Bisexuality and Fear
I tend to think of sexuality in pretty abstract terms, by which I mean that I’ve never really worried about what categories people fall into, and tend to fall in the camp of “let people define themselves however they like and I’ll deal with it,” since it doesn’t seem to affect me one way or the other. I don’t mean that in an apathetic way - I’m devoted to the cause of increasing inclusivity, but as a GLBT Ally who identifies as heterosexual, it’s never seemed to be my place to tell others how they should or shouldn’t define their sexuality.
So I found this article at Ramone’s Fay life Blog about “fearing” bisexuality to be interesting. He asks,
The bisexual man: a confused player that can’t be completely trusted by other men or women since neither can fulfill his complete desires. The bisexual woman: a sexually liberal confidant eager to share her desires with multiple partners of choice. These: perceptions that run rampant among skeptics who consider bisexuality a phase (or as a permission slip for infidelity) and not a position of sexual moderatism.
Ironically, bi misconceptions don’t go both ways (at least not equally). The men are easily seen as hosts of mistrust and the women: mavens of straight male fantasy. Are bisexual women more readily accepted than bi men? Why are bisexual women so often reduced to sex? Why is the bisexual man seen as having an insatiable sexual appetite?
His roundup of different reader reactions to bisexuality and its perceived stereotypes is interesting; I recommend reading the whole thing.
bisexuality, GLBT, stereotypes, bisexuality myths
bisexuality, GLBT, stereotypes, bisexuality myths
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