One of the main struggles the bisexual community faces is invisibility,
which is bizarre considering in a recently published Gallop survey
more than half of LGBT adults identify as bisexual. That's 3.1 percent of the
American population. And in generation Z, bisexual people make up even a greater share of the LGBT
community -- 72 say they identify as bisexual. That's nearly 12 percent of all Gen Z adults.
So why the invisibility or what the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation refers to as
bi-erasure? And I do note the irony that there is no "B" in their name... but anyways for starters,
you have outsiders that deny bisexuality is a legitimate identity, claiming that it's
simply confusion, self-denial, or a transitory step between straight hood and gaydom. Is that
a word? Did I just invent that? Individuals who don't want to declare themselves gay for whatever
reason choose the safer label of bisexual. And truth be told this was me between the ages of
16 and 30. Not wanting to recognize or admit that I was gay, I dated both women and men and happily
declared myself a bisexual to thwart off any homophobes that were in my circle. That's not
to say that I wasn't bisexual -- after all, queer theory recognizes that sexuality is fluid -- so
it is possible that I may have been Bi during that period of my life, but now I'm just not.
Another reason for bisexual invisibility is that it's difficult to readily identify
who's a bisexual -- for if a bi man dated another man he'd be regarded as
gay. If that same man dated a woman, it's assumed that he's heterosexual.
There's no way a passive observer can know if someone is bi without being explicitly told
and some bisexuals choose to remain under that invisibility cloak as a means to avoid having
to face the same sort of marginalization that gays, lesbians, and transgender persons endure.
So with that there's a sort of a privilege in the
label in that they can have their feet in both camps. Because of this, outed bisexuals may
face resentments or other forms of biphobia -- resentment due to them having privilege,
resentment for not fully committing to one orientation or the other, resentment fueled
by the fact that when a bi person chooses a partner one side is seemingly gonna lose.
One of Jesus' most popular sayings is that "no one can serve two masters. For a slave
will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other."
In a religion with such a strong dualistic bias, it is no wonder that the perceived
transgressive stance of bisexuality can too often be misunderstood as disloyalty to
one of two masters. Thus accordingly there's resentment because bisexuality disrupts
the established societal binaries of gender and sexual orientation. It's either you're straight or
you're gay -- there's no in-between but here they are. Further, the gay community has extra cause
for alarm since bisexuals come across as choosing their sexuality, which reignites that whole
argument that sexuality and sexual orientation is a choice and that one simply is not born gay.
This happens to be the position of the few churches that recognize the "B" in LGBT.
Most major denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church, simply pivot this identity into
their "same-sex attraction" category of teachings. Bisexual people are almost always overlooked in
discussions of sexuality. The church of England is one of the few who actually acknowledges it...
although they don't really have anything positive to say...
In other words, deny your bisexuality and choose either the hetero path or abstinence,
the way of holiness. Anything else would apparently lead to being unfaithful,
perpetuating a stereotype that bisexuals are promiscuous or polyamorous. And the fact that
counseling is recommended just reinforces the disease model of anything queer.
Bi-erasure and biphobia come at a cost. According to the bisexuality resource center, research
suggests that bisexuals suffer worse mental health outcomes than heterosexuals, lesbians,
and gay men. These outcomes include higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders;
higher reporting of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal attempts;
lower levels of social support; being less likely to be comfortable
with their sexuality or being out to friends and family compared to lesbians and gay men;
and higher rates of substance abuse including cigarette smoking and heavy drinking;
And then there are the misconceptions. In addition to being perceived as fence-sitters
who don't want to declare their homosexuality, bisexuals have been labeled as sexually greedy,
synonymous with promiscuity, as leading to multiple partners in adultery,
as disease spreading, and as being incompatible with marriage.
So why do you think these misconceptions exist? It comes down to the number of options available.
A bisexual person sees no boundaries when it comes to sexual orientation, which means anyone can be a
potential partner. So because there's more options I guess people just assume there's more sex,
and more unfaithful sex to that extent since boundaries don't seem to matter.
So we gotta put these misconceptions to rest. Bisexual people do not have to have sex with both
genders, it is simply that they acknowledge the possibility of being with either or any gender.
Really, this stereotype is no different from the reputation that gay men-- that all gay
men want to do is have sex with each other, with multiple men. Just because queer people
don't fit into a traditional mold doesn't mean we have no control over our bodies!
Despite being invisible in the 21st century, it is likely that there were many historical
and biblical figures who exhibited what we would call today bisexual tendencies. Pretty much any
of those figures we discussed in this course as being gay could easily have been bisexual. This
is especially true with our old friend King David who had that one man he loved more than any of the
numerous women, but that didn't stop him from wanting to get with Bathsheba. (and he did.)
Oh and of course there's the Father of Western Homophobia, Saint Augustine
whose sexual endeavors with women are well documented in his autobiography, The Confessions;
but so is an entire chapter written as something that comes across as kind of a
love letter to a male friend of his that passed away. Here's a reenactment of a small excerpt...
Is it possible that this homophobe of homophobes was actually bisexual?
Yeah. As I've said before many of our loudest homophobes are from people
struggling with internalized homophobia. As established, Augustine's issue with
sex addiction has led to a church full of unhealthy attitudes towards sexual ethics,
including his doctrine on original sin. It's equally feasible to deduce that his same internal
struggles with his own bisexuality had influenced his works on condemning homosexuality. It's like
using the experience of an alcoholic to dictate everyone's drinking habits. Despite our greater
understanding of human nature and sexuality today it floors me that the church leaders still persist
in taking their cues about sexual relations from a self-proclaimed recovering sex addict.
But I digress. Let's move on to a discussion of bi theology.
Admittedly there's not a whole lot published academically-- there's that invisibility again,
right? But what we do have is pretty amazing.
The bisexual community believes that love transcends all boundaries: which is a message
found throughout the bible. When God first formed the covenant with Abraham, God chose
to enter exclusively into a relationship with the Israelites, the Jews, but by the time we get to
Christ a fully universal message is promoted. It is arguable, that the dominant story in the
Judeo-Christian tradition is the slow evolution from particularism to universalism. Why? Because
God's love is not limited to any one particular group. Love transcends boundaries. God goes from
a rigid "either/or" approach to salvation to a "both/and" approach. Heck, even the nature of
Jesus himself reflects this. He's not either human or God, but both 100 human and 100 God. If we can
understand this dual nature of Jesus surely we can understand the dual nature of a bisexual, right?
Additionally to the extent that God's love extends to men and women, God can be called bi
or pansexual. Not only in gender but in all ways, God's love is not limited by societal boundaries;
God's love flows freely over our systems of limitation.
This is why bisexual theology will tend towards some kind of universalism including an ecological
theology. Recognizing that truth can be found in all religions and since some traditional
religions tend to deny their identity, some Bi Christians have adopted a "religious buffet"
approach to devotion, choosing what works for them regardless of which tradition claims ownership.
And what is noteworthy of this approach to religion is that according to theologian
James Fowler, this is actually an advanced stage of faith development; because when you
restrict devotion to rigid barriers or what you can and cannot do based on your identity,
you're stuck in what he calls the third stage of faith... which is the faith of a 12-year-old.
Moving on. Having presented on some of the collective experiences of being bisexual as well
as a glimpse of their theology, we're going to conclude this lesson today by developing a praxis
for institutional change. And we can use Moses as a springboard. Moses was born Hebrew but raised
Egyptian. He had a dual identity and witnessed firsthand the persecution of his ancestral people
by the people he lived alongside. Given the cultural conditions, he may have been tempted
to suppress his Hebrew side and just live as an Egyptian. Why be a slave when you can be a
prince right? But when the oppression reached its boiling point, Moses lashed out killed an Egyptian
and ran away. In Midian, he began a new life as a shepherd. When he encountered the burning bush,
God identified God's self as the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; in other words, Moses's
ancestors. God reminded Moses who Moses is. He is Hebrew. So go rescue your people, Moses!
The bisexual person passing as straight also sees oppression and it is in the moment of observing
gay-bashing, discrimination, and hatred that the bisexual person has to make a decision: will they
recognize that this discrimination is against their own people and thus do something about it?
Embracing the community's privilege of being able to see both sides of the oppression lays the
foundation for bridge-building. So the first thing bisexuals need to do is come out and be visible.
Coming out is a form of ministry-- it's a form of justice. Because it enables others to do likewise.
It creates then a community (which is particularly important in a community that is absent of one).
Communities are essential for faith building and witnessing. This is why churches exist.
Communities provide the security and breathing space where people can reflect on their experience
and begin the hermeneutical circle which produces theology. The gay and lesbian community can assist
this effort of Bi-visibility by doing away with the "Bi now, gay later" epitaph that creates a
hostile climate for bisexual people. Organizations claiming to be LGBT must offer bi-specific
programming and resources as they are a unique identity within the queer community. It's time for
us all to stand up against oppression and build bridges. The bi community is a living example
that boundaries must never divide humankind in a way that prevents love.