Every year, Bi Visibility Day is observed on September 23.
(http://september23.bi.org). Still,
when it comes to bi visibility and/or invisibility, myths and misconceptions
abound.
Dr. J.R. Little has identified 13 prevailing types of
bisexuality. On the face of it, these discoveries seek to classify bi
experience as seen through a control group study. At the very least, this
reveals the fluidity of sexuality in general. Predominant bisexual traits
Dr. Little found are the following:
1. Alternating: May be with a man, then after a
relationship ends, may choose a female partner for a subsequent
relationship, continuing to alternate.
2. Circumstantial: Primarily
heterosexual, but will choose same sex partners only if they have no access to
other-sex partners, like in gender-segregated circumstances.
3. Concurrent Relationships: Have primary
relationship with one gender only, but other casual or secondary relationships
with people of another gender concurrently.
4. Conditional: Either straight or
gay/lesbian, but switches to a relationship with another gender for a specific
purpose, like young straight males who prostitute with men for money or
lesbians who marry men for social acceptance, or to have children.
5. Emotional: Have intimate emotional
relationships with men and women, but only have sexual relationships with one
gender.
6. Integrated: Have more than one
primary relationship at the same time, one with a man and one with a woman.
7. Exploratory: Either straight or
gay/lesbian, but have sex with another gender just to satisfy curiosity or “see
what it’s like.” (Bi-curious.)
8. Hedonistic: Primarily straight or
gay/lesbian but will sometimes have recreational sex with a different gender
purely for sex.
9. Recreational: Primarily heterosexual, but
engage in gay or lesbian sex only when under the influence of substances.
(Party-sexual.)
10. Isolated: 100% straight or gay/lesbian
now but has had at one or more sexual experience with another gender in
the past.
11. Latent: Completely straight or gay lesbian in
behavior, but has strong desire for sex with another gender (having never acted
on it).
12. Motivational: Example – straight women
who have sex with other women to please their male partner who requests it for
his own arousal.
13. Transitional: Temporarily identify as
bisexual while in the process of moving from being straight to being gay or
lesbian, or going from being gay or lesbian to being heterosexual.
No matter what your orientation is, sexual discovery is a
process. Whether or not you agree with Dr. Little—or bisexuality in
general—if you seek to understand bisexuality, do your best to meet bi folks
where they are, without trying to marginalize them or inflict a sense of
“wrongness” on them for having their own experience.
Nirvana wrote a song saying, “Everyone is gay.” Did they get
that right, or is everybody really bi? What does bisexual consciousness
mean to you?
I was a #13 transitioning to Gay for a couple of years and couldn't really understand why the "Lifers" were so concerned whether or not I was REALLY Gay or just Gay 4PLAY. Like, uh, I was there, I was naked and ..... did that really require further authentication?? ☺☺
ReplyDeleteI say shut and enjoy your nakedness :)
DeleteWas this a credible study? It seems by trying to define bi it also marginalizes it - many of those terms can also be applied to hetero's and homo's.
ReplyDeletethat means we all are the same :)
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