"We've agreed that sexuality operates on a spectrum, which means the vast majority of people are bi by your definition, which obviously isn't true."
Not necessarily. Whether that's true or not is hard to prove, likely because of the common misconceptions of what bisexuality is. That leads to people identifying as one thing, but acting like another - sometimes BEING bisexual but not knowing it. The myth of "you're not bisexual unless you are equally attracted to both sexes" plays a not insignificant part in this I'd think.
"It's not easy to find hard numbers on this. To quote scholar and activist Loraine Hutchins:
'Newer Kinsey Institute studies found both more evidence of bisexuality, and more denial. A late 80s study, for instance, showed 46 percent of (self-labeled) lesbians, not bisexuals, reporting having sex with men since in the '80s.'
Time Magazine said any statistic is unreliable because people who engage in such behavior don't consider themselves bisexual."
We agree that bisexuality is real. And we agree that people should be able to identify themselves as whatever they want to.
But I think we may still not be agreeing on what bisexuality actually is. I think it is when someone is attracted to more than one gender. Period. That's it. It doesn't matter if this doesn't agree with what someone says they are - that's what bisexuality is.
What do you think it is? Only people who are attracted to two genders equally? Divorce it from individual experience, from the question of what someone may think they are, and define it as is. What is bisexuality, the definition?
I don't think that bisexuality means that you are attracted to both genders equally, this is the myth I was trying to dis spell to the OP. I think that bisexuality is being attracted to both genders (to whichever extent) AND identifying as bisexual.
As I said already (I've said all of this already) most people are at least a little bit attracted to/curious about the opposite sex, hence the Kinsey Scale existing and being a SCALE, rather than just being three steps (gay, straight, bisexual) . By your definition, this means most people are bisexual. By my definition, it does not.
Yes, I want to keep going until there is no ambiguity on whether you believe the myth (bisexuality = being attracted to two genders [or more] completely equally) or the truth (bisexuality = being attracted to more than one gender, equally or not). There are more people than just you and me privy to this conversation, so I want it to be blatantly clear in the hopes that people reading along (including and importantly the OP) will see that. I don't want to quit until that myth is well and truly "busted".
Thank you for helping me with that. And now I do agree that we are agreeing. :)
IIN I don't believe in Bi-sexuality?
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One more point:
"We've agreed that sexuality operates on a spectrum, which means the vast majority of people are bi by your definition, which obviously isn't true."
Not necessarily. Whether that's true or not is hard to prove, likely because of the common misconceptions of what bisexuality is. That leads to people identifying as one thing, but acting like another - sometimes BEING bisexual but not knowing it. The myth of "you're not bisexual unless you are equally attracted to both sexes" plays a not insignificant part in this I'd think.
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/bisexuality-101-how-many-bisexuals-are-out-there" rel="nofollow">http://www.examiner.com/article/bisexuality-101...</a>
"It's not easy to find hard numbers on this. To quote scholar and activist Loraine Hutchins:
'Newer Kinsey Institute studies found both more evidence of bisexuality, and more denial. A late 80s study, for instance, showed 46 percent of (self-labeled) lesbians, not bisexuals, reporting having sex with men since in the '80s.'
Time Magazine said any statistic is unreliable because people who engage in such behavior don't consider themselves bisexual."
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bleach_baby
9 years ago
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I actually think we're agreeing here, we're just saying it in different ways. :)
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Maere
9 years ago
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We agree that bisexuality is real. And we agree that people should be able to identify themselves as whatever they want to.
But I think we may still not be agreeing on what bisexuality actually is. I think it is when someone is attracted to more than one gender. Period. That's it. It doesn't matter if this doesn't agree with what someone says they are - that's what bisexuality is.
What do you think it is? Only people who are attracted to two genders equally? Divorce it from individual experience, from the question of what someone may think they are, and define it as is. What is bisexuality, the definition?
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bleach_baby
9 years ago
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Really, you want to keep going?
I don't think that bisexuality means that you are attracted to both genders equally, this is the myth I was trying to dis spell to the OP. I think that bisexuality is being attracted to both genders (to whichever extent) AND identifying as bisexual.
As I said already (I've said all of this already) most people are at least a little bit attracted to/curious about the opposite sex, hence the Kinsey Scale existing and being a SCALE, rather than just being three steps (gay, straight, bisexual) . By your definition, this means most people are bisexual. By my definition, it does not.
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Maere
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Yes, I want to keep going until there is no ambiguity on whether you believe the myth (bisexuality = being attracted to two genders [or more] completely equally) or the truth (bisexuality = being attracted to more than one gender, equally or not). There are more people than just you and me privy to this conversation, so I want it to be blatantly clear in the hopes that people reading along (including and importantly the OP) will see that. I don't want to quit until that myth is well and truly "busted".
Thank you for helping me with that. And now I do agree that we are agreeing. :)
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bleach_baby
9 years ago
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Ok cool, fair play and I understand why you felt that was important.