Since the inception of the LGBT communal whole, bisexuals have not received a fair shake from both the queer and the straight community’s stereotyping glare. Multiple inappropriate and incorrect character traits are attributed to bisexuals, such as indecisiveness, infidelity and supreme selfishness.Some scholars even go so far to believe that people who call themselves bisexual are actually bi-curious. A 2005 survey conducted by the CDC reports approximately “1.8% of men and women between the ages of 15 and 44 identify themselves as bisexual".
Recently many celebrities have revealed their bisexuality with pride, actors like Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Anna Paquin and singer Vanessa Carlton. Yet, while this upheaval of public feminine defiance may seem encouraging, it does little—some but little—to defeat the stigmas and flaws equated with bisexuality. And their public declarations only add fuel to the double-standard facing male bisexuals.
Female bisexuals face the struggle of becoming a thing of straight male fantasies, hence why their group remains more acceptable.
Even the atrociously misogynist site askmen.com posted an article titled “Signs your girlfriend is bisexual” wherein the key disclaimer for all straight males explains how a girlfriend’s lifestyle is not fodder for pornographic fantasies. Consequently, the desire to objectify the alluring sexual habits of a girlfriend or friend serves as a constant stereotype and absolute slap in the face to true bisexual women.
The bisexual male holds an even less enviable position. In the world that is predominately defined by straight males, the bisexual male simply does not exist. One such invisible person is Robert Winn, an openly bisexual male married to a straight woman.
Yes, this may seem like an easy out—no pun intended. He has the ability to admit that his habits are technically queer, yet he suffers no repercussions because his lifestyle is mainstream.
Or is it? Winn describes the complications his sexuality poses on his daily life. One of the primary complications is that “people are confused by bisexuality,” he informs a reporter. “There is a whole list of assumptions…that somehow she (my wife) is some sort of front for me because I’m not willing to accept I’m gay.”
Americans have come closer to accepting gay and lesbian unions and sexual orientations. But will they ever fully comprehend let alone accept bisexuality? College student Ben Pierce, another self-identified male bisexual, feels this degree of acceptance must come from both sides of the Kinsey spectrum.
He likens his sexual orientation to being biracial, comparing a person comprised of two races yet rejected by both to the way bisexuals’ fluidity is rejected by the straight and queer communities. “You’re caught in between these two very different groups of straight people and gay people,” he reveals, “and neither one really accepts you”.
Winn confesses that the height of the AIDS crisis during the 1980s served as a heavy contributor to his silence at a time when anything other than heterosexual behavior was suspect for spreading the virus. Despite the current rise in popularity and understanding among younger generations, male bisexuals still feel the need to hide their attraction to women and men. While popular culture has now made it almost chic for women to reveal their bisexuality, bi males still harbor considerable hesitancy due to prejudice from the gay and straight communities.
A classic example of such prejudice took place in 2005 when a “controversial study” titled Sexual Arousal Patters of Bisexual Men concluded that males are biologically incapable of being “aroused” by both men and women. Then, the Gay Softball World Series in 2008 stripped a team of its second place winning after it was revealed that three of the teammates were bisexual. Authorities disqualified the team since not all of its members were not completely gay.
Clearly, problems still exist and bisexuals face an unwieldy front from all sides. Sure, some may see them as this exotic anomaly merely testing the waters on both sides. However, a growing crowd of younger adults are starting to believe in the organic existence of bisexuality within their community, embracing them within the folds of equality and allied support. We can only hope that with the up-swing in popularity among Hollywood icons revealing their “fluid” natures, more bisexuals will step forward to share their experiences and dispel the bigoted rumors that nail them to the fence of suspicion.
Even the atrociously misogynist site askmen.com posted an article titled “Signs your girlfriend is bisexual” wherein the key disclaimer for all straight males explains how a girlfriend’s lifestyle is not fodder for pornographic fantasies. Consequently, the desire to objectify the alluring sexual habits of a girlfriend or friend serves as a constant stereotype and absolute slap in the face to true bisexual women.
The bisexual male holds an even less enviable position. In the world that is predominately defined by straight males, the bisexual male simply does not exist. One such invisible person is Robert Winn, an openly bisexual male married to a straight woman.
Yes, this may seem like an easy out—no pun intended. He has the ability to admit that his habits are technically queer, yet he suffers no repercussions because his lifestyle is mainstream.
Or is it? Winn describes the complications his sexuality poses on his daily life. One of the primary complications is that “people are confused by bisexuality,” he informs a reporter. “There is a whole list of assumptions…that somehow she (my wife) is some sort of front for me because I’m not willing to accept I’m gay.”
Americans have come closer to accepting gay and lesbian unions and sexual orientations. But will they ever fully comprehend let alone accept bisexuality? College student Ben Pierce, another self-identified male bisexual, feels this degree of acceptance must come from both sides of the Kinsey spectrum.
He likens his sexual orientation to being biracial, comparing a person comprised of two races yet rejected by both to the way bisexuals’ fluidity is rejected by the straight and queer communities. “You’re caught in between these two very different groups of straight people and gay people,” he reveals, “and neither one really accepts you”.
Winn confesses that the height of the AIDS crisis during the 1980s served as a heavy contributor to his silence at a time when anything other than heterosexual behavior was suspect for spreading the virus. Despite the current rise in popularity and understanding among younger generations, male bisexuals still feel the need to hide their attraction to women and men. While popular culture has now made it almost chic for women to reveal their bisexuality, bi males still harbor considerable hesitancy due to prejudice from the gay and straight communities.
A classic example of such prejudice took place in 2005 when a “controversial study” titled Sexual Arousal Patters of Bisexual Men concluded that males are biologically incapable of being “aroused” by both men and women. Then, the Gay Softball World Series in 2008 stripped a team of its second place winning after it was revealed that three of the teammates were bisexual. Authorities disqualified the team since not all of its members were not completely gay.
Clearly, problems still exist and bisexuals face an unwieldy front from all sides. Sure, some may see them as this exotic anomaly merely testing the waters on both sides. However, a growing crowd of younger adults are starting to believe in the organic existence of bisexuality within their community, embracing them within the folds of equality and allied support. We can only hope that with the up-swing in popularity among Hollywood icons revealing their “fluid” natures, more bisexuals will step forward to share their experiences and dispel the bigoted rumors that nail them to the fence of suspicion.
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