Orientation plays a huge role in your sexual wellness, with much sexual health research dedicated to studies on both heterosexuality and homosexuality. But what about bisexuality? As it stands, very little research has been conducted on bisexuality, and so less is known about how being bisexual affects your wellbeing. However, we’ve looked around for all the available information, so you can be in-the-know about bisexuality.
The Sinclair Intimacy Institute states, ‘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 behaviour).’
While little research has been done on bisexual behaviour, the studies that have been conducted show some fundamental factors involved in being bisexual. To clear up a few assumptions, let’s look at what bisexuals are not:
1. Bisexuals are not fundamentally homosexual but have a bit of heterosexual sex on the side.
2. Bisexuals are not fundamentally heterosexual but have a bit of homosexual sex on the side.
3. Bisexuals do not, at one point in their lives, engage in sexual behaviour with one sex and then, at another point, engage in sexual behavior with persons of the other sex. This is known as transitional bisexuality.
On a fundamental level, if you are bisexual, this means that you are sexually attracted to people of both sexes during the same general time period in your life. But how do you become bisexual? According to the Sinclair Intimacy Institute, ‘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.’
When it comes to bisexual behaviour, there are three particular sets of circumstances that have been thought to be conducive to bisexuality:
1. Friends with Benefits: The Sinclair Intimacy Institute notes, ‘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.’
2. All Together Now: ‘Group sex is another avenue for bisexual experimentation,’ says the Sinclair Intimacy Institute.
3. Mind-Body Connection: ‘Some people adopt a bisexual philosophy as an outgrowth of a personal belief system,’ the Sinclair Intimacy Institute explains. ‘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.’
While these are common behaviours for bisexuals to experience, there is still a gender difference to bisexuality. The Sinclair Intimacy Institute details, ‘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 mould, 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.’
