Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Biphobie

2011-01-03T02:21:17Z

BiAndBi: odd sentence structure

{{Discrimination sidebar}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2010}}

'''Biphobia''' is a term used to describe [[aversion]] felt toward [[bisexuality]] and bisexuals as a [[social group]] or as individuals. People of any [[sexual orientation]] can experience such feelings of aversion. A source of [[discrimination]] against bisexuals, biphobia is based on negative bisexual [[stereotype]]s and [[bisexual erasure]].

== Etymology and use ==
'''''Biphobia''''' is a [[portmanteau]] word patterned on the term ''[[homophobia]]''. It is derived from the English [[English prefixes#Neo-classical|neo-classical prefix]] ''bi-'' (meaning "two") from '''''bi'''sexual'' and the root ''-phobia'' (from the {{lang-el|φόβος}}, ''phóbos'', "fear") found in ''homo'''phobia'''''. Along with ''[[transphobia]]'', ''[[homophobia]]'' and '''''biphobia''''' are members of the family of terms used when [[intolerance]] and [[discrimination]] is directed toward [[LGBT]] people. Note that ''biphobia'' need not be an equivalent to the clinical or medical meaning of a [[phobia]] – an [[anxiety disorder]]. Instead, its meaning and use typically parallel those of ''[[xenophobia]]''. The [[Adjective|adjectival]] form ''biphobic'' is used to describe things or qualities related to biphobia whereas the noun ''biphobe'' is a label for people thought to harbor biphobia.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Eliason, MJ|title=The prevalence and nature of biphobia in heterosexual undergraduate students|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=26|issue=3|year=1997|pages=317–26|pmid=9146816|doi=10.1023/A:1024527032040}}</ref>

== Basic ideas and their negative stereotypes ==

Two classifications of negative stereotypes of bisexuals center on the [[belief]] that bisexuality does not exist and on the [[generalization]] that bisexuals are promiscuous.

=== Denialism ===

The [[belief]] that bisexuality does not exist stems from [[Binary thinking|binary]] views of sexuality: a [[Heterosexism|heterosexist]] view or a monosexist view. In the first view, people are presumed to be attracted to the [[opposite sex]] and only [[Heterosexuality|heterosexual]] relationships truly exist. Therefore, bisexuality, like [[homosexuality]], is not a valid sexuality or [[Identity (social science)|identity]]. In the second view, people are either exclusively homosexual ([[gay]]/[[lesbian]]), exclusively heterosexual (straight), [[The closet|closeted]] homosexual people who wish to appear heterosexual,<ref>Michael Musto, April 7, 2009. [http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/archives/2009/04/ever_meet_a_rea.php Ever Meet a Real Bisexual?], ''The Village Voice''</ref> heterosexuals who are experimenting with their sexuality,<ref name="bisexual erasure">{{cite journal |last=Yoshino |first=Kenji |authorlink=Kenji Yoshino |title=The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure |journal=[[Stanford Law Review]] |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=353–461 |publisher=[[Stanford Law School]] |date=January 2000 |url=http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf |doi=10.2307/1229482 |jstor=10.2307/1229482 }}</ref><ref name="gold star">{{cite web |url= http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/community/why-do-lesbians-hate-bisexuals/|title=Why Do Lesbians Hate Bisexuals? }}</ref><ref name="bisexual workers">{{cite web |url= http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/bisexual-workers-excluded-by-lesbian-and-gay-colleagues|title=Bisexual workers 'excluded by lesbian and gay colleagues' }}</ref> or cannot be bisexual unless they are equally attracted to both sexes.<ref name="Rosario">Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E., Hunter, J., & Braun, L. (2006, February). Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time. Journal of Sex Research, 43(1), 46–58. Retrieved April 4, 2009.</ref> [[Aphorism|Maxims]] such as "people are either gay, straight or lying"<ref>{{cite journal |author=Dworkin, SH |title=Treating the bisexual client|journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology|volume=57|issue=5|year=2001|pages=671–80 | pmid=11304706 |doi=10.1002/jclp.1036}}</ref> embody this [[dichotomous]] view of sexual orientations.

Resulting negative stereotypes represent bisexuals as confused, undecided, dabblers, insecure, experimenting or "just going through a phase".<ref>[http://www.bisexualindex.org.uk/index.php/Main/ItsJustAPhase "It's Just A Phase" Is Just A Phrase], The Bisexual Index</ref> Attractions toward both sexes are considered fashionable as in "[[bisexual chic]]" or [[gender bending]]. Either homosexual or heterosexual relations are dismissed as a substitute for sex with members of the "right" sex or as a more accessible source of [[sexual gratification]]. What’s more, homosexuality can also be perceived as purely situational, in other words due to [[Sex segregation|sex-segregated]] environments or groups such as the armed forces, schools, sports teams, religious orders, and [[prison sexuality|prisons]]. Conversely, heterosexuality and opposite-sex relationships are viewed as "caving into" society’s pressures, fostering [[oppression]]s, condoning discrimination, keeping up appearances, retaining [[Heteronormativity|straight privilege]], hiding in the [[Closeted|closet]], being self-hating or in [[self-denial]], suffering from [[internalized homophobia]], etc.

=== Promiscuity ===

Categorizing all bisexuals as being promiscuous is a [[hasty generalization]]. Moreover, having more than one sexual partner in one’s lifetime, in addition to being commonplace in the world, is not restricted to bisexuals. People of any sexual orientation can change partners, practice [[serial monogamy]] or have multiple casual sex partners. The strict association of bisexuality with [[promiscuity]] stems from a variety of negative stereotypes targeting bisexuals as mentally or socially unstable people convinced that sexual relations only with men, only with women or only with one person is not enough. As a result bisexuals bear a [[Stigma (sociological theory)|social stigma]] from accusations of cheating on or betraying their partners, leading a [[double life]], being "on the [[Down-low (sexual slang)|down-low]]", and spreading [[sexually transmitted disease]]s such as [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]]. They are characterized as being "slutty", insatiable, “easy”, indiscriminate, and in the case of women, [[nymphomaniac]]s. Furthermore, they are strongly associated with [[polyamory]], [[swinging]], and [[polygamy]],<ref>[http://www.glaad.org/programs/cim/birepresentations.php GLAAD: Cultural Interest Media] {{Wayback |url=http://www.glaad.org/programs/cim/birepresentations.php |date=20060419203924 |bot=H3llBot}}</ref> the last being an established heterosexual tradition sanctioned by some religions and legal in several countries.

== Current issues of debate ==

Apparently validating the above belief and generalization and their related stereotypes are current issues of debate connected to identity and human sexuality in general.

# The [[nature versus nurture]] debate over homosexuality complicates matters. Supporting a polar view of sexual orientations, discussion here revolves around possible causes for a homosexual orientation and not a heterosexual or bisexual one. ''See separate articles on [[Kinsey scale]] and [[Klein Sexual Orientation Grid]]''
# In line with the nurture side of the previous debate is [[Sigmund Freud]]’s term for sexual disposition and gratification in the first five years of a child’s development: the [[polymorphous perverse]]. This theory is misinterpreted as meaning that all people are (born) bisexual,<ref>[http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/myths.pdf Myths About Bisexuality] (PDF pamphlet from Bisexual Resource Center) {{dead link|date=September 2010}}</ref> that [[socialization]] is the key factor in determining whether people will be heterosexual or homosexual, or that people eventually choose their sexual orientation toward one or the other sex, but not both.
# People do not always choose to identify themselves strictly according to their sexual orientation. Just as someone can feel pressured not to disclose his or her homosexual orientation and claim heterosexuality, so too can a person claim bisexuality. Mainly out of oppression from negative bisexual stereotypes, the reverse is true for some bisexual people choosing to identify or state that they are straight, gay or lesbian depending on company and the situation.
# The concept of bisexuality may not exist in a given culture or may be encompassed by [[transgender]] identities as in some [[indigenous culture]]s such as those of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada]] or the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]] in [[Oaxaca]], [[Mexico]].
# Having sexual relations with both men and women is perceived as a direct indication of a person’s sexual attractions and, hence, a bisexual orientation. This perception explains how the [[Kinsey Scale]] is used to label sexual orientation despite its original design and use to explain a person’s sexual history or past. Moreover, in most parts of the world, gay men and lesbian women still lead so-called straight [[lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyles]]. The reasons cited are discrimination, internalized homophobia, strong personal or religious beliefs about the family, and a lack of information on and visibility of same-sex relations and sexuality.
# Regardless of their actual sexual orientation, [[prostitute]]s and [[pornographic actor]]s opt to participate in gay or lesbian sex and maintain that they are heterosexual. Dubbed “[[gay-for-pay]]”, this grey-area situation creates confusion that reinforces both Belief 1 and Belief 2.

== Bisexual erasure ==
{{Main|bisexual erasure}}
Bisexual erasure is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or reexplain evidence of bisexuality in the [[History|historical record]], [[Academic|academic materials]], the [[news media]], and other [[primary sources]].<ref>[http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/05/word-of-gay-bisexual-erasure.html Word Of The Gay: BisexualErasure] May 16, 2008 "Queers United"</ref><ref>[http://ronsuresha.com/?p=1018 The B Word] Suresha, Ron. "The B Word," Options (Rhode Island), November 2004</ref>
When bisexual erasure is found in intellectually dishonest or erroneous works, it has been called a manifestation of biphobia.<ref>[http://www.biwriters.org/MediaResources/glossaryI.htm Bisexual erasure] Bi Writers Media Guide: Glossary</ref> In its most extreme form, bisexual erasure can include denying that bisexual people actually exist.<ref name="media erasure">{{cite journal |last=Hutchins |first=Loraine |authorlink=Loraine Hutchins |title=Sexual Prejudice: The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media |journal=[[American Sexuality magazine]] |volume=3 |issue=4 |publisher=[[National Sexuality Resource Center]] |year=2005 |url=http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0 }}</ref>

== Monosexism ==
Monosexism is a term used to refer to beliefs, structures, and actions that promote [[monosexuality]] (either exclusive heterosexuality and/or homosexuality) as the only legitimate or right sexual orientation, excluding bisexual, [[pansexual]], or polysexual orientations.<ref name="Highleyman">Highleyman, Liz (1995). [http://www.black-rose.com/articles-liz/bipol.html "Identities and Ideas: Strategies for Bisexuals"], from the anthology ''Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions''. Haworth Press. ''Black Rose Web Pages''.</ref><ref name="rust">[[Paula Rodriguez Rust|Rust, Paula C Rodriguez]] (2002). [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3778/is_200201/ai_n9069533/pg_18 "Bisexuality: The state of the union, Annual Review of Sex Research, 2002"], ''BNET''. {{dead link|date=September 2010}}</ref> The term may be considered analogous to [[heterosexism]].<ref name="rust"/>

Liz Highleyman, author of several [[queer studies]] works, has claimed that bisexuals cannot address monosexism inside the context of a wider lesbian/gay/bisexual movement.<ref name="Highleyman"/>

== Controversial studies ==

A 2002 study said that a sample of men self-identifying as bisexual did not respond equally to pornographic material involving only men, and to pornography involving only women, but instead showed four times more arousal to one than the other. However, bisexuality does not imply equal attraction towards both genders. In addition, opponents state that genital arousal to homosexual pornographic material is not a good indicator of orientation both because the material is chosen by the researchers, ignoring the study participants' preferences (i.e. body types, looks, scenarios, particular fetishes, presentation of relationships, etc.), and because tumescence is problematic as an indicator of arousal (some tumescence may be caused or prevented by anxiety, and erectile dysfunction should be considered before such studies commence). They also point out that the study showed a third of men had no arousal, and ask why this does not mean that one third of men are really [[asexual]].<ref>[http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/NYTBiArt/LettersFromTheCommunity.cfm]{{Dead link|date=March 2008|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The study, and ''[[The New York Times]]'' article which reported it in 2005,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/health/05sex.html Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited] New York Times, July 5, 2005.</ref> were subsequently criticized as flawed and biphobic.<ref>[http://zzz.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=15015 PrideSource: Bisexual study, New York Times article cause furor]</ref><ref>http://main.bisexual.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3799 "Gay Straight or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited," Revisited – Part 1 by [[William Burleson]] June 26, 2007</ref> [[Lynn Conway]] criticized the author of the study, [[J. Michael Bailey]], citing his controversial history, and pointing out that the study has not been scientifically repeated and confirmed by any independent researchers.<ref>[http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Bailey/Bisexuality/Bisexuality-NYT%207-05-05.html "Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisted" J. Michael Bailey attacks the identities of bisexual men]</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|LGBT}}

* [[Bisexual chic]]
* [[Bisexual Community]]
* [[Bisexual erasure]]
* [[Duclod Man]]
* [[Heteronormativity]]
* [[Heterosexism]]
* [[Homophobia]]
* [[Lesbian until graduation]]
* [[List of media portrayals of bisexuality]]
* [[List of phobias]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Additional Resources for the Bisexual Community ==

'''Civil Rights Organizations'''

[http://www.binetusa.org BinetUSA](USA)

[http://www.bialogue.org Political Activist Group] (USA)

'''Links'''

[http://bisexuality.wikia.com/wiki/Bisexuality_Wiki Bisexuality Wiki]

'''Magazines'''

[http://www.bimagazine.org Bi Magazine] (USA)

[http://www.bicommunitynews.co.uk Bi Community News] (UK)

[http://www.bisocialnews.com BiSocial News] (USA)

[http://community.livejournal.com/lnbi_berichten Bi News Magazine] (Netherlands)

[http://www.thefence.ca The Fence] (Canada)

[http://biwomenboston.org Bi Women Boston] (USA)

'''Groups'''

[http://www.binetusa.org/Pages/network.html List of USA Bisexual Groups]

[http://www.bisexualindex.org.uk UK Bisexual Groups]

[http://www.lnbi.nl/joomla/index.php Netherlands Bisexual Groups]

[http://www.binetcanada.ca Binet Canada]

[http://www.torontobinet.org Toronto Bisexual Network]

[http://www.opcionbi.com Mexico Bisexual Network]

'''Books'''

Bi Any Other Name : Bisexual People Speak Out by [[Loraine Hutchins]], Editor & [[Lani Ka'ahumanu]], Editor ISBN 978-1-55583-174-5

Getting Bi : Voices of Bisexuals Around the World by [[Robyn Ochs]], Editor & Sarah Rowley, Editor ISBN 978-0-9653881-4-6

The Bisexual Option by [[Fritz Klein]], MD ISBN 978-1-56023-033-5

Bi America : Myths, Truths, And Struggles Of An Invisible Community by [[William E. Burleson]] ISBN 978-1-56023-478-4

Bisexuality in the United States : A Social Science Reader by [[Paula C. Rodriguez Rust]], Editor ISBN 978-0-231-10226-1

Bisexuality : The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority by [[Beth A. Firestein]], Editor ISBN 978-0-8039-7274-2

Current Research on Bisexuality by [[Ronald C. Fox]] PhD, Editor ISBN 978-1-56023-288-5

== Further reading ==
* [[Marjorie Garber|Garber, Marjorie]] (1995). ''Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life'', pp. 20–21, 28, 39.
* [[Mariam Fraser|Fraser, M.]], ''Identity Without Selfhood: Simone de Beauvoir and Bisexuality'', Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press 1999. p. 124–140.

== External links ==
* [http://www.bialogue.org/Pages/InfoPackets/MentalHealth.html Bialogue/GLAAD Bisexuality Packet for Mental Health Professionals]
* [http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid49066.asp Fairy Tales], by Job Brother in [[The Advocate]] September 21, 2007
* [http://marksimpson.com/pages/journalism/curiouser.html Curiouser and curiouser] by [[Mark Simpson (journalist)|Mark Simpson]]
* [http://out.ucr.edu/pdf/BiBasics.pdf Bisexuality Basics, UC Riverside LGBT Resource Center, Riverside, CA]

{{Template group
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{{Bisexuality topics}}
{{LGBT|social=expanded}}
{{Discrimination}}
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[[Category:Bisexuality]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Phobias]]
[[Category:Sexual and gender prejudices]]
[[Category:LGBT terms]]
[[Category:Sexual orientation and society]]

[[ca:Bifòbia]]
[[da:Bifobi]]
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[[hr:Bifobija]]
[[he:ביפוביה]]
[[lt:Bifobija]]
[[hu:Bifóbia]]
[[nl:Bifobie]]
[[ja:バイフォビア]]
[[pt:Bifobia]]
[[ru:Бифобия]]
[[sh:Bifobija]]
[[zh:雙性戀恐懼症]]

Biphobie

2007-07-06T23:04:07Z

BiAndBi: replasing the phrase (aka Bi-phobia) with a redirect

{{expert-subject|LGBT studies}}{{Cleanup|date=January 2007}}{{Bi}}{{Discrimination}}'''Biphobia''' is the fear of, discrimination against, or hatred of [[bisexuality|bisexuals]] (although in practice it extends to [[pansexual]] people too). It need not include [[homophobia]] or [[heterophobia]], because there are [[stereotype]]s that are specific to bisexuals.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Eliason, MJ|title=The prevalence and nature of biphobia in heterosexual undergraduate students.|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=26|issue=3|year=1997|pages=317-26}} PMID 9146816</ref>

==Biphobic stereotypes==
Bisexual stereotypes include, but are not limited to: [[promiscuity]], [[polygamy]], living the [[swinging]] lifestyle, and being "confused" or "greedy". <ref>http://www.glaad.org/programs/cim/birepresentations.php</ref> In some cases, bisexuals are accused of bringing [[sexually transmitted disease]]s into the heterosexual community or into the LGBT community. A related stereotype is one in which a bisexual person is presumed to be willing to have sex with just about anyone. This stereotype leads to unwanted attention of a sexual nature directed at bisexual [[female]]s by swingers and heterosexual males while often stereotyping bisexual males as walking [[AIDS]] risks.

Often, however, heterosexuals will add more stereotypes based on homophobia. Homophobes may think that bisexuals are gender nonconformist. Homosexual people will sometimes experience bisexuals as maintaining privilege and collaborating with the homophobes while simultaneously enjoying the LGBT lifestyle. Some consider the belief that people are either heterosexual or homosexual, and thus that bisexuality does not truly exist, to be biphobic.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Dworkin, SH | title=Treating the bisexual client|journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology|volume=57|issue=5|year=2001|pages=671-80}} PMID 11304706</ref>

A 2002 study claimed that a sample of men self-identifying as bisexual did not respond equally to pornographic material involving only men, and to pornography involving only women, but instead showed four times more arousal to one than the other. However, bisexuality does not imply equal attraction towards both genders. In addition, opponents claim that genital arousal to homosexual pornographic material is not a good indicator of orientation. They also point out that the study showed a third of men had no arousal, and ask why this doesn't mean that one third of men are really [[asexual]].<ref>http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/NYTBiArt/LettersFromTheCommunity.cfm</ref> The study, and the New York Times article which reported it in 2005,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/health/05sex.html Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited] New York Times, July 5, 2005.</ref> were subsequently criticized as flawed and biphobic.<ref>http://zzz.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=15015</ref><ref>http://main.bisexual.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3799 "Gay Straight or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited," Revisited - Part 1 by [[William Burleson]] June 26 2007</ref> [[Lynn Conway]] criticised the author of the study, [[J. Michael Bailey]], citing his controversial history, and pointing out that the study has not been scientifically repeated and confirmed by any independent researchers.<ref>http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Bailey/Bisexuality/Bisexuality-NYT%207-05-05.html</ref>

Conversely, there is a stereotype that "everyone is bisexual."<ref>[http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/myths.pdf Myths About Bisexuality] (PDF pamphlet from Bisexual Resource Center)</ref>

One common motive for negative attitudes toward bisexuality may be fear for straight males and straight females that their husbands/boyfriends and wives/girlfriends may [[divorce]] them or [[break up]] with them for members of the same sex. The same fears exists among gay people as well. For [[lesbian]]s it may be the fear that a bisexual [[woman]] will leave a woman for a [[man]]; and vice versa with gay males fearing that they would be dumped for a woman. The heterosexual male is seen as having an unfair systemic advantage both due to [[sexism]] and due to homophobia. Bisexual persons may also be the target of homophobia from those who consider only heterosexuality appropriate.

Many anti-bisexuals also believe that bisexuality is a trend, especially a teenage one, popularised by bisexual musicians, actors, etc. (i.e. the term, he built a window in his closet): some also believe it is a stage in adolescence which happens to everyone which people grow out of and that therefore bisexuals are worse people for making an issue out of it. Some also believe bisexuals are just seeking attention for comfort or sex.

Some [[radical feminism|radical]] [[Lesbian feminism|lesbian feminists]] think that bisexual women are giving in to [[patriarchy]]. Others say that people against bisexuals are insecure about their sexuality themselves, similarly to homophobia. It is fair to note many anti-bisexuals are also [[Anti-homosexualism|homophobic]], while maintaining there are only heterosexual and homosexual as sexual preferences, and a common stereotype is that female bisexuals are attention seeking heterosexuals, while male ones are just self-denying homosexuals too afraid to acknowledge their true orientation.

==See also==
*[[Bigotry]]
*[[Prejudice]]
*[[Bisexual erasure]]
*[[Sexual hierarchy]]
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Monosexism]]
*[[Pansexual]]
*[[Duclod Man]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[Kenji Yoshino|Yoshino, Kenji]] (2000). ''The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure'' [http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf]. ''[[Stanford Law Review]]'', 52 (2).
*[http://www.bialogue.org/index.html Dear Fellow Non-existent Beings: countering current attempts to erase bisexuality [[Bialogue]]]
*[http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0 ''Sexual Prejudice: The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media''] by [[Loraine Hutchins|Hutchins, Loraine]] American Sexuality Magazine, Volume 3, No. 4 (2005)
*[http://www.bialogue.org/Pages/InfoPackets/MentalHealth.html Bialogue/GLAAD Bisexuality Packet for Mental Health Professionals]
*[[Marjorie Garber|Garber, Marjorie]] (1995), ''Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life, 20-21, 28, 39.

[[Category:bisexual community]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Phobias]]
[[Category:Sexual orientation and society]]
[[Category:Sexual and gender prejudices]]

[[da:Bifobi]]
[[fr:Biphobie]]
[[hr:Bifobija]]
[[he:ביפוביה]]
[[nl:Bifobie]]
[[zh:雙性戀恐懼症]]

Biphobie

2007-06-29T07:03:14Z

BiAndBi: added request for assistance

{{expert-subject|LGBT studies}}{{Cleanup|date=January 2007}}{{Bi}}{{Discrimination}}'''Biphobia''' aka [[Biphobia|Bi-phobia]] is the fear of, discrimination against, or hatred of [[bisexuality|bisexuals]] (although in practice it extends to [[pansexual]] people too). It need not include [[homophobia]] or [[heterophobia]], because there are [[stereotype]]s that are specific to bisexuals.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Eliason, MJ|title=The prevalence and nature of biphobia in heterosexual undergraduate students.|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=26|issue=3|year=1997|pages=317-26}} PMID 9146816</ref>

==Biphobic stereotypes==
Bisexual stereotypes include, but are not limited to: [[promiscuity]], [[polygamy]], living the [[swinging]] lifestyle, and being "confused" or "greedy". <ref>http://www.glaad.org/programs/cim/birepresentations.php</ref> In some cases, bisexuals are accused of bringing [[sexually transmitted disease]]s into the heterosexual community or into the LGBT community. A related stereotype is one in which a bisexual person is presumed to be willing to have sex with just about anyone. This stereotype leads to unwanted attention of a sexual nature directed at bisexual [[female]]s by swingers and heterosexual males while often stereotyping bisexual males as walking [[AIDS]] risks.

Often, however, heterosexuals will add more stereotypes based on homophobia. Homophobes may think that bisexuals are gender nonconformist. Homosexual people will sometimes experience bisexuals as maintaining privilege and collaborating with the homophobes while simultaneously enjoying the LGBT lifestyle. Some consider the belief that people are either heterosexual or homosexual, and thus that bisexuality does not truly exist, to be biphobic.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Dworkin, SH | title=Treating the bisexual client|journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology|volume=57|issue=5|year=2001|pages=671-80}} PMID 11304706</ref>

A 2002 study claimed that a sample of men self-identifying as bisexual did not respond equally to pornographic material involving only men, and to pornography involving only women, but instead showed four times more arousal to one than the other. However, bisexuality does not imply equal attraction towards both genders. In addition, opponents claim that genital arousal to homosexual pornographic material is not a good indicator of orientation. They also point out that the study showed a third of men had no arousal, and ask why this doesn't mean that one third of men are really [[asexual]].<ref>http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/NYTBiArt/LettersFromTheCommunity.cfm</ref> The study, and the New York Times article which reported it in 2005,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/health/05sex.html Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited] New York Times, July 5, 2005.</ref> were subsequently criticized as flawed and biphobic.<ref>http://zzz.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=15015</ref><ref>http://main.bisexual.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3799 "Gay Straight or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited," Revisited - Part 1 by [[William Burleson]] June 26 2007</ref> [[Lynn Conway]] criticised the author of the study, [[J. Michael Bailey]], citing his controversial history, and pointing out that the study has not been scientifically repeated and confirmed by any independent researchers.<ref>http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Bailey/Bisexuality/Bisexuality-NYT%207-05-05.html</ref>

Conversely, there is a stereotype that "everyone is bisexual."<ref>[http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/myths.pdf Myths About Bisexuality] (PDF pamphlet from Bisexual Resource Center)</ref>

One common motive for negative attitudes toward bisexuality may be fear for straight males and straight females that their husbands/boyfriends and wives/girlfriends may [[divorce]] them or [[break up]] with them for members of the same sex. The same fears exists among gay people as well. For [[lesbian]]s it may be the fear that a bisexual [[woman]] will leave a woman for a [[man]]; and vice versa with gay males fearing that they would be dumped for a woman. The heterosexual male is seen as having an unfair systemic advantage both due to [[sexism]] and due to homophobia. Bisexual persons may also be the target of homophobia from those who consider only heterosexuality appropriate.

Many anti-bisexuals also believe that bisexuality is a trend, especially a teenage one, popularised by bisexual musicians, actors, etc. (i.e. the term, he built a window in his closet): some also believe it is a stage in adolescence which happens to everyone which people grow out of and that therefore bisexuals are worse people for making an issue out of it. Some also believe bisexuals are just seeking attention for comfort or sex.

Some [[radical feminism|radical]] [[Lesbian feminism|lesbian feminists]] think that bisexual women are giving in to [[patriarchy]]. Others say that people against bisexuals are insecure about their sexuality themselves, similarly to homophobia. It is fair to note many anti-bisexuals are also [[Anti-homosexualism|homophobic]], while maintaining there are only heterosexual and homosexual as sexual preferences, and a common stereotype is that female bisexuals are attention seeking heterosexuals, while male ones are just self-denying homosexuals too afraid to acknowledge their true orientation.

==See also==
*[[Bigotry]]
*[[Prejudice]]
*[[Bisexual erasure]]
*[[Sexual hierarchy]]
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Monosexism]]
*[[Pansexual]]
*[[Duclod Man]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[Kenji Yoshino|Yoshino, Kenji]] (2000). ''The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure'' [http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf]. ''[[Stanford Law Review]]'', 52 (2).
*[http://www.bialogue.org/index.html Dear Fellow Non-existent Beings: countering current attempts to erase bisexuality [[Bialogue]]]
*[http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0 ''Sexual Prejudice: The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media''] by [[Loraine Hutchins|Hutchins, Loraine]] American Sexuality Magazine, Volume 3, No. 4 (2005)
*[http://www.bialogue.org/Pages/InfoPackets/MentalHealth.html Bialogue/GLAAD Bisexuality Packet for Mental Health Professionals]
*[[Marjorie Garber|Garber, Marjorie]] (1995), ''Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life, 20-21, 28, 39.

[[Category:bisexual community]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Phobias]]
[[Category:Sexual orientation and society]]
[[Category:Sexual and gender prejudices]]

[[da:Bifobi]]
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[[hr:Bifobija]]
[[he:ביפוביה]]
[[nl:Bifobie]]
[[zh:雙性戀恐懼症]]

Biphobie

2007-06-29T06:43:52Z

BiAndBi: new article refuting Bailey by Bill Burleson

{{Cleanup|date=January 2007}}{{Bi}}{{Discrimination}}'''Biphobia''' aka [[Biphobia|Bi-phobia]] is the fear of, discrimination against, or hatred of [[bisexuality|bisexuals]] (although in practice it extends to [[pansexual]] people too). It need not include [[homophobia]] or [[heterophobia]], because there are [[stereotype]]s that are specific to bisexuals.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Eliason, MJ|title=The prevalence and nature of biphobia in heterosexual undergraduate students.|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume=26|issue=3|year=1997|pages=317-26}} PMID 9146816</ref>

==Biphobic stereotypes==
Bisexual stereotypes include, but are not limited to: [[promiscuity]], [[polygamy]], living the [[swinging]] lifestyle, and being "confused" or "greedy". <ref>http://www.glaad.org/programs/cim/birepresentations.php</ref> In some cases, bisexuals are accused of bringing [[sexually transmitted disease]]s into the heterosexual community or into the LGBT community. A related stereotype is one in which a bisexual person is presumed to be willing to have sex with just about anyone. This stereotype leads to unwanted attention of a sexual nature directed at bisexual [[female]]s by swingers and heterosexual males while often stereotyping bisexual males as walking [[AIDS]] risks.

Often, however, heterosexuals will add more stereotypes based on homophobia. Homophobes may think that bisexuals are gender nonconformist. Homosexual people will sometimes experience bisexuals as maintaining privilege and collaborating with the homophobes while simultaneously enjoying the LGBT lifestyle. Some consider the belief that people are either heterosexual or homosexual, and thus that bisexuality does not truly exist, to be biphobic.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Dworkin, SH | title=Treating the bisexual client|journal=Journal of Clinical Psychology|volume=57|issue=5|year=2001|pages=671-80}} PMID 11304706</ref>

A 2002 study claimed that a sample of men self-identifying as bisexual did not respond equally to pornographic material involving only men, and to pornography involving only women, but instead showed four times more arousal to one than the other. However, bisexuality does not imply equal attraction towards both genders. In addition, opponents claim that genital arousal to homosexual pornographic material is not a good indicator of orientation. They also point out that the study showed a third of men had no arousal, and ask why this doesn't mean that one third of men are really [[asexual]].<ref>http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/NYTBiArt/LettersFromTheCommunity.cfm</ref> The study, and the New York Times article which reported it in 2005,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/health/05sex.html Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited] New York Times, July 5, 2005.</ref> were subsequently criticized as flawed and biphobic.<ref>http://zzz.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=15015</ref><ref>http://main.bisexual.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3799 "Gay Straight or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited," Revisited - Part 1 by [[William Burleson]] June 26 2007</ref> [[Lynn Conway]] criticised the author of the study, [[J. Michael Bailey]], citing his controversial history, and pointing out that the study has not been scientifically repeated and confirmed by any independent researchers.<ref>http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Bailey/Bisexuality/Bisexuality-NYT%207-05-05.html</ref>

Conversely, there is a stereotype that "everyone is bisexual."<ref>[http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/myths.pdf Myths About Bisexuality] (PDF pamphlet from Bisexual Resource Center)</ref>

One common motive for negative attitudes toward bisexuality may be fear for straight males and straight females that their husbands/boyfriends and wives/girlfriends may [[divorce]] them or [[break up]] with them for members of the same sex. The same fears exists among gay people as well. For [[lesbian]]s it may be the fear that a bisexual [[woman]] will leave a woman for a [[man]]; and vice versa with gay males fearing that they would be dumped for a woman. The heterosexual male is seen as having an unfair systemic advantage both due to [[sexism]] and due to homophobia. Bisexual persons may also be the target of homophobia from those who consider only heterosexuality appropriate.

Many anti-bisexuals also believe that bisexuality is a trend, especially a teenage one, popularised by bisexual musicians, actors, etc. (i.e. the term, he built a window in his closet): some also believe it is a stage in adolescence which happens to everyone which people grow out of and that therefore bisexuals are worse people for making an issue out of it. Some also believe bisexuals are just seeking attention for comfort or sex.

Some [[radical feminism|radical]] [[Lesbian feminism|lesbian feminists]] think that bisexual women are giving in to [[patriarchy]]. Others say that people against bisexuals are insecure about their sexuality themselves, similarly to homophobia. It is fair to note many anti-bisexuals are also [[Anti-homosexualism|homophobic]], while maintaining there are only heterosexual and homosexual as sexual preferences, and a common stereotype is that female bisexuals are attention seeking heterosexuals, while male ones are just self-denying homosexuals too afraid to acknowledge their true orientation.

==See also==
*[[Bigotry]]
*[[Prejudice]]
*[[Bisexual erasure]]
*[[Sexual hierarchy]]
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Monosexism]]
*[[Pansexual]]
*[[Duclod Man]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[Kenji Yoshino|Yoshino, Kenji]] (2000). ''The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure'' [http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf]. ''[[Stanford Law Review]]'', 52 (2).
*[http://www.bialogue.org/index.html Dear Fellow Non-existent Beings: countering current attempts to erase bisexuality [[Bialogue]]]
*[http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0 ''Sexual Prejudice: The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media''] by [[Loraine Hutchins|Hutchins, Loraine]] American Sexuality Magazine, Volume 3, No. 4 (2005)
*[http://www.bialogue.org/Pages/InfoPackets/MentalHealth.html Bialogue/GLAAD Bisexuality Packet for Mental Health Professionals]
*[[Marjorie Garber|Garber, Marjorie]] (1995), ''Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life, 20-21, 28, 39.

[[Category:bisexual community]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Phobias]]
[[Category:Sexual orientation and society]]
[[Category:Sexual and gender prejudices]]

[[da:Bifobi]]
[[fr:Biphobie]]
[[hr:Bifobija]]
[[he:ביפוביה]]
[[nl:Bifobie]]
[[zh:雙性戀恐懼症]]