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Bisexuals are men and women
who achieve sexual or erotic attraction to members of
both sexes. Usually, but not always, the bisexual person
engages in sexual activity with partners of both sexes.
Slang terms referring to bisexuals are "AC/DC" (based on
the term used to describe two types of electrical
current), "switch-hitters" (a baseball term describing a
batter who hits from either side of home plate depending
on who's pitching), or people who "swing both ways"
(another baseball phrase, but may also relate to
swinging as sexual behavior).
Compared to heterosexuality and homosexuality, very
little scientific study has been conducted on
bisexuality. Based on the studies that have been done,
it appears that bisexuals are not people whose
orientation is fundamentally homosexual but who have
some heterosexual sex on the side. Nor are they people
whose orientation is fundamentally heterosexual but who
enjoy homosexual sex on the side. Also, fundamentally,
they are not people who, at one point in their lives,
engage in sexual behavior with persons of one sex and
then, at another point, engage in sexual behavior with
persons of the other sex, although this pattern of
sequential changes is sometimes called transitional
bisexuality. Rather, bisexuals are people who are
sexually attracted to persons of both sexes during the
same general time period in their lives.
It is thought that people develop and experience
bisexuality in a number of different ways. For some it
begins as a form of experimentation that adds a spark to
their sex lives, but it does not become the main arena
of sexual activity. For others it is a deliberate choice
to participate in whatever feels best at the moment.
Three particular sets of circumstances have been thought
to be conducive to bisexuality: (a) sexual
experimentation in a relationship with a close friend is
quite common among women and can also occur between two
male friends or a male homosexual may develop a sexual
relationship from a previously casual but friendly
relationship with a woman. (b) Group sex is another
avenue for bisexual experimentation. (c) Finally, some
people adopt a bisexual philosophy as an outgrowth of a
personal belief system. For instance, some women who
have been active in the women's movement find they are
drawn closer to other women by the experience and
translate this closeness into sexual expression.
Men who are bisexuals are likely to experience
homosexual attraction and engage in homosexual
experiences before they become aware of their
bisexuality. For women, on the other hand, the trend is
to experience heterosexuality first.
Although persons with a bisexual orientation do not fit
simply into any one mold, there are a few patterns that
may apply to many bisexuals. Some men and women seem to
alternate their choice of sex partners randomly,
depending on availability and circumstances. Some have
committed relationships in this fashion, seeking a
partner of the alternative sex when the current
relationship ends. In other cases, a bisexual person may
have simultaneous relationships with a man and a woman.
Affairs during a lasting relationship may also be used
to express one's bisexual orientation. Most often,
whichever of these patterns applies, people with
bisexual orientation have a tendency toward more
relationships with one gender than the other.
Researchers who have studied female bisexuality note
that some women who identify themselves as bisexual say
that they have some emotional needs that are best met by
men and others that are best met by women. Some bisexual
men offered this explanation too, but much more often
the male bisexual explains his sexual lifestyle in terms
of a need for variety and creativity.
People usually discover their bisexual orientation later
in life than either heterosexuals or homosexuals. The
majorities of people model the heterosexual lifestyle
and drift into bisexual relationships without
consciously thinking about it initially. Most
individuals who discover their attraction to the same
sex try to deny their interest and attempt to fit in
with the more socially acceptable heterosexual lifestyle
for a while. Usually by adolescence there is increasing
internal conflict about their sexual preference that may
not be fully resolved until adulthood.
Because it is commonly thought that people are either
heterosexual or homosexual, even by people with bisexual
interests, these people seem to struggle for a longer
period of time trying to conform to one lifestyle or the
other. It is common for people to be well into their
20's or 30's before accepting their bisexual
orientation. Society's definitions of what is normal,
appropriate, right and natural have an enormous
influence on how bisexual people feel about their sexual
orientation. Given the negative bias toward bisexuality,
it is not unusual for women and men with a bisexual
orientation to feel alienated from and oppressed by both
the heterosexual and homosexual communities. For them,
this can raise serious questions about their sexual
identity. Bisexual people have problems similar to those
that homosexual people have in "coming out" and making
their orientation known to family and friends
Someone who is bisexual may often find it harder to
start and maintain relationships than people of
heterosexual or homosexual orientation. Because bisexual
people are both different and often misunderstood, those
who do not have a bisexual orientation may be rejecting
or feel that a relationship with a bisexual person could
not be valid or rewarding. Jealousy, which can be a
problem in any relationship, is particularly likely in a
relationship in which one partner is bisexual. If both
partners are bisexual the possibilities for jealousy may
be even greater. The threat of such widespread
competition can be very stressful to a couple that is
not secure in their relationship.
There is much more to be learned about the nature of
bisexuality and perhaps as bisexual people become more
accepted in society, scientific studies will contribute
new information to what is currently known.
Asexual refers to the absence of sexual activity or a
low level of sexual response. Sexual union of male and
female germ cells (such as the sperm and ova in humans)
is the means of reproduction that is standard among
mammalian and many non-mammalian species. However, many
organisms reproduce through asexual means, such as
budding, spore formation, or fission. Organisms that
produce through these means are sexless.
Asexuality can also refer to a lack of interest or
involvement in sex in sexual species. The priesthood in
a number of religions, for example, requires abstinence
or even monasticism among its members. While individuals
who participate in religious abstinence may have normal
sexual interest, they are required to take a vow of
abstinence. Over time, lack of involvement in sexual
activity may lead to a considerable drop in sexual
interest. Vows of abstinence may also be taken outside
of the arena of organized religion, although these are
usually situational and time limited. Disinterest in sex
also may be due to a sexual dysfunction; that is, a
psychological or organic condition that blocks normal
sexual behaviors and responses. Specifically, in the
case of complete disinterest in sex, the condition may
be diagnosed as sexual desire disorder.
In sexual desire disorder the individual has a
persistent absence of sexual fantasies or desire for
engaging in sex. Further, the individual exhibits an
intense aversion to either heterosexual or homosexual
genital sexual contact. Additionally, persistent failure
in sexual response may lead to the avoidance of sex or
sexual situations. This can occur at any point in life
but tends to occur more frequently among the elderly.
These conditions can have an emotional origin, of
varying severities, or they may have an organic cause.
Often they are treatable through sex therapy and/or
biomedical intervention. Intensive desire disorders,
however, may reflect complicated psychological problems
that are difficult to treat. In addition, some
individuals may be biologically incapable of sexual
interest or involvement in sexual activity and, although
members of a sexual species, are themselves asexual.
This, however, is a rare condition and most forms of
sexual dysfunction respond to therapeutic intervention.
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