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| {{LGBT}} | |||
| {{Redirect|Bisexual}} | |||
| '''Bisexuality''' is the sexual orientation which refers to the ], ], or ] desire for individuals of either ] or of either ]. | |||
| Although observed in a variety of forms in human societies and in the animal kingdom throughout recorded history, the term "bisexuality" was only coined in the 19th century. | |||
| ==Description== | |||
| Bisexual orientation includes all the territory between the two extremes of ] and ]. Bisexual people are not necessarily attracted equally to both genders. Moreover, it is possible for a bisexual person to be attracted to all genders but only one sex, or to all sexes but only one gender (note the definition of ] as social/psychological category, distinct from biological sex). Apart from sexual preference, some bisexual people describe their attraction as being based on personality or other characteristics rather than gender. Another view of bisexuality is that homosexuality and heterosexuality are two ] orientations, whereas bisexuality encompasses them both. However, some argue that bisexuality is a distinct ] on a par with heterosexuality or homosexuality. | |||
| Bisexuality is often misunderstood as a form of ] or ], and a popular misconception is that bisexuals must always be in relationships with men and women simultaneously. Rather, individuals attracted to both males and females, like people of any other orientation, may live a variety of sexual lifestyles. These include: lifelong ], ], ], ], ] with individual partners, casual ], and ]. For those with more than one sexual partner, these may or may not all be of the same gender. | |||
| Some people who might be classified by others as bisexual on the basis of their sexual behavior self-identify as ], ], or ] -- for example, a bisexual woman who considers herself a lesbian may do so on the basis that a lesbian might be defined as any woman who is attracted to women (even one who is also attracted to men), or a woman who is primarily attracted to other women. Likewise some men may identify as heterosexual because the only activities they engage in with other men do not involve ] (or more commonly, do not involve being the ] in anal sex).{{fact}} This kind of ambiguity is problematic because some people maintain that exclusivity is part of the definitions for monosexual orientations, others feel that only one's current situation is what matters (if one is in a heterosexual marriage, they are straight), and still other groups prefer to say that bisexuality is non-existent and a bisexual person's heterosexual feelings are merely the result of internalized ].{{fact}} Other bisexuals consider themselves distinct from homosexuals but part of the larger ] or ] community. Some people who engage in bisexual behavior may be supportive of lesbian and gay people, but still self-identify as straight, and still others consider any labels irrelevant to their positions and situations. | |||
| {{Sexual orientation}} | |||
| ==Terminology== | |||
| The term ''bisexual'' was first used in the 19th century to refer to ]. By 1914 it had begun to be used in the context of sexual orientation.<ref name="oed">Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (CD-ROM)</ref> Some bisexuals and sex researchers are dissatisfied with the term, and have developed a variety of alternative or supplementary terms to describe aspects and forms of bisexuality. Many are ]s not widely recognized by the larger society. BI! | |||
| *'']'', '']'', '']'', and '']'' (] sexuality) are substitute terms that rather than referring to ''both'' or "bi" gender attraction, refer to ''all'' or "omni" gender attraction, and are used mainly by those who wish to express acceptance of ''all'' gender possibilities including ] and ] people, not just two. Pansexuality sometimes includes an attraction for less mainstream sexual activities, such as ]. Some people who might otherwise identify as pansexual or omnisexual choose to self-identify as bisexual because the term ''bisexual'' is more widely known, and because they see it as an important term in ]. | |||
| *'']'' describes someone who does not actively seek out sexual relations with a given gender, but is open to them. Such a person may self-identify as heterosexual or homosexual, and engage predominantly in sexual acts with individuals of the corresponding gender, and might be rated ''1'' or ''5'' on Kinsey's scale. Near-synonyms include ] and ]. | |||
| *''Ambisexual'' indicates a primarily indiscriminate attraction to either sex. A person who self-identifies as ambisexual might be attracted with equal intensity on physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels to partner(s) regardless of sex or gender presentation, while upholding selectivity standards in other areas. Some might experience equally intense attractions that could be triggered by sex- or gender-specific traits in given the partner(s). A person with this orientation might fall in the ''3'' category on Kinsey's scale, as would some who subscribe to the ''2'' or ''4'' rating (although some individuals in these latter categories consider themselves Bi-permissive). | |||
| *'']'', has several distinct and sometimes contradictory meanings. It is commonly found in personal ads from those who identify as heterosexual but are interested in homosexual "experimentation". Such people are commonly suspected - not necessarily correctly - of being homosexuals or bisexuals in ] of their homosexuality. It can also be used to describe someone as being ], bi-permissive or open to indirect bisexual contact. | |||
| *''Trisexual'' (sometimes ''trysexual'') is either an extension of, or a pun on ''bisexual''. In its more serious usage, it indicates an interest in transgender persons in addition to ] men and women. In its more humorous usage, it refers to someone who will ''try'' any ''sexual'' experience. | |||
| *'']'' describes a fear or condemnation of bisexuality, usually based in a belief that only heterosexuality and homosexuality are genuine orientations and appropriate lifestyles. Bisexual persons may also be the target of ] from those who consider only heterosexuality appropriate. The reverse can also apply in that bisexual persons may be targets of ] or discrimination by some gays/homosexuals. | |||
| *''], aka ]'' is a non-gender specific term that describes a straight or bi-curious person who is ''open to'' incidental or direct contact (typically in a ] scenario) from a ], usually without reciprocation. | |||
| *'']'' is a non-gender specific term that describes a bi-curious/bisexual person who ''initiates'' direct contact with a ]. | |||
| ==Modern Western prevalence of bisexuality== | |||
| {{main|Demographics of sexual orientation|Kinsey Reports}} | |||
| Some modern surveys report about 2%-6% of modern western populations as bisexual, but there are still many methodological difficulties with regard to randomness and size of the sample population, and the accuracy of self-reports of such personal information.{{cn}} (The accuracy of these numbers is disputed.) Different studies also use different standards for bisexuality. Some studies ignore bisexual phenomena entirely, or separate it into same-sex and opposite-sex components. Reported results disagree over whether homosexuality is more common than bisexuality (with various definitions for each). Anecdotal reports from areas outside the west suggest much higher rates of bisexual expression. | |||
| ], arguably the first scholar to write an analysis of human sexuality, theorized that every person has the ability to become bisexual at some time in his or her life.{{cn}} He based this on the idea that enjoyable experiences of sexuality with the same gender, whether sought or unsought, acting on it or being fantasized, in social upbringing becomes an attachment to his or her needs and desires. | |||
| Some studies, notably ] ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Male'' (1948) and ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Female'' (1953), have indicated that the majority of people appear to be at least somewhat bisexual. The studies report that most people have some attraction to either sex, although usually one sex is preferred. According to some (falsely attributed to Kinsey), only about 5-10% of the population can be considered to be fully heterosexual or homosexual.{{cn}} On the other hand, an even smaller minority has no distinct preference for one gender or the other. | |||
| Despite common misconceptions, bisexuality does ''not'' require that a person is attracted ''equally'' to both sexes. In fact, people who have a distinct but not exclusive preference for one sex over the other can and often do identify as bisexual. Some recent studies, including one by controversial researcher ] which attracted media attention in 2005, purported to find that bisexuality is extremely rare in men, but such studies have typically worked from the assumption that a person is only truly bisexual if they exhibit 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.{{cn}} (Bailey, in fact, found that approximately one-third of the men he studied, a percentage that remained consistent across all three orientation groups, were not aroused by ''any'' of the sexual stimuli that he presented, a finding which he dismissed as irrelevant to his conclusions.) | |||
| ==Social status of bisexuality== | |||
| {{gay rights}} | |||
| {{Weasel section}} | |||
| Historically, bisexuality has largely been free of the social stigma associated with homosexuality, prevalent even where bisexuality was the norm. In Ancient Greece ] was not problematic as long as the men eventually married and had children. All over the world among upper-class men of good social standing (i.e., properly married) homosexual affairs were quietly accepted, and heterosexual marriage was often successfully used as a defense against accusations of homosexuality.{{fact}} On the other hand, there are bisexuals who marry or live with a heterosexual partner because they prefer the complementarity of different genders in cohabiting and co-parenting, but have felt greatly enriched by homosexual relationships alongside the marriage in both monogamous and "]" relationships. | |||
| Some in the gay and lesbian communities accuse those who self-identify as bisexual of duplicity, believing they are really homosexuals who engage in heterosexual activity merely to remain socially acceptable. They may be accused of "not doing their part" in gaining acceptance of "true" homosexuality. Some gay and lesbian people may also suspect that a self-described bisexual is merely a homosexual in the initial stage of questioning their presumed heterosexuality, and will eventually accept that they are lesbian or gay; this is expressed by a glib saying in gay culture: "Bi now, gay later." These situations can and do take place, but do not appear to be true of the majority of self-described bisexuals. Nonetheless, bisexuals do sometimes experience lesser acceptance from gay and lesbian people, because of their declared orientation. Bisexual experimentation is also common in adolescents of every sexual orientation. | |||
| Bisexuals are often associated with men who engage in ] while ] and heterosexually ]. The majority of such men - said to be ''living on the ]'' - do not self-identify as bisexual. | |||
| ]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. However, since "Bisexual orientation can fall anywhere between the two extremes of ] and ]," some who identify as bisexual may merge themselves into either homosexual or heterosexual society.{{fact}} Still other bisexual people see this merging as ] rather than voluntary; bisexual people can ] from both gay and straight society on coming out. Relatively few supportive bisexual communities exist, therefore there is not as much support from people who have gone through similar experiences. This effectively can make it more difficult for bisexuals to "come out" as such. | |||
| A common symbol of bisexual identity 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. | |||
| ]Another symbol of bisexual identity that uses the color scheme of the bisexual pride flag is a pair of overlapping pink and blue triangles (the pink triangle being a well-known symbol for the gay community), forming purple where they intersect. | |||
| Many gay and bisexual individuals have a problem with the use of the ] symbol {{fact}} as it was the symbol that Hitler's regime used to tag homosexuals (similar to the double triangle that the jews had to wear). Many gay and bisexual people simply do not wish to be represented or identify themselves as a suppressed group {{fact}}. | |||
| An alternative to the triangle symbol is the bisexual double moon symbol that is formed when the sex specific attributes of the astrological symbol of Mars & Venus (representing heterosexual union) is reduced to the two circles open on both ends. Thus symbolizing that bisexuals are open to either sex unions. | |||
| The color of the bisexual double moon symbol varies. The symbol is most often displayed with rainbow colors signyfying that bisexuals belong to the gay community or family. It also may appear with the pink-purple-blue colors of the bisexual pride flag. | |||
| ==Bisexuality in history== | |||
| Historical and literary records from most literate societies indicate that male bisexuality was common and indeed expected. These relationships were generally age-structured (as in the practice of ] in the ] of ], or the practice of ] in pre-modern Japan) or gender-structured (as in the ] North American tradition or the ]n ] practices). Male heterosexuality and homosexuality, while also documented, appear mostly as exceptions, unless we are examining cultures influenced by the ]s, where heterosexuality was privileged, and bisexuality and homosexuality forcefully suppressed. In fact, most of the commonly cited examples of male "homosexuality" in previous cultures would more properly be categorized as bisexuality. Determining the history of female bisexuality is more problematic, in that women in most of the studied societies were under the domination of the males, and on one hand had less self-determination and freedom of movement and expression, and on the other were not the ones writing or keeping the literary record. | |||
| In ] it is believed that males generally went through a homosexual stage in adolescence, followed by a bisexual stage characterized by ] in young adulthood, followed by a (mostly) heterosexual stage later in life, when they married and had children. ], the Macadonian king, was a bisexual man with a male lover named ]. Ancient ], Arab countries up to and including the present, ], and ], all exhibit patterns of analogous bisexual behavior. In Japan in particular, due to its practice of ] and the extensive art and literature associated with it, the record of a primarily bisexual lifestyle is both detailed and quite recent, dating back as recently as the ]. | |||
| Perhaps the most famous example is ] who had many wives, but was asserted by later writers to have had at least two male lovers; one of them, ], was his life-long friend. Bisexual behaviour was also common among Roman and Chinese emperors, the shoguns of Japan, and others. | |||
| Nevertheless, it should be noted that the terms ''heterosexual'', ''bisexual'', ''homosexual'', and the concept of "sexual orientation" itself are all modern sociological constructs, and may not be appropriate in historical contexts, in which ''behavior'' might be considered homosexual, but ''people'' were not labeled using such terms. | |||
| ===Ancient Greece=== | |||
| Ancestral law in ancient ] mandated same-sex relationships with youths who were coming of age for all adult men, so long as the men eventually took wives and produced children. The Spartans thought that love and erotic relationships between experienced and novice soldiers would solidify combat loyalty 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. However through out most of the ancient Greek world, in Athens for example, the progression of a relationship between an older man and one of a significant younger age into a sexual relationship was severely looked down upon in society. The relationship was seen as the older man taking advantage of the younger man, and this was not encouraged. | |||
| Greek religious texts, reflecting cultural practices, incorporated bisexual themes. The subtexts varied, from the mystical to the didactic. See '']''. | |||
| ===Middle East and Central Asia=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Islamic countries developed a culture in which love ''(])'' was held to be an absolute good, regardless of the gender of the object of affection, though irreligious behavior was condemned. Men's attraction to beautiful youths was widely understood to be normal and universal in Islamic cultures<ref>El-Rouayheb, 2005, pp. 14-24</ref> For example, the Hanbalite jurist Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1200) is reputed to have said that "He who claims that he experiences no desire when looking at beautiful boys or youths is a liar, and if we could believe him he would be an animal, and not a human being." <ref>Monroe, 1997, p. 117</ref> | |||
| Some religious texts warn men to avoid falling for this temptation, held to be stronger than attraction to women.{{cn}} Other ], not uncontroversially, teach that gazing upon the beauty of boys is a path to communing with god. Poets and artists routinely depicted the love of boys, consummated or not, from the ] times until the early twentieth century. Among these were the poets ], ], and ], and painters such as the ] ]. The ]ic prohibition against ''liwat'' (] with males, held to be a major sin) was flouted by some and circumvented by others who indulged in such relationships but stopped short of intercourse. Men convicted of ''liwat'', as well as their partners, could be and were upon occasion executed. | |||
| The Qur'an however requires that the transgression be witnessed by four men or eight women in order to convict the participants. Therefore, men are not given much trouble about these behaviors as it cannot be easily proved, so as long as they marry and raise families and fulfill other societal duties, they can easily "blend" in society.{{fact}} Such practices are claimed to be less common than in the past and have become covert, as a result of exposure to Western Victorian morality starting in the 1800s. An open declaration of homosexual preference in the Western egalitarian style would be unacceptable.{{fact}} | |||
| In most parts of South East Asia, bisexuality became a trend specially with adolescents.{{cn}} They encounter such change in sexual preference since they are very much curious about their sexual orientation and their exposure to wide range of media. | |||
| ==Bisexuality in animals== | |||
| {{main|Non-human animal sexuality}} | |||
| Many non-human animal species also exhibit bisexual behavior. This is, of course, common in ] animals, but is also known in many other species. Examples of mammals include the ] Chimpanzee, ], and ]. Examples of avians include some species of gulls and ]. Biological examples are predominate in fish, flatworms, and crustaceans. Bisexuality (behavioral ''and'' biological) has been observed in over 500 species.{{cn}} | |||
| ==Bisexuality in modern Western entertainment== | |||
| Comparatively positive and notable portrayals of bisexuality can be found throughout mainstream media. | |||
| In movies such as: "]";'']''; '']''; and '']''. | |||
| In ], many of the songs of ] are commonly cited as classic examples. | |||
| In notable ]s, '']'' subtly portrays bisexuality. '']'' is an early comic-strip character whose loves are not limited by gender. | |||
| Notable novels containing significant bisexual characters are: | |||
| *]'s ''Two for One--a novel about having choices'' | |||
| *]'s ''Cry to Heaven'' | |||
| *]'s ''Dusty Answer'' | |||
| *]'s ''The Last of the Wine'' and ''The Persian Boy'' | |||
| *]'s ''Claudine'' novels | |||
| *]'s ''The Lost Language of Cranes'' and ''While England Sleeps'' | |||
| *]'s ''The Passion'' | |||
| *]'s ''Milk and Cookies'' | |||
| *]'s ''Woman on the Edge of Time'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' | |||
| *]'s ''Young in One Another's Arms'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' and its sequel, '']'' | |||
| *]'s ''The Metaphysical Touch'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' | |||
| *]'s '']'' | |||
| Non-fiction scholarship, such as ]'s ''Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life'' (1995), ]'s ''Sexual Personae'' (1990) and Louis Crompton's ''Byron and Greek Love'' (1985), has uncovered previously hidden histories of bisexuality. | |||
| On the TV ] '']'', the character of ] is described as "]" and -- although married to a man -- often kisses Grace and appears to have had many female lovers throughout her life. The blatantly ] character ] of '']'' and '']'' is often described as "omnisexual" by his fans. ] portrayed a bisexual con artist in the film '']''. | |||
| In the ] television series ], characters including ] and ] are portrayed as bisexual, or omnisexual. There seems to be a general feeling in the show that it is accepted and common for people to follow their hearts wherever that may take them, ignoring gender. Other examples include the characters ] and ] posing as a married couple, and series creator ] indicating that the station commander ] would have been propositioned by the male ] ambassador if ] had not been handling those negotiations. | |||
| In the broadway play turned movie, '']'', '']'' plays Maureen Johnson, a character who has a relationship with both Mark Cohen ('']'', who is openly bisexual in real life) and Joanne Jefferson ('']''/'']''). | |||
| In the popular webcomic '']'' ] is an open bisexual and her bisexuality is central to several sub-plots. | |||
| There are also negative media portrayals - references sometimes made to stereotypes or mental disorders. | |||
| The television show '']'' sported a short song about the topic that expresses a common prejudice on the subject: | |||
| <div> | |||
| :''Sometimes men love women,'' | |||
| :''Sometimes men love men,'' | |||
| :''Then there are bisexuals'' | |||
| :''Though some just say they're kidding themselves'' | |||
| </div> | |||
| On the HBO drama '']'', ] played ], a bisexual sociopath who tortured, raped, and had numerous sexual encounters with various men and women whom he met. | |||
| A '']'' joke ran thus: | |||
| :''"A bisexual is a person who reaches down the front of somebody's pants and is satisfied with whatever they find."'' -- ] as the church lady, ''Saturday Night Live''. | |||
| Movies in which the bisexual characters conceal murderous neuroses include '']'', ''Black Widow'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. | |||
| In one of his comedy routines, ] admits to thinking about what a curse bisexuality must be: "Could you imagine wanting to fuck everybody you meet? Think of all the phone numbers you'd accumulate! You might as well just walk around with the ] under your arms." | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{Portal|LGBT|Gay flag.svg|50px}} | |||
| *] | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| ;General | |||
| *] ''Coming Clean about Bisexuality'', 2000. | |||
| *]. ''Homosexuality and Civilization,'' Cambridge, Mass. and London, 2003. ISBN 0-674-01197-X | |||
| *]. ''Homosexuels et bisexuels célèbres,'' Delétraz Editions, 1997. ISBN 2-911110-19-6 | |||
| ;Ancient Greece | |||
| *]. ''Greek Homosexuality,'' New York; Vintage Books, 1978. ISBN 0-394-74224-9 | |||
| *]. ''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. | |||
| *W. A. Percy III.'' 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. | |||
| *]. ''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 ] ISBN 1-56023-033-9 | |||
| *Bi Men : Coming Out Every Which Way by ] and Pete Chvany, Editors ISBN-13 978-1-56023-615-9 | |||
| *Bi America : Myths, Truths, And Struggles Of An Invisible Community by ] ISBN-13: 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-13: 978-1-56023-288-5 | |||
| *. (144 KB ]). Report on the problems caused by stereotyping of bisexuals. | |||
| ;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}} | |||
| {{wiktionarypar|bisexuality}} | |||
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| ==Notes== | |||
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