Bisexuality: Issues and Concerns

Bisexuality: Issues and Concerns

Some people are attracted to women and some are attracted to men. And some, according to Freud and Kinsey, are drawn to both sexes. The later group is usually referred to as bisexual. Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with heterosexual and homosexual. Critics of this kind of behavior say that people who claim bisexuality are usually homosexual, but are ambivalent about their homosexuality or just simply keep it behind closed doors.

Since at least the middle of the 19th century, behavioral scientists have noted bisexual attraction in men and women and have debated its place in the development of sexual identity. Some experts like Freud concluded that humans are naturally bisexual. According to Kinsey's research, most humans do not fall exclusively into heterosexual or homosexual classifications but somewhere in between. Alfred Kinsey developed the "Kinsey Scale" which measures sexual attraction and behavior on a seven-point scale ranging from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual). According to Kinsey's study, most people fall within the range of 1 to 5 (a mixture of heterosexual and homosexual).

Despite common misconceptions, bisexuality does not require that a person be attracted to both sexes equally. In fact, people who have a distinct but not exclusive preference for one sex over the other can and often do identify themselves as bisexual. Even thought they have an attraction toward both sexes, many of them will choose to live exclusive heterosexual or homosexual lives, depending on the gender that they prefer the most. Others use bisexuality as a way of coping with the fact that they are really homosexual. In most countries, it seems like bisexual behavior is more accepted from women then it is from men. Same sex behavior among women is more openly displayed in public and on television. One of the main reasons for this is probably the fact that men are more willing to be in a relationship with a woman who is bisexual vs. a woman accepting a bisexual man. Because of the fact that these men don't consider themselves to be homosexual but feel like they are unable to have a heterosexual relationship as an openly bisexual man they feel like they either need to suppress their feelings for the same sex or simple keep it a secret by only engaging in same sex activities behind closed doors.

Men who identify themselves as heterosexual because they have relationships with women, some are even married, even though they participate in sexual activities with other men are referred to as being on the "down low". A fear of coming out and being labeled as homosexual is why many of these men keep quite about their true sexual desires. Most men on the "down low" don't use condoms when engage in sexual behavior with another man because it would require that they actually stop and think about what they are doing or about to do. Many of them are in denial of the fact that they like to sleep with men and may consider it an isolated occurrence. However, it only takes for someone to have unprotected sex one time with someone who is infected. This type of behavior is why many women, especially black women, are being infected