Bisexualty

Kinsey scale or the homosexual heterosexual rating scale is a scale developed by American biologist and sexologist Alfred Kinsey in 1948. This scale divides sexual behaviour in a continuum ranging from exclusively homosexual to exclusively heterosexual: 

As per the American Institute of Bisexuality, the numbers between 0 and 6 fall under bisexuality. Also, the institute lists the following terms under the umbrella of bisexuality:

• Pansexual: Someone who is attracted to all kinds of people regardless of their gender.
• Omnisexual: Someone who is attracted to all genders.
• Polysexual: Someone who is attracted to multiple sexes.
• Multisexual: Someone who is attracted to more than one gender.
• Fluid: Someone whose attractions change over time.

A lot of people do not use any of these terms/labels to identify themselves.

As per the Bisexual Research Center, a US-based non-profit organisation serving the bisexual community since 1985, bisexual people make up at least half of all the people in the LGBTQ community; however, they are often feared, discriminated against or stereotyped by both the heterosexual and LGBTQ community. This is called biphobia. 

An article released by the LGBT advisory committee of the San Francisco Human Right’s Commission, US, suggested that biphobia manifests in various forms including bi invisibility. This means that the presence of bisexual people is often ignored.

Unlike homosexuality, bisexuality hasn’t really got as much historical or scientific attention. Bi-people are often difficult to discern from the crowd and hence are often categorized as either homo or heterosexual in most studies. For similar reasons, many bi-people in history have been called gay or lesbians. 

Even organisations that include the word bisexual, usually do not have any programmes that cater to the needs of bisexual people. 

Dr Joye Swan, author and chair of psychology at the University of California, US, has talked in her articles about the different ways in which male and female bisexuality is perceived in society.

According to Dr Swan, women show more sexual fluidity than men and hence female bisexuality is taken as more normal and is in fact often encouraged in the young years by some men. However, this gives rise to a social belief that bisexuality is a phase in the life of such women. 

On the other hand, bisexual tendencies in men are not much accepted socially. If a man holds another man’s hand, he is more likely to be called gay. Most people, including many homosexual men and heterosexual men, think that bisexual men are actually gay but are scared to come out.

However, both concepts are wrong. Longitudinal studies on bisexual women and men have shown that bisexuality is a stable sexual orientation for both the genders.

Bi-phobia fuels many common misconceptions and harmful untruths about bisexuality, even today. Some current manifestations of bi-phobia include :

• Bisexual people are (wrongly) considered to be promiscuous since they have sex with more than one gender. Hence, they are considered to have a higher chance of spreading STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).
• Some people from the LGBT community think of bisexuals as traitors since they can have the heterosexual privilege.
• It is thought that bisexual people can only have a long-term or committed relationships with the opposite gender and will leave their same-sex partners soon as they find a suitable heterosexual partner.
• Bisexual people are often not identified as such unless they have had sex with people of two genders at least. (This is inaccurate because sexuality is about attraction as much as intimacy and intercourse.)
• A lot of people look at bisexual people as their sexuality instead of a person.
• Some people totally avoid mentioning to their close ones or friends that they are involved with a bisexual person for fear that they too would then be identified as bisexual.

Due to biphobia and bi invisibility, bisexual people often feel left out from both the heterosexual and LGBTQ communities. As per the American Psychology Association, bisexual people are even less likely than gay and lesbians to come out to their family. They are much more likely to suffer from mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies than either heterosexuals or gay or lesbians. Also, a higher rate of high blood pressure and drinking or smoking issues are reported in the bisexual people.

Read more: Alcoholism treatment

According to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, bisexual women are more likely to suffer from domestic violence.

Bisexual people have the unique sexual concerns of both the gay and lesbian people and heterosexual people. 

Studies show bisexual men and women have a higher risk of getting STIs and HIV than heterosexual people. This is because bisexual people are more likely to indulge in risky sexual behaviour like not using condoms, having multiple sexual partners and early sexual experiences. Though the risk is still lower than homosexual people.

Bisexual men and women don’t often get screened for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In women, this increases the risk of cervical cancer and in men of anal cancer.

Hence, experts suggest that bisexual people follow all safe sex practices that are normally suggested to everyone. These include:

• Talking to your partner to make sure that he/she is comfortable and consents to the sex.
• Using the relevant protection that is needed, as per the partner you are having sex with. Condoms generally help to prevent STIs. You can use external condoms for penis and sex toys and internal condoms for vagina and anus. 
• Dental dams can be used for oral sex. These are thin and flexible sheets of latex or polyurethane that can be put between the mouth and anus/vagina during oral sex.  
• Getting screened for STIs routinely: the more partners you have, the more frequently you should get tested. 
• And finally, it is recommended that bisexual people should reveal their sexual identity to their healthcare provider so the doctors can give them the right tips and help. 

Read more: Safe sex practices

Coming out means telling people about your sexual orientation. Whether you are coming out to the whole world, just a few friends and family or a single friend, each of these is an important and potentially scary step.

Because of the stereotyping, coming out for bisexual people can be a bit more complicated than it is for homosexuals. Experts from the University of California’s Counselling and Psychological Services suggest the following if you are looking to come out to your friends, family or other dear ones:

• Come out to yourself: The first thing to do is to come out to yourself. It is the self-realisation that just like homosexuality and heterosexuality, bisexuality is not a choice, no matter what other people force you to believe. It’s okay to come out at any age. It’s okay if you previously thought you had another sexual orientation and it’s totally okay to be scared or confused.
• Come out to loved ones: While coming out to other people is not really a necessity, a lot of people feel liberated to have revealed their true identity to people they know. It reduces some of the stress and helps the person live more openly.
  For society, it helps dispel myths and misconceptions. But you don’t have to come out under pressure either; only you can decide how and when to talk to other people about your sexual orientation. 

You may want to think of a few things before you come out:

• Who are you going to come out to first? Do you have an idea of how they will likely take the news? For the latter, keep an eye out for signals—if someone has a prejudice against the LGBTQ community, it might show.  
• Is it the right time to come out to the person/your family? If there is already some sort of crisis going on in their life, it is best to wait it out.
• Are you sure of what you want to say? How are you going to explain things? Are you well informed and can you answer all the questions that the person/your family may ask?
• Are you sure you will be safe (physically, mentally, emotionally) when you come out? 

If you come out and do face a negative response, you can either reach out to support groups or people who support you. Also, give them some time to come around. In a lot of cases, people accept the news after the initial negative response.