leizy
Jun 1, 2006, 6:51 PM
Intro - another section of my draft chapter, reviewing the research on bisexuality, as compared to what people believe about it. comments are hugely appreciated!
cheers.
david
Bisexuals are just afraid to admit they're actually gay:
As described earlier, much of the general societal prejudice experienced by bisexuals is indistinguishable from the prejudice experienced by homosexuals. Aside from the fears of bisexuals as "double agents," the perception by the heterosexual community is that bisexuals might as well be gay. Bisexuality is seen by the homosexual community as a transitional identity, with both research and anecdotal evidence suggesting that homosexuals view bisexuals as individuals that are just on their way to deciding they're actually gay, and that bisexuality is, at best, just a stage in the "coming-out" process of homosexuality.
We've certainly seen that, when it comes to the prevalence of bisexual behaviors and arousal, identity and labels have little predictive or definitional validity. In fact, it might even be the behaviors, and the relative frequency of the behaviors which drive identity, at least in men, as described previously. Thus, if the frequency of a male's sexual interactions with other males changes, going up or down, we might predict that their identity might also change. Female sexual identity seems to develop more independently of behavior, but female sexual behavior is more fluid than that of most males. Does this mean then that the perception of bisexuality as transitory and unstable is accurate?
Research suggests that there is evidence for more stability in bisexual identity than is generally perceived, and that where there is instability, the changes in sexual identity actually go more frequently in the opposite direction. Weinberg conducted extensive research in San Francisco and found that most bisexuals reduced their sexual activity with age, and tended towards involvement with only one sex in middle age. In contrast to the belief that bisexuality is a stage in the coming out process of homosexuality, more bisexuals in this research study were living exclusively heterosexual lives as they aged, rather than "finally just being gay." In fact, despite now living predominantly heterosexual lives, the bisexuals in this study actually showed increased stability in their bisexual identities as they aged. There does appear to be a coming-out process in bisexuals, though in it, homosexuality is actually a precursor to coming-out as bisexual, rather than the reverse. Consistent research indicates that bisexuals experience same-sex attractions significantly later than do homosexuals, experiencing heterosexual attractions much earlier, and settle on a bisexual identity several years later (about twenty-eight years old), on average, than the age at which most homosexuals begin to identify as gay or lesbian (about twenty-two years old).
A large scale study with hundreds of bisexually-behaving men (between the ages of 18-30, they had had penetrative sex with both men and women within the past three years) examined how many of these men moved towards a stronger homosexual identity over time. The primary researcher, Joseph Stokes, predicted that identity change and development would come with significant distress and disturbance, with feelings of self-hatred and substance abuse (a good example of the presence of negative beliefs about bisexuality and homosexuality, even in supposedly objective scientific research). About half of the men did not change in their reported sexual identity, and one-third began to identify more as homosexual, while slightly less than one-fifth gravitated towards a heterosexual identity. In contrast to the researchers’ predictions about disturbed behaviors and self-image being involved in the transition of sexual identity, men who moved towards a homosexual identity actually were more psychologically healthy than other men. Men who had sex with both men and women, but primarily fantasized about men while masturbating were more likely to identify later as primarily homosexual, and the lower the number of female sex partners over a lifetime, the more likely the men were to move towards a homosexual identity. However, the number of male partners, and the degree of sexual attraction to men did not predict the development of a homosexual identity, if the male also had feelings towards women. In other words, sexual attraction to males and females is not a single bipolar dimension. With bisexuals trapped in between, like the indecisive mule starving to death between the two equidistant piles of hay. Instead, sexual attraction to males and females may be best characterized as two parallel lines, with separate degrees of attraction and interest to males on one scale, and toward females on another. Males high on attraction to males and low on attraction to females gravitate towards identification as homosexual, those with the reverse gravitate towards heterosexuality, and those with strong attractions towards both tend to remain relatively stable in their identification as bisexuals.
Females do experience more variability and change in their sexual attractions and sexual identities than men, with many studies showing significant, sometimes even dramatic changes in female sexuality across time. Greater changes in sexual behavior, romantic and sexual feelings have been found among bisexual women, compared to lesbian and heterosexual women. As described, some women maintain multiple sexual identities, labeling themselves as both bisexual and hetero- or homosexual, as well as nonconforming labels such as "other," "unsure" and the previously mentioned "something else." Bisexual women have been shown to have changed their sexual identities more frequently across their lifespan than lesbians or heterosexual women. However, some writers, such as Paula Rust, have argued that the ways in which sexuality is studied are weighted towards traditionally male sexuality, and do not address the more complex aspects of female sexuality. Rust has shown that much of the inconsistency and variability in women's report of sexual identity and behavior are artifacts of the research methodology, with greater consistency when more sophisticated assessment strategies are used.
There is more variability and change among bisexuals than among other sexual orientations. This may be due to the nature of bisexuality, with attraction and behaviors with more than one sex. In contrast to heterosexuals and homosexuals, orientations some bisexuals refer to as "monosexuality," bisexuality by its nature does involve twice as much variability. Does this inherently greater diversity foster more change in bisexuals? Do bisexuals become homosexuals? Many bisexuals do begin living lives that are more monogamous, with a single partner, but they may not necessarily become homosexual, and in fact many instead begin living lives that are more heterosexual. Some bisexuals do decide that they are in fact homosexual, but for many, bisexuality is a stable identity that actually becomes more certain with age. Since the 1970’s, research has consistently indicated that bisexuals, especially married bisexuals, maintain interest in both sexes. Some studies show that married male and female bisexuals have sex far more often (averaging three times weekly) with their opposite sex spouse, versus only one and half sexual encounters with same-sex partners across an average month. Heterosexual attraction is not a sham, not a front, and not window-dressing for most bisexuals.
cheers.
david
Bisexuals are just afraid to admit they're actually gay:
As described earlier, much of the general societal prejudice experienced by bisexuals is indistinguishable from the prejudice experienced by homosexuals. Aside from the fears of bisexuals as "double agents," the perception by the heterosexual community is that bisexuals might as well be gay. Bisexuality is seen by the homosexual community as a transitional identity, with both research and anecdotal evidence suggesting that homosexuals view bisexuals as individuals that are just on their way to deciding they're actually gay, and that bisexuality is, at best, just a stage in the "coming-out" process of homosexuality.
We've certainly seen that, when it comes to the prevalence of bisexual behaviors and arousal, identity and labels have little predictive or definitional validity. In fact, it might even be the behaviors, and the relative frequency of the behaviors which drive identity, at least in men, as described previously. Thus, if the frequency of a male's sexual interactions with other males changes, going up or down, we might predict that their identity might also change. Female sexual identity seems to develop more independently of behavior, but female sexual behavior is more fluid than that of most males. Does this mean then that the perception of bisexuality as transitory and unstable is accurate?
Research suggests that there is evidence for more stability in bisexual identity than is generally perceived, and that where there is instability, the changes in sexual identity actually go more frequently in the opposite direction. Weinberg conducted extensive research in San Francisco and found that most bisexuals reduced their sexual activity with age, and tended towards involvement with only one sex in middle age. In contrast to the belief that bisexuality is a stage in the coming out process of homosexuality, more bisexuals in this research study were living exclusively heterosexual lives as they aged, rather than "finally just being gay." In fact, despite now living predominantly heterosexual lives, the bisexuals in this study actually showed increased stability in their bisexual identities as they aged. There does appear to be a coming-out process in bisexuals, though in it, homosexuality is actually a precursor to coming-out as bisexual, rather than the reverse. Consistent research indicates that bisexuals experience same-sex attractions significantly later than do homosexuals, experiencing heterosexual attractions much earlier, and settle on a bisexual identity several years later (about twenty-eight years old), on average, than the age at which most homosexuals begin to identify as gay or lesbian (about twenty-two years old).
A large scale study with hundreds of bisexually-behaving men (between the ages of 18-30, they had had penetrative sex with both men and women within the past three years) examined how many of these men moved towards a stronger homosexual identity over time. The primary researcher, Joseph Stokes, predicted that identity change and development would come with significant distress and disturbance, with feelings of self-hatred and substance abuse (a good example of the presence of negative beliefs about bisexuality and homosexuality, even in supposedly objective scientific research). About half of the men did not change in their reported sexual identity, and one-third began to identify more as homosexual, while slightly less than one-fifth gravitated towards a heterosexual identity. In contrast to the researchers’ predictions about disturbed behaviors and self-image being involved in the transition of sexual identity, men who moved towards a homosexual identity actually were more psychologically healthy than other men. Men who had sex with both men and women, but primarily fantasized about men while masturbating were more likely to identify later as primarily homosexual, and the lower the number of female sex partners over a lifetime, the more likely the men were to move towards a homosexual identity. However, the number of male partners, and the degree of sexual attraction to men did not predict the development of a homosexual identity, if the male also had feelings towards women. In other words, sexual attraction to males and females is not a single bipolar dimension. With bisexuals trapped in between, like the indecisive mule starving to death between the two equidistant piles of hay. Instead, sexual attraction to males and females may be best characterized as two parallel lines, with separate degrees of attraction and interest to males on one scale, and toward females on another. Males high on attraction to males and low on attraction to females gravitate towards identification as homosexual, those with the reverse gravitate towards heterosexuality, and those with strong attractions towards both tend to remain relatively stable in their identification as bisexuals.
Females do experience more variability and change in their sexual attractions and sexual identities than men, with many studies showing significant, sometimes even dramatic changes in female sexuality across time. Greater changes in sexual behavior, romantic and sexual feelings have been found among bisexual women, compared to lesbian and heterosexual women. As described, some women maintain multiple sexual identities, labeling themselves as both bisexual and hetero- or homosexual, as well as nonconforming labels such as "other," "unsure" and the previously mentioned "something else." Bisexual women have been shown to have changed their sexual identities more frequently across their lifespan than lesbians or heterosexual women. However, some writers, such as Paula Rust, have argued that the ways in which sexuality is studied are weighted towards traditionally male sexuality, and do not address the more complex aspects of female sexuality. Rust has shown that much of the inconsistency and variability in women's report of sexual identity and behavior are artifacts of the research methodology, with greater consistency when more sophisticated assessment strategies are used.
There is more variability and change among bisexuals than among other sexual orientations. This may be due to the nature of bisexuality, with attraction and behaviors with more than one sex. In contrast to heterosexuals and homosexuals, orientations some bisexuals refer to as "monosexuality," bisexuality by its nature does involve twice as much variability. Does this inherently greater diversity foster more change in bisexuals? Do bisexuals become homosexuals? Many bisexuals do begin living lives that are more monogamous, with a single partner, but they may not necessarily become homosexual, and in fact many instead begin living lives that are more heterosexual. Some bisexuals do decide that they are in fact homosexual, but for many, bisexuality is a stable identity that actually becomes more certain with age. Since the 1970’s, research has consistently indicated that bisexuals, especially married bisexuals, maintain interest in both sexes. Some studies show that married male and female bisexuals have sex far more often (averaging three times weekly) with their opposite sex spouse, versus only one and half sexual encounters with same-sex partners across an average month. Heterosexual attraction is not a sham, not a front, and not window-dressing for most bisexuals.