Bisexuality

Bisexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by aesthetic attraction, romantic love and sexual desire for both males and females. It is usually contrasted with homosexuality, heterosexuality, and asexuality.

Social status of bisexuality

Historically, bisexuality has largely been free of the social stigma associated with homosexuality, one prevalent even where bisexuality was the norm. In Ancient Greece pederasty was not problematized as long as the men eventually married and had children. All over the world among upperclass men of good social standing (i.e. properly married) homosexual affairs were tolerated, and heterosexual marriage was often successfully used as a defense against accusations of homosexuality.

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Some in the gay and lesbian communities accuse those who call themselves "bisexual" of duplicity, believing they are really homosexuals who are attempting to hold onto the social approval through their heterosexual activity. They may be accused of "not doing their part" in gaining acceptance of "true" homosexuality. Gay and lesbian people may also suspect that a self-described bisexual is merely a homosexual in the initial stage of questioning their presumed heterosexuality, and will eventually accept that they are gay; this is expressed by a glib saying in gay culture: "Bi now, gay later." These situations can and do take place, but do not appear to be true of the majority of self-described bisexuals. Nonetheless, bisexuals do sometimes experience lesser acceptance from gay and lesbian people, because of their declared orientation.

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Bisexuals are often associated with men who engage in same-sex activity while closeted and heterosexually married, a practice which has led to high rates of HIV infection among, for example, black women in the USA. The majority of such men - said to be "living on the down-low" - do not self-identify as "bisexual", they just "do that" occasionally.

Related Topics:
Same-sex activity - Closeted - Married - Down-low

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Because many bisexual people do not feel that they fit into either the gay community or the heterosexual world, and because they have a tendency to be "invisible" in public (fitting in rather seamlessly into both homosexual and heterosexual society), some bisexual persons are committed to forming their own communities, culture, and political movements.

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A common symbol of bisexual identity is a pair of overlapping pink and blue triangles (the pink triangle being a well-known symbol for the gay community), forming purple where they intersect. Another symbol is the bisexual pride flag, which has a deep pink stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality, and a purple one (blended from the pink and blue) in the middle to represent bisexuality.

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