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Bisexual erasure is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or reexplain evidence of bisexuality in historical records, academic materials, the news media, and other primary sources.[1][2]
In its most extreme form, bisexual erasure can include denying that bisexuality exists.[3][4]
However, there is also increasing support, inclusion, and visibility in both communities, especially in the LGBT community.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Contents |
Common displays of bisexual erasure
Both gay and straight people who engage in bisexual erasure may claim that bisexuals are actually closeted homosexual people who wish to appear heterosexual,[11] or conversely that bisexuals are heterosexuals who are experimenting with their sexuality.[12][13][14]
A common manifestation of bisexual erasure is a tendency for bisexuals to be referred to as heterosexual when they are intimately involved with people of the opposite sex, and to be labeled as homosexual when they are involved with partners of the same sex.
In the LGBT community
Bisexual erasure may stem from a belief that the bisexual community does not deserve equal status or inclusion within gay and lesbian communities.[15] This can take the form of omitting the word "bisexual" in the name of an organization or event that serves the whole LGBT community, treating the subject of bisexuality in a derogatory way,[16] or insinuating that bisexuals don't deserve to be included because they have "hetero-privilege".[17]
There is some feeling in the bisexual community of being overlooked in the same-sex marriage debate.[18]
In the media
It has been observed that some media outlets have portrayed bisexual and gender blurring behaviors in ancient and non-Western cultures,[19] such as ancient Greek pederasty or Native American Two-Spirits, as proof that homosexuality has been widely accepted in other times and cultures[20] despite that this instead can be argued for as proof and acceptance of bisexuality or a past acceptance of sexual expression.
In both the gay and straight media, individuals[21] who have kept their identity unknown have been portrayed as either gay or straight even though they have a bisexual behavior and lifestyle. This can be seen as an inclination to label others as gay or straight even if the individual's behavior points towards a bisexual or pansexual identity. Those who have specifically identified as bisexual or have a clear history of significant experience with both same and opposite-sex partners are sometimes labeled as homosexual or heterosexual as well. A clear example of this is Robyn Ochs, a bisexual activist who was publicly misidentified as a lesbian on the day of her wedding,[18][22][23] or the celebrities Lindsey Lohan and Lady Gaga sometimes being labelled either homosexual or heterosexual by the media even though both have publically identified as bisexual.[24][25][26][27]
In some cases the American media has portrayed individuals caught in scandals involving same-sex affairs, such as Republican Senator Larry Craig or televangelist Ted Haggard, as "repressed homosexuals". Strictly speaking, these individuals were engaged in bisexual behavior although they could have identified differently.
Other times, the media in both communities will refer to the "gay and lesbian" community and completely leave out bisexual or transgender people.[28]
See also
References
- ^ Word Of The Gay: BisexualErasure May 16, 2008 "Queers United"
- ^ The B Word Suresha, Ron. "The B Word," Options (Rhode Island), November 2004
- ^ Hutchins, Loraine (2005). "Sexual Prejudice: The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media". American Sexuality magazine (National Sexuality Resource Center) 3 (4). http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0.
- ^ Hutchins, Loraine. "Sexual Prejudice - The erasure of bisexuals in academia and the media". American Sexuality Magazine. San Francisco, CA 94103, United States: National Sexuality Resource Center, San Francisco State University. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20071216065035/http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/MagArticle.cfm?Article=475&PageID=0. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ "Queers United". http://queersunited.blogspot.com/.
- ^ "Task Force Report On Bisexuality". http://www.thetaskforce.org/issues/bisexuality.
- ^ "HRC article on bisexuality". http://www.hrc.org/issues/coming_out/bisexual/bisexual_articles.asp?listpage=2.
- ^ "GLAAD TV Report". http://glaadbackup.com/2009/documents/GLAADNRI2009.pdf.
- ^ Maria, September 24, 2009. How Far Have We Come?, BiSocial News
- ^ "Thirteen On House". http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/10/27/greys-anatomy-s-3/.
- ^ Michael Musto, April 7, 2009. Ever Meet a Real Bisexual?, The Village Voice
- ^ Yoshino, Kenji (January 2000). "The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure". Stanford Law Review (Stanford Law School) 52 (2): 353–461. doi:. http://www.kenjiyoshino.com/articles/epistemiccontract.pdf.
- ^ "Why Do Lesbians Hate Bisexuals?". http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/community/why-do-lesbians-hate-bisexuals/.
- ^ "Bisexual workers 'excluded by lesbian and gay colleagues'". http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/bisexual-workers-excluded-by-lesbian-and-gay-colleagues.
- ^ Weiss, Jillian Todd (2004). "GL vs. BT: The Archaeology of Biphobia and Transphobia Within the U.S. Gay and Lesbian Community". Journal of Bisexuality (Haworth Press) 3 (3/4): 25–55. http://phobos.ramapo.edu/~jweiss/glvsbt.htm.
- ^ "Dan Savage-Stop with the Biphobia Already!". http://andeatit2.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/dan-savage-stop-with-the-biphobia-already.
- ^ Maria, May 7, 2009. Bisexuals, the Hetero-Privilege Myth, BiSocial News
- ^ a b "Bisexuals Overlooked in the Debate on Equal Marriage Rights". http://www.thetaskforce.org/press/releases/pr736_092104.
- ^ "Alexander the Great". http://www.gayheroes.com/alex.htm.
- ^ Hall, Donald E. Bisexual Literature glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer Culture
- ^ Summers, Claude J. (2009-10-20). "BiNet USA". glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. glbtq, Inc.. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/binet_usa.html.
- ^ "Robyn Ochs LGBT Wikia". http://lgbt.wikia.com/wiki/Robyn_Ochs.
- ^ "Putting the "B" in LGBT". http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=79571283276&ref=mf.
- ^ "Lindsay Lohan: More Bisexual Than Lesbian". http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b67979_lindsay_lohan_more_bisexual_lesbian.html.
- ^ "Lindsay Lohan says she's not a lesbian, but confirms relationship with Samantha". http://www.afterellen.com/blog/trishbendix/lindsay-lohan-says-shes-not-a-lesbian.
- ^ "The Rise of Lady Gaga". http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/27/the-new-issue-of-rolling-stone-the-rise-of-lady-gaga.
- ^ "Lady Gaga admits she’s bisexual". http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/lady-gaga-admits-shes-bisexual_100197849.html.
- ^ "Anderson Cooper's Blog about "Gay and Lesbian" Issues". http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/category/gay-lesbian-issues.
Further reading
- Fraser, M., Identity Without Selfhood: Simone de Beauvoir and Bisexuality, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press 1999. p. 124-140.
External links
- Bisexual Literature at glbtq.com
- Curiouser And Curiouser: The Strange ‘disappearance’ Of Male Bisexuality by Mark Simpson
- Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited New York Times, July 5, 2005
- The Binary & Bisexual Erasure: A Hatred of Bisexual People in Gay Communities?
- The Bisexual Curmudgeon: Dear Fellow Non-existent Beings
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