Bisexuality

Bisexuality and Mothering

Bisexual mothers have no doubt existed in all historical periods, but generally their sexual preference becomes known only when the mother in question is a public figure. Famous celebrity mothers from the recent past include the German actress/singer Marlene Dietrich, the American dancer Josephine Baker, and the British author Vita Sackville-West. [Page 131]Today, far more celebrity mothers are publicly acknowledging their bisexuality: examples include the American singer/actress Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone), the Portuguese/Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, the British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and the American actresses Angelina Jolie and Anne Heche.

Noncelebrity bisexual mothers still face issues such as child custody (homosexuality can still be considered grounds to remove children from a home) and social stigma.

Bisexuality Experiences

Throughout history there has been documentation of bisexual practice and tendencies. Alfred Kinsey was one of the earliest researchers to offer a scientific measure of sexuality. He created a point scale commonly known as the Kinsey Scale, where exclusive heterosexual behavior would be 0 and exclusive homosexual behavior would be 9. Bisexual behavior would place anywhere from 1–5, expressing varying degrees of bisexual attraction.

Bisexual experiences are vastly different, and there are many ways in which bisexuality is displayed. This ranges from situational experiences where one engages in homosexual liaisons as a result of isolation from the opposite sex, to transitional experiences where bisexuality is identified temporarily when moving from one sexual orientation to another. There are those who choose to identify as bisexual regardless of whether or not they are in exclusive relationships with one, both, or neither gender.

Bisexuality has long been a controversial topic since there is no common theory or agreed-upon understanding of the subject. Scholars have argued points ranging from the theory that everyone has the potential to be bisexual, to the idea that bisexuality is only a transitional phase that leads to changing one's sexual orientation, usually from heterosexuality to homosexuality. The latter theory is generally not accepted by most bisexuals, since it tends to promote invisibility and nonexistence.

Bisexuals sometimes find themselves rejected by heterosexuals because they “choose” to go against societal norms by not affirming exclusive attraction and relationships with one gender over another. They are frequently accused of being promiscuous and are often categorized as gay or lesbian, disregarding their bisexual identity and orientation. Bisexuals are accused of not being able to be monogamous and promoting infidelity. Bisexuality has also been dismissed and rejected by some homosexual communities, again encouraging the idea that bisexuality does not exist. Bisexuals sometimes are not included in homosexual communities and events, even those that carry the labels LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer). All of these accusations have assisted in producing an invisible, underground community of bisexuals. The pressures to conform to heterosexual or homosexual standards undoubtedly lead to frustration and issues of self-acceptance, where bisexuals feel forced to deny part of themselves to feel welcome in either or both societies.

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