent assessments. Of youths who had identified only as bisexual at earlier assessments, 60–70% continued to thus identify, while approximately 30–40% assumed a gay/lesbian identity over time. Authors suggested that "although there were youths who consistently self-identified as bisexual throughout the study, for other youths, a bisexual identity served as a transitional identity to a subsequent gay/lesbian identity."<ref name="Rosario"/> | |||
| ===Label accuracy=== | |||
| Like other ] sexualities, bisexuality has been discriminated against. Most of the discrimination has surrounded the application of the word "bisexual" and scrutiny of the bisexual identity as a whole.<ref name="Stange">{{cite book |title = Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World|isbn = 1-4129-7685-5, 9781412976855|publisher=Sage Pubns|year=2011|pages=2016|accessdate=June 23, 2012|url=http://books.google.com/?id=bOkPjFQoBj8C&pg=PA158&dq=Kinsey+and+asexuality+Encyclopedia+of+Women+in+Today%27s+World#v=onepage&q&f=falsee|author =Mary Zeiss Stange, Carol K. Oyster, Jane E. Sloan}}</ref> The belief that ] is common,<ref name="Stange"/> and stems from two views. In the ] view, people are presumed to be attracted to the opposite sex and it is sometimes reasoned that only ] truly exists. In the monosexist view, it is believed that people cannot be bisexual unless they are equally attracted to both sexes.<ref name="Stange"/><ref name="Dworkin">{{cite journal |author=Dworkin, SH |title=Treating the bisexual client|journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology|volume=57|issue=5|year=2001|pages=671–80 | pmid=11304706 |doi=10.1002/jclp.1036}}</ref> In this view, people are either exclusively homosexual (]/]) or exclusively heterosexual (straight),<ref name="Stange"/> ] homosexual people who wish to appear heterosexual,<ref>Michael Musto, April 7, 2009. , ''The Village Voice''</ref> or heterosexuals who are experimenting with their sexuality.<ref name="bisexual erasure">{{cite journal |last=Yoshino |first=Kenji |authorlink=Kenji Yoshino |title=The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure |journal=] |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=353–461 |publisher=] |date=January 2000 |url=http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf |doi=10.2307/1229482 |jstor=1229482}}</ref><ref name="gold star">{{cite web|title=Why Do Lesbians Hate Bisexuals?|publisher=lesbilicious.co.uk|date=April 11, 2008|accessdate=March 26, 2011|url=http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/community/why-do-lesbians-hate-bisexuals/}}</ref><ref name="bisexual workers">{{cite web|first=Jessica|last=Geen|title=Bisexual workers 'excluded by lesbian and gay colleagues'|publisher=pinknews.co.uk|date=October 28, 2009|accessdate=March 26, 2011|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/bisexual-workers-excluded-by-lesbian-and-gay-colleagues}}</ref> | |||
| The belief that one cannot be bisexual unless equally attracted to both sexes is disputed by various researchers, who have reported bisexuality ], like sexuality in general.<ref name="Rosario"/><ref name="Carey">{{cite news |last=Carey |first=Benedict |title=Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited |publisher=The New York Times |date=July 5, 2005 |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20714FB3B550C768CDDAE0894DD404482 |accessdate=24 February 2007}}</ref> In 2005, the belief that bisexuality must involve equal sexual/romantic attraction was further perpetuated by researchers Gerulf Rieger, Meredith L. Chivers, and ],<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rieger G, Chivers ML, Bailey JM |title=Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men |journal=Psychological science: APS |volume=16 |issue=8 |pages=579–84 |year=2005 |pmid=16102058 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01578.x}}</ref> who concluded that bisexuality is extremely rare in men. This was based on results of controversial ] testing when viewing pornographic material involving only men and pornography involving only women. Critics state that this study works from the assumption that a person is only truly bisexual if he or she exhibits virtually equal arousal responses to both opposite-sex and same-sex stimuli, and have consequently dismissed the self-identification of people whose arousal patterns showed even a mild preference for one sex. Some researchers say that the technique used in the study to measure genital arousal is too crude to capture the richness (erotic sensations, affection, admiration) that constitutes sexual attraction.<ref name="Carey"/> The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force called the study and '']'' coverage of it flawed and ].<ref name=ngltf>] (July 2005). (]) Retrieved July 24, 2006.</ref> ] also criticized the study.<ref name=FAIR>FAIR (July 8, 2005). </ref> In 2008, Bailey stated he regretted repeating the notion that people are gay, straight or lying, especially with regard to men. In a new study with the same technology but different recruiting criteria and stimuli, he said he found bisexual genital arousal patterns in men.<ref name=bibrain.org>{{cite web|title=Scientific evidence for the existence of bisexuality in human males|publisher=bibrain.org/]|year=2008|accessdate=March 26, 2011|url=http://www.bibrain.org/}} Also see: </ref><ref>'']'', 2008.</ref> Specifically among men with a history of several romantic and sexual relationships with members of both sexes, high levels of sexual arousal were found in response to both male and female sexual imagery.<ref>Lehmiller, J. J. (2012). ''The Psychology of Human Sexuality''.</ref> | |||
| ===Kinsey scale=== | |||
| {{Main|Kinsey scale}} | |||
| The Kinsey scale attempts to describe a person's sexual history or episodes of their sexual activity at a given time. It uses a scale from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to 6, meaning exclusively homosexual.<ref> retrieved 7th April 2011</ref> | |||
| ==Prevalence== | |||
| {{Main|Demographics of sexual orientation|Kinsey Reports}} | |||
| ]'s 1948 work '']'' found that "46% of the male population had engaged in both heterosexual and homosexual activities, or 'reacted to' persons of both sexes, in the course of their adult lives".<ref name=institute> from the .</ref> Kinsey himself disliked the use of the term bisexual to describe individuals who engage in sexual activity with both males and females, preferring to use "bisexual" in its original, biological sense as ]: "Until it is demonstrated taste in a sexual relation is dependent upon the individual containing within his anatomy both male and female structures, or male and female physiological capacities, it is unfortunate to call such individuals bisexual" (Kinsey et al., 1948, p. 657).<ref>Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., & Martin, C. E. (1948). ''Sexual behavior in the human male.'' Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.</ref> Dr. ] believed that social and emotional attraction are very important elements in bisexual attraction. | |||
| ''The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior'', published in 1993, showed that 5 percent of men and 3 percent of women considered themselves bisexual and 4 percent of men and 2 percent of women considered themselves homosexual.<ref name="Kinsey FAQ"/> | |||
| A 2002 survey in the United States by ] found that 1.8 percent of men ages 18–44 considered themselves bisexual, 2.3 percent homosexual, and 3.9 percent as "something else". The same study found that 2.8 percent of women ages 18–44 considered themselves bisexual, 1.3 percent homosexual, and 3.8 percent as "something else".<ref name="Kinsey FAQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/FAQ.html |title=Frequently Asked Sexuality Questions to the Kinsey Institute |accessdate=16 February 2007 |publisher=The Kinsey Institute}}</ref> | |||
| In 2007, an article in the 'Health' section of ''The New York Times'' stated that "1.5 percent of American women and 1.7 percent of American men identify themselves bisexual."<ref name="Carey" /> | |||
| A 2007 report said that 14.4% of young US women identified themselves as bisexual/lesbian, with 5.6% of the men identifying as gay or bisexual.<ref name="Lesbian and bisexual women">{{cite web|url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sax-sex/201004/why-are-so-many-girls-lesbian-or-bisexual?page=2 |title=Why Are So Many Girls Lesbian or Bisexual? |accessdate=28 April 2011 |author=Leonard Sax|publisher= Sussex Directories}}</ref> | |||
| A study in the journal '']'' in 2011 reported that there were men who identify themselves as ''bisexuals'' and who were aroused by both men and women.<ref name=twsO28>{{cite news | |||
| |author= Elizabeth Landau | |||
| |title= Bisexual men: Science says they're real | |||
| |publisher= ''CNN'' | |||
| |quote= ...confirms that men with bisexual arousal patterns and bisexual identity definitely exist... | |||
| |date= August 23, 2011 | |||
| |url= http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/23/bisexual-men-science-says-theyre-real/?hpt=hp_t2 | |||
| |accessdate= 2011-08-15 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ==Studies, theories and social responses== | |||
| {{Main|Biology and sexual orientation|Environment and sexual orientation}} | |||
| {{Further2|]|]|]}} | |||
| There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual orientation.<ref name=apanew>http://www.apa.org/topics/sorientation.html</ref> Proposed reasons include a combination of ]<ref>{{cite pmid|18561014}}</ref><ref></ref> and ] (including fraternal birth order, where the number of older brothers a boy has increases the chances of homosexuality; specific prenatal hormone exposure, where hormones play a role in determining sexual orientation as they do with sex differentiation;<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dörner | first1 = G. | last2 = Rohde | first2 = W. | last3 = Stahl | first3 = F. | last4 = Krell | first4 = L. | last5 = Masius | first5 = W.-G. | year = 1975 | title = A neuroendocrine predisposition for homosexuality in men | url = | journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior | volume = 4 | issue = 1| pages = 1–8 | doi = 10.1007/BF01541882 | pmid = 165797 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Ellis | first1 = L| last2 = Ames | first2 = MA| year = 1987 | title = Neurohormonal functioning and sexual orientation: A theory of homosexuality-heterosexuality | url = | journal = Psychological Bulletin | volume = 101 | issue = 2| pages = 233–258 | doi = 10.1037/0033-2909.101.2.233 | pmid = 2882536 }}</ref> and ] on the mother<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dörner | first1 = G. | last2 = Geier | first2 = T. | last3 = Ahrens | first3 = L. | last4 = Krell | first4 = L. | last5 = Münx | first5 = G. | last6 = Sieler | first6 = H. | last7 = Kittner | first7 = E. | last8 = Müller | first8 = H. | year = 1980 | title = Prenatal stress as possible aetiogenetic factor of homosexuality in human males | url = | journal = Endokrinologie | volume = 75 | issue = 3| pages = 365–368 | pmid = 7428712 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Dörner | first1 = G. | last2 = Schenk | first2 = B. | last3 = Schmiedel | first3 = B. | last4 = Ahrens | first4 = L. | year = 1983 | title = Stressful events in prenatal life and bi- and homosexual men | url = | journal = Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology | volume = 31 | issue = | pages = 83–87 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Ellis | first1 = L. | last2 = Cole-Harding | first2 = S. | year = 2001 | title = The effects of prenatal stress, and of prenatal alcohol and nicotine exposure, on human sexual orientation | url = | journal = Physiology and Behavior | volume = 74 | issue = 1–2| pages = 213–226 | doi = 10.1016/S0031-9384(01)00564-9 | pmid = 11564471 }}</ref>). | |||
| The ] has stated that "sexual orientation probably is not determined by any one factor but by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences."<ref name=aappub>{{Cite news |title=Sexual Orientation and Adolescents |url=http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;113/6/1827.pdf |periodical=American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report |accessdate=23 February 2007}}</ref> The ] has stated that "there are probably many reasons for a person's sexual orientation and the reasons may be different for different people". It further stated that, for most people, sexual orientation is determined at an early age.<ref name=apahelp>{{Cite news |url=http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx |title=Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality |periodical=American Psychological Association |accessdate=3 February 2009}}</ref> The ] stated: "To date there are no replicated scientific studies supporting any specific biological etiology for homosexuality. Similarly, no specific psychosocial or family dynamic cause for homosexuality has been identified, including histories of childhood sexual abuse."<ref name=Psych>{{cite web |url=http://www.aglp.org/pages/cfactsheets.html#Anchor-Gay-14210 | |||
| |title=Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues |author=American Psychiatric Association | |||
| |publisher=Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrics |month=May |year=2000}}</ref> Research into how sexual orientation may be determined by genetic or other prenatal factors plays a role in political and social debates about homosexuality, and also raises fears about ] and ].<ref name=trib>{{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-gaygene_bd12aug12,1,5608849.story?ctrack=1&cset=true |title=Study of gay brothers may find clues about sexuality |first=Robert |last=Mitchum |periodical=] |date=12 August 2007 |accessdate=4 May 2007 |format=}} {{Dead link|date=May 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ] theorized that every person has the ability to become bisexual at some time in his or her life.<ref name="Carey"/><ref>Freud, Sigmund (trans. A.A. Brill), ''Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex'', Dover Publications, 128 pages, ISBN 0-486-41603-8</ref> He based this on the idea that enjoyable experiences of sexuality with the same sex, whether sought or unsought, acting on it or being fantasized, become an attachment to his or her needs and desires in social upbringing. Psychoanalyst Dr. Joseph Merlino, editor of ''Freud at 150: 21st Century Essays on a Man of Genius,'' stated in an interview: | |||
| {{cquote2| Freud maintained that bisexuality was a normal part of development.... Freud felt there were a number of homosexuals he encountered who did not have a variety of complex problems that homosexuality was a part of. He found people who were totally normal in every other regard except in terms of their sexual preference. In fact, he saw many of them as having higher intellects, higher aesthetic sensibilities, higher morals; those kinds of things. He did not see it as something to criminalize or penalize, or to keep from psychoanalytic training. A lot of the psychoanalytic institutes felt if you were homosexual you should not be accepted; that was not Freud's position.<ref>], ], David Shankbone, '']'', October 5, 2007.</ref>}} | |||
| In 1995, Harvard Shakespeare professor ] made the academic case for bisexuality with her ''Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life,'' in which she argued that most people would be bisexual if not for "repression, religion, repugnance, denial, laziness, shyness, lack of opportunity, premature specialization, a failure of imagination, or a life already full to the brim with erotic experiences, albeit with only one person, or only one gender."<ref>{{Cite book|author=Garber, Marjorie B. |authorlink=Marjorie Garber |title=Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |year=2000 |isbn=0-415-92661-0 |page=249}}</ref> | |||
| Human bisexuality has mainly been studied alongside homosexuality. Van Wyk & Geist argue that this is a problem for sexuality research because the few studies that have observed bisexuals separately have found that bisexuals are often different from both heterosexuals and homosexuals. Furthermore, bisexuality does not always represent a halfway point between the dichotomy. Research indicates that bisexuality is influenced by biological, cognitive and cultural variables in interaction, and this leads to different types of bisexuality.<ref name=VanWyk>{{cite journal |author=Van Wyk PH,Geist CS|title=Biology of Bisexuality: Critique and Observations |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=28 |issue=3–4 |pages=357–373 |year=1995 |doi=10.1300/J082v28n03_11 |pmid=7560936}}</ref> | |||
| In the current debate around influences on sexual orientation, biological explanations have been questioned by social scientists, particularly by feminists who encourage women to make conscious decisions about their life and sexuality. A difference in attitude between homosexual men and women has also been reported, with men more likely to regard their sexuality as biological, "reflecting the universal male experience in this culture, not the complexities of the lesbian world." There is also evidence that women's sexuality may be more strongly affected by cultural and contextual factors.<ref name=Veniegas>{{cite journal |last=Veniegas |first=Rosemary c. |coauthors=Terri D. Conley |title=Biological Research on Women's Sexual Orientations: Evaluating the Scientific Evidence |journal= Journal of Social Issues |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=267–282 |year=2000 |doi=10.1111/0022-4537.00165 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Social factors=== | |||
| ] has famously summarized on the basis of clinical observations: ''"e have come to know that all human beings are bisexual—and that their libido is distributed between objects of both sexes, either in a manifest or a latent form."'' According to Freud, people remain bisexual all their lives in a repression to monosexuality of fantasy and behavior. This idea was taken up in the 1940s by the zoologist ] who was the first to create a scale to measure the continuum of sexual orientation from hetero to homosexuality. Kinsey studied human sexuality and argued that people have the capability of being hetero or homosexual even if this trait does not present itself in the current circumstances.<ref name=Young-Bruehl>{{cite journal |last=Young-Bruehl |first=Elisabeth |title=Are Human Beings "By Nature" Bisexual? |journal=Studies in Gender and Sexuality |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=179–213 |year=2001 |doi=10.1080/15240650209349175 }}</ref> | |||
| From an anthropological perspective, there is large variation in the prevalence of bisexuality between different cultures. Among some tribes it appears to be non-existent while in others a universal, including the Sambia of ] and other similar ] cultures.<ref name=VanWyk/> | |||
| ===Sex drive=== | |||
| Several studies comparing bisexuals with hetero- or homosexuals have indicated that bisexuals have higher rates of sexual activity, fantasy or erotic interest. Van Wyk and Geist (1984) found that male and female bisexuals had more sexual fantasy than heterosexuals. Dixon (1985) found that bisexual men had more sexual activities with women than did heterosexual men. Bisexual men masturbated more but had fewer happy marriages than heterosexuals. Bressler and Lavender (1986) found that bisexual women had more orgasms per week and they described them as stronger than those of hetero- or homosexual women. They also found that marriages with a bisexual female were more happy than heterosexual unions, observed less instance of hidden infidelity, and ended in divorce less frequently. Goode and Haber (1977) found bisexual women to be sexually mature earlier, masturbate and enjoy masturbation more and to be more experienced in different types of heterosexual contact.<ref name=VanWyk/> | |||
| Recent research suggests that, for most women, high sex drive is associated with increased sexual attraction to both women and men. For men, however, high sex drive is associated with increased attraction to one sex or the other, but not to both, depending on sexual orientation.<ref>Lippa, R. A., 2006. ''Psychological Science," 17, 46–52</ref> Similarly for most bisexual women, high sex drive is associated with increased sexual attraction to both women and men; while for bisexual men, high sex drive is associated with increased attraction to one sex, and weakened attraction to the other.<ref name=Muscarella>{{cite journal |last=Lippa |first=Richard A. |title=The Relation Between Sex Drive and Sexual Attraction to Men and Women: A Cross-National Study of Heterosexual, Bisexual, and Homosexual Men and Women |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |volume=36 |pages=209–222 | |||
| |date=23 March 2007 |doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9146-z |pmid=17380375 |issue=2 }}</ref> | |||
| ===Masculinization=== | |||
| ] of women and hypermasculinization of men has been a central theme in sexual orientation research. There are several studies suggesting that bisexuals have a high degree of masculinization. LaTorre and Wendenberg (1983) found differing personality characteristics for bisexual, heterosexual and homosexual women. Bisexuals were found to have fewer personal insecurities than heterosexuals and homosexuals. This finding defined bisexuals as self-assured and less likely to suffer from mental instabilities. The confidence of a secure identity consistently translated to more masculinity than other subjects. This study did not explore societal norms, prejudices, or the feminization of homosexual males.<ref name=VanWyk/> | |||
| In a research comparison, published in the Journal of the Association for Research in ], women usually have a better hearing sensitivity than males, assumed by researchers as a genetic disposition connected to child bearing. Homosexual and bisexual women have been found to have a hypersensitivity to sound in comparison to heterosexual women, suggesting a genetic disposition to not tolerate high pitched tones. While heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual men have been found to exhibit similar patterns of hearing, there was a notable differential within a sub-group of males identified as hyperfeminized homosexual males who exhibited test results similar to heterosexual women.<ref>{{cite journal | |||
| |last=McFadden | |||
| |first=D. | |||
| |coauthors=Champlin, CA | |||
| |title=Comparison of auditory evoked potentials in heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual males and females | |||
| |journal=JARO – Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology | |||
| |volume=1 | |||
| |issue=1 | |||
| |pages=89–99 | |||
| |month=March |year=2000 | |||
| |url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/qjl332876123011m/ | |||
| |doi=10.1007/s101620010008 | |||
| |accessdate=19 June 2008 | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| ====Prenatal hormones==== | |||
| The prenatal hormonal theory of sexual orientation suggests that people who are exposed to excess levels of sex hormones have masculinized brains and show increased homosexuality or bisexuality. Studies provide evidence for the masculinization of the brain have however not been conducted to date. Research on special conditions such as ] and exposure to ] indicate that prenatal exposure to, respectively, excess testosterone and estrogens are associated with female–female sex fantasies in adults. Both effects are associated with bisexuality rather than homosexuality.<ref name=Veniegas/> | |||
| There is research evidence that the digit ] of the length of the 2nd and 4th digits (index finger and ring finger) is somewhat negatively related to prenatal testosterone and positively to estrogen. Studies measuring the fingers found a statistically significant skew in the 2D:4D ratio (long ring finger) towards homosexuality with an even lower ratio in bisexuals. It is suggested that exposure to high prenatal testosterone and low prenatal estrogen concentrations is one cause of homosexuality whereas exposure to very high testosterone levels may be associated with bisexuality. Because testosterone in general is important for sexual differentiation, this view offers an alternative to the suggestion that male homosexuality is genetic.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Robinson, SJ & Manning, TJ|title=The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length and male homosexuality |journal=Evolution and Human Behavior |volume=21 |pages=333–345 |year=2000 |pii=PII: S1090-5138(00)00052-0 |doi=10.1016/S1090-5138(00)00052-0 |pmid=11053694 |issue=5}}</ref> | |||
| The prenatal hormonal theory suggests that a homosexual orientation results from exposure to excessive testosterone causing an over-masculinized brain. This is contradictory to another hypothesis that homosexual preferences may be due to a feminized brain in males. However, it has also been suggested that homosexuality may be due to high prenatal levels of unbound testosterone that results from a lack of receptors at particular brain sites. Therefore the brain could be feminized while other features, such as the 2D:4D ratio could be over-masculinized.<ref name=Muscarella/> | |||
| ====Brain structure==== | |||
| ]'s (1991) examination at autopsy of 18 homosexual men, 1 bisexual man, 16 presumably heterosexual men and 6 presumably heterosexual women found that the ] nucleus of the ] of homosexual men was smaller than that of heterosexual men and closer in size of heterosexual women. Although grouped with homosexuals, the INAH 3 size of the one bisexual subject was similar to that of the heterosexual men.<ref name=VanWyk/> The results of such studies have been proven unreliable.<ref name="Newdirection">{{cite web|url=http://www2.nau.edu/~bio372-c/class/behavior/apbg.htm|title=From Newsweek, Feb. 24, 1992, p. 50}}</ref> | |||
| ====Chromosomes==== | |||
| Some evidence supports the concept of biological precursors of bisexual orientation in genetic males. According to Money (1988), men with an extra Y chromosome are more likely to be bisexual, ] and impulsive.<ref name=VanWyk/> | |||
| ===Evolutionary theory=== | |||
| Some evolutionary psychologists have argued that same-sex attraction does not have adaptive value because it has no association with potential reproductive success. Instead, bisexuality can be due to normal variation in brain plasticity. More recently, it has been suggested that same-sex alliances may have helped males climb the social hierarchy giving access to females and reproductive opportunities. Same-sex allies could have helped females to move to the safer and resource richer center of the group, which increased their chances of raising their offspring successfully.<ref name=Muscarella/> | |||
| Brendan Zietsch of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research proposes the alternative theory that men exhibiting female traits become more attractive to females and are thus more likely to mate, provided the genes involved do not drive them to complete rejection of heterosexuality.<ref></ref> | |||
| Also, in a 2008 study, its authors stated that "There is considerable evidence that human sexual orientation is genetically influenced, so it is not known how homosexuality, which tends to lower reproductive success, is maintained in the population at a relatively high frequency." They hypothesized that "while genes predisposing to homosexuality reduce homosexuals' reproductive success, they may confer some advantage in heterosexuals who carry them." and their results suggested that "genes predisposing to homosexuality may confer a mating advantage in heterosexuals, which could help explain the evolution and maintenance of homosexuality in the population."<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Zietsch | first1 = B. | last2 = Morley | first2 = K. | last3 = Shekar | first3 = S. | last4 = Verweij | first4 = K. | last5 = Keller | first5 = M. | last6 = Macgregor | first6 = S. ''et al.'' | year = 2008 | title = Genetic factors predisposing to homosexuality may increase mating success in heterosexuals | url = | journal = Evolution and Human Behavior | volume = 29 | issue = 6| pages = 424–433 | doi = 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.07.002 | display-authors = 6 | last7 = Wright | first7 = M | last8 = Bailey | first8 = J | last9 = Martin | first9 = N }}</ref> | |||
| In '']'', scientist Emily V. Driscoll stated that homosexual and bisexual behavior is quite common in several species and that it fosters bonding: "The more homosexuality, the more peaceful the species". The article also stated: "Unlike most humans, however, individual animals generally cannot be classified as gay or straight: an animal that engages in a same-sex flirtation or partnership does not necessarily shun heterosexual encounters. Rather, many species seem to have ingrained homosexual tendencies that are a regular part of their society. That is, there are probably no strictly gay critters, just bisexual ones. Animals don't do sexual identity. They just do sex."<ref name="Unorthodox">{{cite web|url=http://richarddawkins.net/articles/2850 |title=Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{See also|History of bisexuality in the United States}} | |||
| ]'' (Japanese pederasty): a young male entertains an older male lover, covering his eyes while surreptitiously kissing a female ].]] | |||
| ===Ancient Greece=== | |||
| {{Main|Homosexuality in ancient Greece}} | |||
| Ancient Greeks did not associate sexual relations with binary labels, as modern Western society does. Men who had male lovers were not identified as homosexual, and may have had wives or other female lovers. | |||
| ] religious texts, reflecting cultural practices, incorporated bisexual themes. The subtexts varied, from the mystical to the didactic.<ref name="livius">{{cite web|url=http://www.livius.org/ho-hz/homosexuality/homosexuality.html|title=Greek Homosexuality |accessdate=17 February 2007 |last=van Dolen |first=Hein}}</ref> | |||
| ]ns thought that love and erotic relationships between experienced and novice soldiers would solidify combat loyalty and ], and encourage heroic tactics as men vied to impress their lovers. Once the younger soldiers reached maturity, the relationship was supposed to become non-sexual, but it is not clear how strictly this was followed. There was some stigma attached to young men who continued their relationships with their mentors into adulthood.<ref name="livius"/> For example, ] calls them ''euryprôktoi'', meaning "wide arses", and depicts them like women.<ref name="livius"/> | |||
| ], fragment of a ] Attic cup, 550 BC–525 BC, ].]] | |||
| The ] was organized according to the same idea. | |||
| ===Ancient Rome=== | |||
| {{Main|Homosexuality in ancient Rome}} | |||
| It was said in ] of ] that he was "every man's wife and every woman's husband". | |||
| In 124 AD the bisexual Roman emperor ] met ], a 13- or 14-year-old boy from ], and inducted him into his Imperial Entourage; Antinous eventually became the Emperor's favourite. He was deified by Hadrian when he died six years later after sacrificing himself to the gods of the river Nile in order to cure the sickly Hadrian, other accounts say that he was murdered by the Emperor's detractors. Many statues, busts, coins and reliefs depict Hadrian's deep fixation with him and the Emperor even founded the city of ] near the site of his favourite's death. | |||
| ==Social status== | |||
| {{About|bisexuality in human sexuality|Bisexual/Fluid/Pansexual community(s) in current culture|Bisexual community}} | |||
| Because some bisexual people do not feel that they fit into either the ] or the heterosexual world, and because they have a tendency to be "invisible" in public, some bisexual persons are committed to forming their own ], culture, and political movements. Some who identify as bisexual may merge themselves into either homosexual or heterosexual society. Still, other bisexual people see this merging as ] rather than voluntary; bisexual people can ] from both homosexual and heterosexual society on coming out. Psychologist Beth Firestein states that bisexuals tend to internalize social tensions related to their choice of partners<ref name="newgen">{{cite web|url=http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/generation.html |title=A new generation of issues for LGBT clients |accessdate=16 February 2007 |author=DeAngelis, Tori |year=2002 |month=02 |work=Monitor on Psychology |publisher=American Psychological Association}}</ref> and feel pressured to label themselves as homosexuals instead of occupying the difficult middle ground where attraction to people of both sexes would defy society's value on monogamy.<ref name="newgen"/> These social tensions and pressure may affect bisexuals' mental health, and specific therapy methods have been developed for bisexuals to address this concern.<ref name="newgen"/> | |||
| Bisexual behaviors are also associated in popular culture with men who engage in ] while otherwise presenting as heterosexual. The majority of such men — said to be ''living on the ]'' — do not self-identify as bisexual.<ref name="boykin">{{cite web|url=http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/001311.html |title=10 Things You Should Know About the DL |accessdate=23 February 2007 |author=Boykin, Keith |date=3 February 2005}}</ref> However, this may be a cultural misperception closely related to that of other ] individuals who hide their actual orientation due to societal pressures, a phenomenon colloquially called ''"being ]"''. | |||
| ==Pride symbols== | |||
| {{Main|LGBT symbols}} | |||
| ] | |||
| A common symbol of the Bisexual community is the ], which has a deep pink stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality, and a purple one, blended from the pink and blue, in the middle to represent bisexuality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biflag.com/Activism.asp |title=Bi Pride Flag |accessdate=16 February 2007 |author=Page, Michael |quote=The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only, homosexuality, the blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only, heterosexuality, and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes (bi).}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Another symbol with the same color scheme is a pair of overlapping pink and blue triangles, the pink triangle being a well-known symbol for the homosexual community, forming purple where they intersect.<ref name="lambda symbols">{{cite web|url=http://www.lambda.org/symbols.htm |title=Symbols of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Movements |accessdate=27 February 2007 |date=26 December 2004}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Many homosexual and bisexual individuals have a problem with the use of the ] symbol, as it was the symbol that Hitler's regime used to tag and persecute homosexuals (similar to the yellow ] constituted of two opposed, overlapping triangles). Therefore, a double moon symbol was devised specifically to avoid the use of triangles.<ref name="symbol">{{cite web|url=http://andrejkoymasky.com/lou/sym/sym05.html |title=Gay Symbols: Other Miscellaneous Symbols |accessdate=18 February 2007 |author=Koymasky, Matt |coauthors=Koymasky Andrej |date=14 August 2006}}</ref> The double moon symbol is common in Germany and surrounding countries.<ref name="symbol"/> Another symbol used for bisexuality is a purple diamond, conceptually derived from the intersection of two triangles, pink and blue (respectively), placed overlapping. | |||
| ==Elsewhere in the animal kingdom== | |||
| {{Main|Animal sexuality}} | |||
| {{See also|Homosexual behavior in animals}} | |||
| Many non-human animal species also exhibit bisexual behavior.<ref name="Bio"/><ref name="Evol"/><ref name="Bi Species"/> Examples of mammals include the ] (formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee), ], and ]. Examples of avians include some species of gulls and ]s. Other examples occur among fish and ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/bisdia.htm |title=Bisexuality: A Biological Perspective |accessdate=17 February 2007 |author=Diamond, Milton |year=1998 |work=Bisexualities – The Ideology and Practice of Sexual Contact with both Men and Women}}</ref> | |||
| Many species of animals are involved in the act of forming sexual and relationship bonds between the same sex; even when offered the opportunity to breed with members of the opposite sex, they picked the same sex. Some of these species are gazelles, antelope, bison, and sage grouse.<ref name=Bidstrup>{{cite web|url=http://www.bidstrup.com/sodomy.htm |title=The Natural Crime Against Nature |accessdate=26 June 2007 |author=] |year=2000}}</ref> | |||
| In some cases animals will choose intercourse with different sexes at different times in their life, and sometimes will perform intercourse with different sexes at random. Homosexual intercourse can also be seasonal in some animals like male walruses, who often engage in homosexual intercourse with each other outside of the breeding season and will revert to heterosexual intercourse during breeding season.<ref name=Bidstrup/> | |||
| In some cases bisexuality is actually a form of fitness favored by evolution. For example, female '']'' (a genus of whiptail lizards) reproduce by pairing up with each other. During the breeding season, females will take turns switching between "male" and "female" roles as their hormones fluctuate. Estrogen levels are high during ovulation ("female" role) and much lower after laying eggs ("male" role). While in the "male" role, a female lizard will mount another in the "female" role and go through the motions of sex to stimulate egg-laying. The hatchlings produced are all female. This all-female species has evolved from lizards with two sexes, but their eggs develop without fertilization (parthenogenesis). Female whiptail lizards can lay eggs without sex, but they lay far fewer eggs than if they engage in sexual stimulation by another female.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Biology |author=Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece |year=2002}}</ref> | |||
| ==In media== | |||
| {{Main|Media portrayals of bisexuality}} | |||
| ===Film=== | |||
| Notable portrayals of bisexuality can be found throughout mainstream media in movies such as: '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''. '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. | |||
| The documentary ''Bi the Way'', which aired on the ] cable TV network ] in August 2009<ref name="logo">"", Logo online, August 2009.</ref> followed the lives of five bisexual Americans ages 11 to 28. The movie talked about bisexuality in general and featured scientific studies, interviews with bisexual leaders and media portrayals. | |||
| ===Television=== | |||
| ====US==== | |||
| The Fox television series '']'' features a bisexual female doctor, ], portrayed by ], from season four on. The same network had earlier aired the television series '']'', which for a time featured bisexual ] (also portrayed by Olivia Wilde), the local rebellious hangout spot's manager, as a love interest of ].<ref></ref> | |||
| The lead character of the supernatural ] original series ''],'' which is about legendary creatures called Fae who secretly live among humans, the succubus Bo (played by ]), is bisexual.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2010/11/lost-girl-101|title="Lost Girl" 101: A crash course in what could be your favorite new show|last=|first=|work=]|accessdate=2011-10-28|date=2011-10-28}}</ref> During the first two seasons of the series she is caught up in a love triangle between Fae shifter and detective Dyson (]) and the human doctor Lauren Lewis (]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/lost-girl-showcases-the-lauren-and-bo-relationship-for-season-2|title="Lost Girl" showcases the Lauren and Bo relationship for Season 2|work=]|accessdate=2011-10-28|date=2011-10-28}}</ref> | |||
| Beginning with the 2009 season, ]'s '']'' series featured two bisexual characters,<ref name="RealWorld">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/shows/real_world/Washingtondc/series.jhtml |title=Real World DC}}</ref> Emily Schromm,<ref name="Schromm">{{cite web|url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/12/28/real_world_d_c_star_emily_schromm_talks_ |title=Emily Schromm talks}}</ref> and Mike Manning.<ref name="Metro">{{cite web|url=http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/?ak=4765 |title=Mike Manning Metro Weekly}}</ref> Some bloggers suggested he was in fact ],<ref name="Manning">{{cite web|url=http://www.queerty.com/the-entire-bi-sexual-history-of-real-world-d-c-s-mike-manning-20091231/ |title=Mike Manning Bi history and controversy}}</ref><ref name="BiGay">{{cite web|url=http://artwingny.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/bi-now-gay-later-real-world-d-c-s-mike-manning/ |title=Bi Now, Gay Later}}</ref> although he himself identified as bisexual.<ref name="Metro"/> | |||
| In the television series '']'', ] is bisexual. She is said to have had relationships with every male in Mckinley High and some females. She is in a relationship with the lesbian character ]. | |||
| ====UK==== | |||
| In the ] TV science fiction show, '']'', several of the main characters, appear to have fluid sexuality. Most prominent among these is ] (]), is bisexual who is the lead character and an otherwise conventional science fiction action hero. Described within the logic of the show, where characters can also interact with alien species, producers sometimes use the term "omnisexual" to describe him.<ref name=Tribune>{{cite news|first=Maureen|last=Ryan|title=Spike from 'Buffy' and 'Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness — Yowza!|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/07/spike-from-buff.html|publisher='']''|date=2007-07-14|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> Jack's ex, ] (]) is also bisexual.<ref name="Radio Times (James Marsters)">{{cite web |url= http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/james-marsters-interview/|title= James Marsters Interview (January 2008)|accessdate=2008-01-25 |work= ]}}</ref> Of his female exes, significantly at least one ex-wife and at least one woman with whom he has had a child have been indicated. Some critics draw the conclusion that the series more often shows Jack with men than women.<ref name="Queer TV">{{cite book|first1=Glyn|last1=Davis|first2=Gary|last2=Needham|title=Queer TV|pages=153–156|isbn=0-415-45046-2|publisher=] (28 January 2009)|year=2009}}</ref> Creator ] says one of pitfalls of writing a bisexual character is you "fall into the trap" of "only having them sleep with men." He describes of the show's ], "You'll see the full range of his appetites, in a really properly done way."<ref name="ATVmoredetails">{{cite web|url=http://www.atvnewsnetwork.co.uk/today/index.php/atv-today/3540-more-torchwood-details-revealed|title=More Torchwood details revealed|last=Knight|first=Dominic|work=]|accessdate=2010-08-08|date=2010-08-08}}</ref> The preoccupation with bisexuality has been seen by critics as complementary to other aspects of the show's themes. For heterosexual character ] (]), for whom Jack harbors romantic feelings, the new experiences she confronts at ], in the form of ""affairs and homosexuality and the threat of death", connote not only the Other but a "missing side" to the Self.<ref name=Stepmother>{{cite book|chapter=Gwen’s Evil Stepmother: Concerning Gloves and Magic Slippers|editor=Andrew Ireland|last=Frankel|first=Valerie Estelle|year=2010|pages=90–101|publisher=McFarland}}</ref> Under the influence of an alien pheromone, Gwen kisses a woman in ] of the series. In ], heterosexual ] (]) kisses a man to escape a fight when he is about to take the man's girlfriend. Quiet ] (]) is in love with Owen, but has also has brief romantic relationships with a female alien and a male human. British newspaper '']'' ran the headline "Dr Ooh gets four gay pals" prior to the first series, describing all of ''Torchwood''{{'}}s cast as being bisexual.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2006430699,00.html| title = Dr Ooh gets four gay pals| accessdate = 2006-10-06 | |||
| | author = Sarah Nathan| authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 2006| month = September| work = The Sun| quote = GAY Doctor Who star John Barrowman gets four BISEXUAL assistants in raunchy BBC3 spin-off Torchwood.}}</ref> | |||
| In the soap opera '']'', the otherwise heterosexual character ] has a one-off affair with ]. | |||
| ===Music=== | |||
| Rock musician ] famously declared himself bisexual in an interview with '']'' in January 1972, a move coinciding with the first shots in his campaign for stardom as ].<ref>Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Shaar (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record. New York: Avon. ISBN 0-380-77966-8.</ref> In a September 1976 interview with '']'', Bowie said: "It's true—I am a bisexual. But I can't deny that I've used that fact very well. I suppose it's the best thing that ever happened to me."<ref name="playboy">{{cite web |url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/david-bowie-interview/index.html?page=2 |title=Interview: David Bowie |date=September 1976 |work=Playboy |accessdate=14 September 2010}}</ref> In a 1983 interview he said it was "the biggest mistake I ever made",<ref>Buckley (2000): p. 401</ref><ref>Buckley (2005): p. 106</ref> elaborating in 2002 he explained "I don’t think it was a mistake in Europe, but it was a lot tougher in America. I had no problem with people knowing I was bisexual. But I had no inclination to hold any banners or be a representative of any group of people. I knew what I wanted to be, which was a songwriter and a performer America is a very puritanical place, and I think it stood in the way of so much I wanted to do.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collis| first=Clark| title = Dear Superstar: David Bowie | work=blender.com |publisher=Alpha Media Group Inc | date= August 2002 |accessdate=16 September 2010 | url =http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=366}}</ref> In 1995, ] sung about bi-curiosity in her song "I Kissed a Girl", with a video that alternated images of Sobule and a boyfriend (played by ]) along with images of her with a girlfriend. Another ] by ] also hints at the same theme. Some activists suggest the song merely reinforces the stereotype of bisexuals experimenting and of bisexuality not being a real sexual preference. ] has stated that she is bisexual,<ref name="RollStone">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/27/the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-the-rise-of-lady-gaga |title=Lady Gaga Rolling Stone Interview}}</ref> and has stated that her song "]" is about fantasizing about a woman while being with a man.<ref name="Walters">{{cite web|url=http://www.iviewtube.com/videos/111677/lady-gaga-admits-bisexuality-interview-on-barbara-walters|title=Lady Gaga admits bisexuality and explains "Poker Face" to Barbra Walters}}</ref> ] of ] said that he was bisexual in an interview in 1986, stating, "I like beautiful women. Tall, thin, beautiful women. Fat little ugly women. I like all kinds of women. I'm always attracted to the opposite sex. I'm attracted to both sexes, actually. But not only beautiful men — I think I like weird men." | |||
| British singer ] is also openly bisexual and stated in an interview on the "In Demand" radio show on March 3, 2011 "I've never denied it. Whoopie doo guys, yes, I've dated girls and I've dated boys – get over it."<ref name="MTVUK">, MTV UK, Jessie J: "I’ve Dated Girls And Boys...", 25 February 2011</ref><ref name="DigitalSpy">, In Demand radio show with Alex and Lucy, March 3, 2011, Bauer Radio Station and The Hits Radio on Freeview</ref> ], lead singer of ] is openly bisexual.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a31417/molko-i-wish-i-kept-quiet-on-sexuality.html|title=Molko: I wish I kept quiet on sexuality|author=Dave West|work=Digital Spy|accessdate=20 September 2011}}</ref> In 1994, with questions still swirling about his sexuality, ] of ] described himself as "an equal opportunity lech," and said he did not define himself as gay, straight, or bisexual, but that he was attracted to, and had relationships with, both men and women. | |||
| ===Literature=== | |||
| ]'s '']'' (1928) is an early example of bisexuality in literature. The story, of a man who changes into a woman without a second thought, was based on the life of Woolf's lover ]. Woolf used the gender switch to avoid the book being banned for homosexual content. The pronouns switch from male to female as Orlando's gender changes.<ref name="livia">Livia, Anna (2000). ''Pronoun Envy: Literary Uses of Linguistic Gender.'' Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195138535</ref> Her 1925 book '']'' focused on a bisexual man and a bisexual woman in sexually unfulfilled heterosexual marriages in later life. Following Sackille-West's death, her son ] published '']'', one of her diaries recounting her affair with a woman during her marriage to ]. Other early examples include works of ], such as '']'' (1920), and ]'s '']'' (1900–1903) series. | |||
| The main character in ]'s novel, ] (1979), is bisexual. Contemporary novelist ]' novels, such as '']'' (1985) and '']'' (1987) frequently feature bisexual male characters; this "casual approach" to bisexual characters recurs throughout Ellis' work.<ref name="badboy">{{cite journal|url=http://www.details.com/celebrities-entertainment/music-and-books/201006/author-bret-easton-ellis-less-than-zero-sequel-imperial-bedrooms|title=Bret Easton Ellis: Eternal Bad Boy|work=]|last=Gordinier|first=Jeff|month=June|year=2010|accessdate=2010-06-15}}</ref> | |||
| ===Webseries=== | |||
| In October 2009, "A Rose By Any Other Name"<ref name="Rose">{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKZoCaVZu3c|title=Rose By Any Other Name}}</ref> was released as a "]" series on ]. Directed by bisexual rights advocate ],<ref name="Fence">{{cite web|url=http://www.fencesitterfilms.com|title=Fencesitter Films}}</ref> the plot centers around a lesbian-identified woman who falls in love with a ] man and discovers she is actually bisexual.<ref name="Kyle">{{cite web|url=http://binetusa.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-out-bi-director-kyle-schickner.html|title=From Out Bi Director Kyle Schickner}}</ref> | |||
| ===Media stereotypes=== | |||
| There tend to be negative media portrayals; references are sometimes made to stereotypes or mental disorders. In an article regarding the 2005 film ''Brokeback Mountain'', sex educator Amy Andre argued that in films, bisexuals are often depicted negatively:<ref name="Andre">{{cite web|url=http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/article/opinion_bisexual_cowboys_love|title=Opinion: Bisexual Cowboys in Love|last=Andre|first=Amy|date=2005-12-16|publisher=]|accessdate=2006-11-22}}</ref> | |||
| {{Quote|I like movies where bisexuals come out to each other together and fall in love, because these tend to be so few and far between; the most recent example would be 2002's lovely romantic comedy, '']''. Most movies with bi characters paint a stereotypical picture.... The bi love interest is usually deceptive ('']''), over-sexed (''Sex Monster''), unfaithful ('']''), and fickle ('']''), and might even be a serial killer, like Sharon Stone in ''Basic Instinct''. In other words, the bisexual is always the cause of the conflict in the film.|Amy Andre|''American Sexuality Magazine''}} | |||
| Using a content analysis of more than 170 articles written between 2001 and 2006, ] Richard N. Pitt, Jr. concluded that the media pathologized black bisexual men’s behavior while either ignoring or sympathizing with white bisexual men’s similar actions. He argued that the black bisexual is often described as a ''duplicitous heterosexual'' man spreading the HIV/AIDS virus. Alternatively, the "Brokeback" white bisexual (when seen as bisexual at all) is often described in pitying language as a ''] homosexual'' man forced into the closet by the ] society around him.<ref name=Pitt>Pitt, Richard N., Jr., , ''Journal Of Men's Studies'' 14:254-8 (2006).</ref> | |||
| On the ] drama '']'', ] played ], a bisexual ] who tortured and raped various men and women. Other films in which bisexual characters conceal murderous neuroses include '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Col-begin}} | |||
| {{Col-2}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| {{Col-2}}{{Portal|Sexuality|LGBT}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
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| *] | |||
| {{Col-end}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist|2}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| ===General=== | |||
| * ], ]. Reaktion Books 2011. | |||
| * ]. ''Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex''. ISBN 0-486-41603-8 | |||
| * ]. ''Homosexuels et bisexuels célèbres'', Delétraz Editions, 1997. ISBN 2-911110-19-6 | |||
| ===Ancient Greece and Rome=== | |||
| * Eva Cantarella. ''Bisexuality in the Ancient World'', Yale University Press, New Haven, 1992, 2002. ISBN 978-0-300-09302-5 | |||
| * ]. ''Greek Homosexuality'', New York; Vintage Books, 1978. ISBN 0-394-74224-9 | |||
| * Thomas K. Hubbard. ''Homosexuality in Greece and Rome'', U. of California Press, 2003. ISBN 0-520-23430-8 | |||
| * Herald Patzer. ''Die Griechische Knabenliebe ,'' Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982. In: Sitzungsberichte der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Vol. 19 No. 1. | |||
| * ]. ''Pederasty and Pedagogy in Archaic Greece,'' University of Illinois Press, 1996. ISBN 0-252-02209-2 | |||
| ===By country=== | |||
| * ] and ], et al. ''Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature,'' New York: New York University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8147-7468-7 | |||
| * J. Wright & Everett Rowson. ''Homoeroticism in Classical Arabic Literature''. 1998. ISBN 0-231-10507-X (pbbk)/ ISBN 0-231-10506-1 (hdbk) | |||
| * ]. ''Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan,'' Berkeley, University of California Press, 1995. ISBN 0-520-20900-1 | |||
| * ] & ]. ''The Love of the Samurai. A Thousand Years of Japanese Homosexuality,'' London: GMP Publishers, 1987. ISBN 0-85449-115-5 | |||
| ===Modern Western=== | |||
| * ''Bi Any Other Name : Bisexual People Speak Out'' by ], Editor & ], Editor ISBN 1-55583-174-5 | |||
| * ''Getting Bi : Voices of Bisexuals Around the World'' by ], Editor & ], Editor ISBN 0-9653881-4-X | |||
| * ''The Bisexual Option'' by Fritz Klein, MD ISBN 1-56023-033-9 | |||
| * ''Bi Men : Coming Out Every Which Way'' by ] and Pete Chvany, Editors ISBN 978-1-56023-615-3 | |||
| * ''Bi America : Myths, Truths, And Struggles Of An Invisible Community'' by ] ISBN 978-1-56023-478-4 | |||
| * ''Bisexuality in the United States : A Social Science Reader'' by ], Editor ISBN 0-231-10226-7 | |||
| * ''Bisexuality : The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority'' by ], Editor ISBN 0-8039-7274-1 | |||
| * ''Current Research on Bisexuality'' by ], Editor ISBN 978-1-56023-289-6 | |||
| * . (144 KB PDF). Report on the problems caused by stereotyping of bisexuals. | |||
| * http://xoomer.alice.it/letteraturadamore/Orlando.html ("Orlando", a Virginia Woolf's novel focused on sexual ambiguity) | |||
| ===Other Film=== | |||
| * Bryant, Wayne M.. ''Bisexual Characters in Film: From Anais to Zee''. Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies, 1997. ISBN 1-56023-894-1 | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Wikiquote}} | |||
| * {{dmoz|/Society/Gay,_Lesbian,_and_Bisexual/Bisexual|Bisexual}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
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| |list = | |||
| {{Human sexuality}} | |||
| {{Sexual identities}} | |||
| {{Bisexuality topics}} | |||
| {{LGBT|state=collapsed|main=expanded}} | |||
| }} | |||
Latest revision as of 19:57, 16 June 2024
Handel has generally been accorded high esteem by fellow composers, both in his own time and since. Johann Sebastian Bach attempted, unsuccessfully, to meet Handel while he was visiting Halle. (Handel was born in the same year as Bach and Domenico Scarlatti.) Mozart is reputed to have said of him, "Handel understands affect better than any of us. When he chooses, he strikes like a thunder bolt." To Beethoven he was "the master of us all... the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb." Beethoven emphasised above all the simplicity and popular appeal of Handel's music when he said, "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means."
- "BBC Press Release". Bbc.co.uk. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- Dent 2004, p. 23 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDent2004 (help)
- ^ Young, Percy Marshall (1 April 1975) . Handel (Master Musician series). J. M. Dent & Sons. p. 177. ISBN 0-460-03161-9.