Study: Female Bisexuality Distinct Orientation, Not a Phase

[billy_campbell]

Carrie Bradshaw of "Sex and the City" once famously questioned whether bisexuality actually exists or whether it's just a "layover on the way to gaytown."

Turns out it's the real deal.

A new study finds that bisexuality in women appears to be a distinctive sexual orientation and not an experimental or transitional stage that some women adopt "on their way" to lesbianism.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association in the January issue of Developmental Psychology, followed 79 non-heterosexual women over 10 years and found that bisexual women maintained a stable pattern of attraction to both sexes.

Check out the study here: http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev4415.pdf

[BiphobiaFighter]

Thank you. :)

I read the abstract (the summary under the title) and am skimming through the discussion section at the moment. The findings support other research I've encountered, concerning how many people adopting a bisexual identity later in life.

I wonder if any quality longitudinal studies and/or meta-analyses exist on the topic of bisexuality for men. I'll have to remember to check later when I have the time. They would be useful, like this one, in dispelling the stereotypes.

[bigregory]

A 10 year study on just 79 upper/middleclass women.
Not a very honest survey.
I'm glad that at least someone is trying to define bisexuality as a real thing.
This forum would be a great place to conduct a similar study that could involve thousands of both men and women.
So if your on this site good chance you call yourself bisexual so post your sexual preferance and we will check back in a year to see how many went gay or straight or are still bi,if you were bi to start with.

Bi 50/50:male:

[BiphobiaFighter]

79 people for a 10-year longitudinal study isn't bad at all, really.

[bigregory]

Just seems small to me. 79 ppl.
Opps I was looking in my pants

[innaminka]

Sometimes I wonder about the point of these research papers other than to add to the huge mass of human knowledge and perhaps enable someone to attain a PhD or tenure.
Which are both very legitimate reasons;....
......but as far as practical application goes, as Rhett most famously said, "Frankly ........ I don't give a damn."

A paper that says I am really a bisexual and am not just a latent lesbian really has no application in my life. What happens happens! I (and my husband) resolved that problem 5 or 6 years ago.

But thanks for the thread. At least it enabled me to join in.

[BiphobiaFighter]

The thing is, there are some idiots who aren't yet convinced about bisexuality. All of these studies have the benefit of decreasing the effects of those people on us because it converts more people into believers. :)

Science also requires repeating studies in order to get better data on topics.

Bi men definitely need something like this (of this quality/length of time or better) because of J. Michael Bailey's research and the way that people have interpreted it.

[justafriend]

Sometimes I wonder about the point of these research papers other than to add to the huge mass of human knowledge and perhaps enable someone to attain a PhD or tenure.
Which are both very legitimate reasons;....
......but as far as practical application goes, as Rhett most famously said, "Frankly ........ I don't give a damn."

Legitimate research brings understanding...understanding brings acceptance, which I suspect is a good thing.

[niftyshellshock]

Carrie Bradshaw of "Sex and the City" once famously questioned whether bisexuality actually exists or whether it's just a "layover on the way to gaytown."

Turns out it's the real deal.

A new study finds that bisexuality in women appears to be a distinctive sexual orientation and not an experimental or transitional stage that some women adopt "on their way" to lesbianism.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association in the January issue of Developmental Psychology, followed 79 non-heterosexual women over 10 years and found that bisexual women maintained a stable pattern of attraction to both sexes.

Check out the study here: http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev4415.pdf

...are you a farker? :o

[the mage]

This item made in onto "The View" on the boob toob.
Interesting to see the 4 women talk it up..

[LusciousLounge]

Here's the videos from The View (as mentioned above), if anyone is interested. It's a little hard to watch because they clearly don't get the fact that Bisexuality is not about your actions, it's about your DESIRES for both sexes... It was hard for me to not scream at the computer screen... and then Whoopi, who is known to be Bisexual and a GLBT advocate, basically stays silent the entire time. Way to stand up Whoopi.. LOL...

Part 1 (http://video.aol.com/partner/abcshort/the-view-hot-topics-bisexual-women-part-1/20817-77800)
Part 2 (http://video.aol.com/partner/abcshort/the-view-hot-topics-bisexual-women-part-2/20817-77799)

While watching it, I especially scoffed at the BUG (Bisexual Until Graduation) concept that Elizabeth was talking about. In my case, that DEF wasn't the case! I feel like yeah, college was a good place to be more open about those feelings than I was able to be in my tiny high school, and for a while I thought that maybe I might just be "Bicurious".. but I realized that I want to be more than just some drunk college girl's drunken experimentation and more than just some frat guy's fantasy threesome.

:bipride:
Now that I've graduated, my feelings for women are still there, and truly stronger than ever. It isn't just a phase for me! I'm a Kinsey2 (what is known as a 3 on this site), and I'm more sure about my Bisexuality than I ever have been in my entire life. :flag4:

In terms of the study and it's pros/cons, it's FANTASTIC that Bisexuality is being validated by sectors of society (no matter how small or resistant) instead of being invisible or limited to porn-fantasies. I only wish the study had included MORE women, perhaps men also.. and I only hope it had a more broad demographic than just Utah women...