Do you think bisexuality is less accepted then homosexuality?

[WalterBush]

I don't think it's less accepted, just less understood.

 

[Phendyr_Loon]

To answer the the OP's question, no.

I view them both equal in the issue of "acceptance" with the accordance of my personal beliefs.

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

I'm myself bisexual, and to be fair I really do wish that I was either fully straight or fully gay.

People seem to hold two opinions of bisexuals:

- They're merely closet gays who can't admit they're gay. This has caused a lot of tension in the homosexual community.
- They're attention seekers. I seem to remember a few years ago a whole slew of celebrities said they were biseuxal, and suddenly every teenage girl said they were bisexual. The genuinely bisexual people then got lumped in with the attention seekers.

 

[Kwesi]

If any of you have heard of the Kinsey scale its a 7 point scale of sexuality. 0 is totally straight and 6 is totally gay. Its very rare that someone is on the complete opposite end of one spectrum and is a 0 or a 6. And even when they are, its even more rarely permanent. Just as its rare to be a 0 or a 6 its rare to be a perfect 3 in the middle. While I do believe people can be bisexual I do not believe that they can be a "3." And if they are, they aren't for very long and at some point tend to favor either men or women more than the other sex without being exclusively hetero or homo.

That's interesting because despite having never heard of the Kinsey scale, I've always seen sexuality as a sliding scale and thought that very few people were at either extreme. I think it makes a lot of sense because people can be born a certain way and change over time.

But your chances of finding a good partner are doubled too

Plus, if your gf is bi you can check out hot women together.

"Stop looking at her!"

"You were looking too!"

LOL !

 

[LiquidMidnight]

The conclusion I've drawn from the whole thing is that the tendency to classify people and treat their preferences as an "identity" or "orientation" that's fixed and unchanging is a lot of hooey. The plumbing works the way it does and people like what they like at any given moment based on a whole mountain of variables.

I think a lot of what you're talking about comes down to people simplifying the subject. They think that you're either "gay," "bisexual," or "straight" and don't give much thought beyond that. They probably aren't even familiar with the term gender-queer. However, the subject can get incredibly complex. On one hand, you have the behavioral and instrinsic attraction factors, which a lot of essentialists believe are unchangable. On the other hand, you have the constructionist aspect of identification. Lisa Diamond, whom I mentioned earlier in this thread, does a lot of research on the fluidity of sexual identification. It's possible to have an unchangable orientation in that you are primarily attracted to people of a different gender-sex, the same gender-sex, or both, and still have a constructed identity that may not necessarily traditionally reflect your sexual behavior or feelings.

The fact of the matter is that the identity part is socially constructed and there's no inherent "truth" regarding that aspect.

 

[TBird1958]

I'm openly Bi, I can't speak to it's acceptance, tho I do think the statement about it being misunderstood as being on the mark.
On a personal level I find that if I'm attracted to someone their gender isn't important, nor does it affect the quality of emotion - I like people.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

Many gays first come out as bi before gay, I wonder if this has complicated the public understanding of bisexuality.

 

[MatticusMania]

Do you think bisexual persons are less socially accepted then homosexual persons ? I believe so, from what I can gather it is much easier to be out as a homosexual person then a bisexual person.

Yes.

Here's a question I've always had that's directed towards any bisexual TB'ers. If you were to get married, would you feel more inclined to marry a person of the opposite sex, your own sex, or does it not matter (regardless of what your state laws might say in regards to marriage)?

Well, I married the oppoite sex.

To give my own thoughts on the subject, I think being bisexual would pretty much be just as tough as being gay. I can definitely see it being more difficult to understand from the viewpoint of a "traditionalist" but not so much that it would make the experience much more or less alienating. Bi's may have a tougher time on the romantic front though.

Not to speak for gay people, as I know they have it hard (hehe!), but I do believe being bisexual is tougher, for this reason:

My gf is bi, she says it's less accepted by heterosexuals AND by gays & lesbians.

For some heterosexuals it doesn't make sense, they think that bi's can't choose, and some gays & lesbians look at bi's as being 'fake' lesbians or gays.

But your chances of finding a good partner are doubled too

Plus, if your gf is bi you can check out hot women together.

"Stop looking at her!"

"You were looking too!"

In the case of my relationship, both my wife and I are bisexual. So, technically speaking, everyone is fair game!

 

[MatticusMania]

I don't think it's less accepted, just less understood.

I have to say that it probably is less accepted, in a sense, that even some gay people are prejudiced against bisexual people.

 

[Strohsx]

I don;t see why I have to think, of feel anything about what other people do in their bedrooms.

You like a little sausage with your eggs, hey man that's cool.
Just don't tell me about it.

 

[Phalex]

I think the opposite.

God! I'm sooooo hoping you're gonna start another thread concerning this!!

 

[Roscoe East]

My gf is bi, she says it's less accepted by heterosexuals AND by gays & lesbians.

For some heterosexuals it doesn't make sense, they think that bi's can't choose, and some gays & lesbians look at bi's as being 'fake' lesbians or gays.

^^^This. ime Bi's get just as much ostracization (is that a word?) from gays as from straights.

And while I don't condone either group's disparaging attitude towards bisexuals, I can sort of undertand where it comes from: Being Gay and or being Straight seems to define much more than simply who you sleep with; there are cultural/lifestyle implications to these roles. To some extent there are (arguably, and perhaps concious or unconcious) political implications to these roles. When people define themselves as either "Gay" or "Straight" there's a lot of non-sexual behavior implicit in that identity.

Yet to the best of my knowledge there isn't a "Bi Culture" (at least not one that's recognizeably separate/distinct from "Gay Culture") ...all of the Bisexuals I've ever known use that term to define their sexual behavior only. And so to someone who has an entire value system wrapped up in their identity, an identity which also happens to involve their sexual behavior, meeting someone who has an seemingly cavalier attitude towards identity strikes them as less sincere, less serious, play-acting.

 

[EricF]

In the case of my relationship, both my wife and I are bisexual. So, technically speaking, everyone is fair game!

Where - if at all - does marital fidelity factor in to the equation? Everyone defines the rules of their own relationship, but I'm curious about what is okay and what isn't with you and your wife when it comes to getting intimate with someone else.

The visual imagry of my wife getting hot and naked with another woman is exciting, but in reality, I'm not sure I could seperate that out as something more acceptable than if she was with another guy.

 

[Kwesi]

In the case of my relationship, both my wife and I are bisexual. So, technically speaking, everyone is fair game!

I would love to hear you say that directly to Sarah Palin followed by you and your wife winking at her simultaneously .

 

[Eric Perry]

...The visual imagry of my wife getting hot and naked with another woman is exciting, but in reality, I'm not sure I could seperate that out as something more acceptable than if she was with another guy.

Well, I will say the thoughts of seeing Steph with someone else (guy or girl) is pretty erotic to me. For me, there's a *big* difference between a sexual encounter and an emotional bond. I try to look at the third person as pretty much a sex toy with a pulse.

 

[MAJOR METAL]

I have to say that it probably is less accepted, in a sense, that even some gay people are prejudiced against bisexual people.

Oddly enough there does seem to be some intolerance or rather ignorance within the gay community towards bisexuals. I would think there would be a natural inclination to be empathetic towards bisexuals since many gays and lesbians started their coming out process with the self identification of bisexual.

 

[MatticusMania]

Where - if at all - does marital fidelity factor in to the equation? Everyone defines the rules of their own relationship, but I'm curious about what is okay and what isn't with you and your wife when it comes to getting intimate with someone else.

The visual imagry of my wife getting hot and naked with another woman is exciting, but in reality, I'm not sure I could seperate that out as something more acceptable than if she was with another guy.

Well, either of us being "intimate" with someone else is still a new concept in our relationship, but the boundaries we've set in place are acceptable to us both, and if either one of us felt unfomfortable about something the boundaires are open to being redefined.
I guess the fidelity factors in in that we only find playing with others acceptable if we are both present. Basically, so long as neither of us have a problem with whats going on then its fair game. So long there hasnt been a problem.

I'll PM you with a little more in-depth explanation.

 

[MatticusMania]

I would love to hear you say that directly to Sarah Palin followed by you and your wife winking at her simultaneously .

Haha! We totally would! Might even attempt to get her in bed just to say we did!

Well, I will say the thoughts of seeing Steph with someone else (guy or girl) is pretty erotic to me. For me, there's a *big* difference between a sexual encounter and an emotional bond. I try to look at the third person as pretty much a sex toy with a pulse.

Thats a fair description.

Oddly enough there does seem to be some intolerance or rather ignorance within the gay community towards bisexuals. I would think there would be a natural inclination to be empathetic towards bisexuals since many gays and lesbians started their coming out process with the self identification of bisexual.

Yeah, thats kind of the point I was aiming at. Its a sad thing to hear a gay person say "There is no such thing as a bisexual man". I understand the bias of their point of view, and maybe they went through the process of thinking they were bi, only to later realize that they only liked men, but its not the same process for everyone.

When I first started experimenting and found I was into I was pretty confused over my own sexuality. I wondered if I was actually gay or what. I still liked women (much more than men) and came to the realization that thats just who I am, a dude who liked men and women.

 

[TheVoiceless]

YES!! Bisexual = greedy

I don't judge either equally.

 

[Balog]

I find it difficult to imagine a person who is supportive of one not being supportive of the other.