‘...people’s erotic lives are often so complex and unpredictable that attempts to label them are necessarily restrictive and inadequate.’

HISTORY
Bi-sexuality is an often debated, maligned or hidden sexuality in the GLBTQI community.

Modern bisexuality has a history that dates from 1859 when it was used by an anatomist, though these understandings were based on the physiological understandings of the time, and quite connected to Darwin’s theories. Bisexuality was used to refer to male and female traits in plant species and then in humans, such as hermaphrodites (people with both male and female reproductive organs).

A definition of bisexuality evolved through the 19th century from the above into the early 20th century when it was used to describe people with male and female traits, then into the 1980s, spurred on by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It came to be understood as ‘...bisexuality as a form of sexual attraction or identification and bisexuality as a sexual practice’ (MacDowall, L, 2009).

‘Hallelujah!’ I hear many of you say, however the road is still being paved and trod by many bisexual people in order to gain acceptance in both the gay and straight communities — either of which, it is often stated, they don’t feel a part of .

INVISIBILITY
Bisexuality is often quoted as being invisible in society. Kathy Labriola, a well known counsellor and author of many articles on non-traditional relationships in California, states that bisexuality has long been invisible and that ‘... the rigid dichotomy between gay and straight has caused many bisexuals to feel alienated and rejected by gay men and lesbian women’. Many bisexual people will be invisible inside gay and lesbian

organisations, keeping their sexuality quiet in order to avoid being judged. MacDowall’s paper, ‘Historicising Contemporary Bisexuality’ uses the word ‘erasure’ to explain the invisibility of bisexuality, and that this erasure has occurred due to a combination of structural issues, an ‘inability to think of bisexuality in concrete terms’ and connection to Freudian theory. MacDowall also mentions that bisexuality is a missing component in much of the widely known gay and lesbian literature.

Kathy Labriola makes a concerning statement, ‘Studies have shown that bisexual people suffer from social isolation even more than gay men or lesbians because they lack any community where they can find acceptance and role models’. We know that there is a higher rate of suicide in the GTBTQI community and adding further isolation can’t be a good thing. She goes on to say that many bisexual women feel they are not trusted by the lesbian community because they are ‘sleeping with the enemy’ and I’m sure many of us have heard comments in the same themes; I’ve heard it a dozen times, ‘make up your mind already!’ It’s ok to not want to have relationships or sex with the opposite sex and bisexual men and/or women if that’s your choice, however it is equally important to be accepting and welcoming of people of all persuasion in our GLBTQI community and not to judge them with the judgment we ourselves have suffered from the heterosexual community.

The gay and lesbian community has many years of political and social activism, fighting for rights and forming political and social networks behind it. This has created a visible and visual point of reference in the world and as is often the case, the more visible, the more likely to affect policy outcomes. For bisexual people, activism is in its early stages. Bisexual activist groups have been around since the 60s and 70s, but they took on new life in the 80s and grew as the HIV/AIDS epidemic burgeoned (BiNet USA states that many more women joined the ranks at this stage also). Websites like BiNetUSA (www.binetusa.org) and others have been an important resource for bisexual people.

MODELS OF BISEXUALITY
There are two well known theorists on the subject of sexuality and coming out, Vivienne Cass’s model of coming out and Alfred Kinsey’s scale of sexuality/sexual activity. Cass’s identity model is a good guide for being aware of coming out issues and Kinsey’s scale shows wide parameters for varying types of sexuality. There are six parts to this scale — for example, the fifth part of the scale is about those who are predominantly homosexual, and incidentally heterosexual. Whilst his words don’t include bisexuality it’s interesting to note the scales.

These are both good models to adopt, though of course have copped their own flak along the way!

Kathy Labriola thinks there are two major models being used in the straight and gay communities; the ‘transitional model’ — which is essentially the belief that bisexual people are on their way to being gay, they’re just in transition; and the ‘pathological model’ — that there is some instability due to conflict over whether they are gay or not and can’t come to a decision. These models both present bisexuality as being a temporary state. It’s surely the case that many people find their way to being gay through exploring bisexuality, however it is not the case for everyone and many people have the capacity to love and/or enjoy sex with both sexes, ongoing!

COMMUNITY ATTITUDES
Now enough about all the theories and models, the bottom line is: bisexual people are part of our community, they form part of our most widely used acronym GLBTQI (give or take a few letters depending on preference). And as community members we are all equals, so let’s be open and accepting to all the glorious and wondrous difference in our community!

I think (and it’s just my personal opinion) that the GLBTQI community, even if we don’t like or agree with everyone in it, needs to be setting the standard on acceptance of difference. If we can’t, how can we expect the heterosexual world to?