Introduction
There are three common types of sexual behaviors in human beings these are:- homosexuality, heterosexuality, and bisexuality. These are the behaviors that one has been oriented to either through parents, friends or the society. A homosexual is a person who is attracted to people of the same gender either physically, emotionally or sexually. Women who are attracted to their fellow women are known as lesbians. Men who are attracted to their fellow men are referred to as gays. Heterosexuals are people who are attracted physically, emotionally, and sexually to people of the opposite sex. Heterosexuality is therefore the desire for the opposite sex. Bisexuality is a sexual behavior where an individual is attracted to both males and females (Anon. “Bisexuality Defined” 2). The degree of attraction may differ according to the individual personality.
Bisexuals have a higher rate of sexual activities than the homosexuals or heterosexual. These attractions may either be emotional, romantic or physical. It’s a sexual behavior that has been observed over many years in human societies. Bisexuality is more common in women as compared to men; this is because women are strongly affected sexually by their background and culture. A bisexual may choose to have one party from each side or to have a multiple of them (Fox 163).
Characteristics of a Bisexual
Bisexuality is a term that is not clearly understood by many. Some people may be bisexual without even their knowledge. There is no direct way that has been identified to describe who is a bisexual (Anon. Bisexuality Defined, 3). Many people expect bisexuals to have specific characteristics; however, it is very hard to tell who is a bisexual by physical appearance. Bisexuals are people from different occupations, different races, different education levels, different cultures, and they come in all sizes or shapes. They can not be said to be a specific group of people because they come from all aspects of life. A bisexual can be a doctor, a teacher, an American, an African among others. Bisexuals suffer discrimination and hostility from the society because of their actions which are termed sinful. This has forced bisexuals to join up with lesbians and gays in their fight for civil rights.
There are people who believe that sexual attraction is not sinful but the actions performed in response to these attractions. Although there might be many bisexuals in our society, they are not commonly spoken of because most people are assumed to be either homosexuals or heterosexuals (Orndorff 110).
What it means to be a bisexual
Most people describe themselves as being bisexual when they feel that they are attracted sexually or physically to both genders. Bisexuals can be found in any country, community or culture. Most people experience bisexual feelings but do not classify themselves as bisexuals. The reason for this is that most societies do not accept bisexual behaviors and therefore it becomes difficult for such people to stand out.
Some people are bisexuals just for pleasure and the desire to explore different ways of getting sexual satisfaction but do not regard themselves as being bisexuals. Bisexuals often feel isolated from others in the society and experience a lot of pressure to be either heterosexual or homosexual. Bisexual is just a normal type of sexuality but people usually find it difficult to comprehend (Anon. Common Myths of Bisexuality, 1) From research it has been found that the value of any person’s identity should not be based on the individual’s origin. This is because human beings are diverse creatures and their behavior changes over time. It is assumed that bisexuality is a period in life that one goes through. It is a continuing process that many people undergo as a part of recognizing their sexual inclination. Mostly, bisexuality results from being a gay or lesbian. According to a study done by Ron Fox, where he studied 900 bisexuals, he found out that in every three bisexuals, one was previously gay or lesbian (Storr 114). Bisexuality can be a short period of transition or it can last for a very long time.
Cause of bisexuality
Many people belief that homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality is inborn behavior. They believe that there are results of genetics or parental hormones or sexual abuse from parents. Others believe that these behaviors are matters of choice or they result from socialization and peer pressure. There are others who believe that these behaviors are as a result of all the above factors (Anon. Bisexuality Defined, 2).
Bisexuality from genetics
Bisexuality is not only common in human beings but also in animals. Many scientists have tried to prove that bisexual is not a matter of choice but as a result of genetics. Genetics and the way a person is brought up play a major role in influencing someone’s sexual behavior. Doctors have found out that there is no one person that can be able to alter his/her sexual behavior. According to them, people are either born as heterosexuals, bisexuals or homosexuals (Storr 115).
The way a child has been brought up also influences his/her sexual behaviors. For instance, persons who have been brought up by single mothers (or where one parent is neglectful) may end up being bisexuals. This is because they try to search for love and attraction which they were denied when growing. In the process they get attracted to both genders and end up being bisexuals.
Socializations
The agents of socializations are the family; school, society, and peers. Majority of youths choose to be socialized by their peers and may acquire some behaviors that are not acceptable. Majority of the bisexuals result from peer influence. They get into bisexuality without even understanding what they are doing and before they realize they are already into it. This has resulted from failure of the society and the family to take their roles of socializing their youths. They leave them on their own before they are mature and they get exposed to all forms of unacceptable behaviors. There is therefore the need for introduction of sex education in schools especially primary schools so that people get the right information concerning such sex behaviors. This will help one in deciding which sex orientation he/she wants to be.
Bisexuality out of choice
Just like in homosexuality, there are people who know very well about bisexuality and chose to be bisexuals. Most people in our societies are either gays or lesbians because they have chosen to be so. In some countries it has been legalized and we have witnessed gay and lesbian marriages. Others choose not to be heterosexuals or homosexuals but prefer to be bisexuals. There are some communities where bisexuals are acceptable in the society and they usually stand out and declare their identity (Storr 114). Some of these bisexuals are actually allowed to marry thus committing themselves in long term relationships.
High sex drive
Bisexuals have been associated with high rates of sexual activity as compared to heterosexuals or homosexuals. They do not get enough satisfaction from their homo or hetero partners and ends up being bisexuals. From research it has been found that bisexual men have a lesser number of happy families than heterosexuals. They have also been found to masturbate more often than heterosexuals. Bisexual women have been found to have stronger and more orgasms in a given week than homosexuals or heterosexuals (Weinberg, Williams, & Pryor 99).
This high sexual drives has forced them to have multiple partners from both genders in their desire to get sexual satisfaction.
Masculinity
A research done on bisexuals showed that both bisexual men and women are masculine. They have self pride and fewer chances of suffering from mental instabilities. They are confident of their identity and like exploring on sexuality. They do not get sexual satisfaction with a single partner and they believe the only way they can be satisfied is to have sexual relationships with both sexes. They also have a high sex drive which could be from parental hormones or acquired.
Levels of bisexuality
Some people believe that everyone is bisexual in one way or another although this is not true. Every one experiences attraction to a person of the same sex at certain times in life. This does not mean that one is bisexual because most of these attractions fade away before even realizing them. Doing something with a friend of the same sex does not classify one as being a bisexual and neither does it mean that never having sex with both a male and female excludes someone from being a bisexual (Szymanski 2). Most bisexuals have not yet had maximum sexual relations with either male or female and they are yet to explore that.
Being a bisexual does not mean being attracted equally to both genders. One can be attracted more to one gender as compared to the other one. There is no limit as to what extent one should be attracted. Some bisexuals are not actually attracted to gender but to the personality of an individual or other character trait (Szymanski 4). Some bisexuals do not require regular sexual intercourse to get their happiness or satisfaction.
Some bisexuals are actually monogamous and they get their satisfaction by having one partner at a given time. There are some who may choose to have open relationships with different personality on different grounds. Others may decide to marry for long term relationships (Anon. Common Myths of Bisexuality 6). It is normally a personal decision how one will handle his/her relation but sometimes it is influenced by the other partners.
Effects of Bisexuality
Just like other sexual orientations such as heterosexuality and homosexuality, bisexuality has an equal number of dangers involved. Such dangers include contracting sexually transmitted diseases. It is the responsibility of the partners to take maximum protection while having sexual intercourse. It is believed that bisexuals are at a higher risk of contracting these diseases as compared to heterosexuals. One of the negative effects associated with bisexuality is that most partners do not speak out their feelings and ends up hurting other people or themselves. Most bisexuals who are already in marriage find it hard to express their feelings to their spouses and they continue performing their homosexual affairs in hiding. They fear the consequences of disclosing their feeling to their spouses but more often than not these spouses end up finding the truth and this leads to breakups of marriages (Weinberg, Williams, & Pryor 97).
Most bisexuals are rejected and discriminated against by the society. Family and friends reject them and consider them sinners. This causes stress and depression on the victims which can even lead to death. The society has failed to understand that this is a normal way of life and that they should not see bisexuals as the problem but the actions themselves. Other bisexuals live with self denial and it gets hard for them to accept their situation or even tell their friends.
Conclusion
Bisexuality is one of the three common types of sexual behaviors the other two being heterosexuality and homosexuality. It is a sexual behavior where an individual is attracted to both sexes. Bisexuals have a higher rate of sexual activities than the homosexuals or heterosexual. These attractions may either be emotional, romantic, or physical. It’s a sexual behavior that has been observed over many years in human societies. It is hard to tell who is a bisexual, heterosexual, or a homosexual physically. Many people expect bisexuals to have specific characteristics but it is very hard to tell who is a bisexual by physical appearance. Bisexuals are people from different occupations, different races, different education levels, different cultures, and they come in all sizes or shapes. Most people describe themselves as being bisexual when they feel that they are attracted sexually or physically to both genders.
Many people believe that homosexuality, heterosexuality, and bisexuality are inborn behaviors. They are as a result of genetics or parental hormones or sexual abuse from parents. Others believe that these behaviors are matters of choice or they result from socialization and peer pressure. Many scientists have tried to prove that bisexual is not a matter of choice but as a result of genetics. Genetics and the way a person is brought up play a major role in influencing someone’s sexual behavior. Doctors have found that there is no person that can be able to alter his/her sexual behavior. According to these doctors, people are either born as heterosexuals, bisexuals or homosexuals. Others become bisexual either by choice or peers influence. High sex drive and masculinity have also been found as causes of bisexuality. Some people believe that everyone is bisexual in one way or another although this is not true. Everyone experiences attraction to a person of the same sex at certain times in life. This does not mean that one is bisexual because most of these attractions fade away before even their full realization.
Works Cited
Anon. “Bisexuality Defined”. Romancepedia.com, 2002. Web.
Anon. “Common Myths of Bisexuality”. Bisandallies, 2010. Web.
Fox Ronald, C. Current research on bisexuality Current research on bisexuality. New York: Routledge, 2004
Orndorff, Kata. Bi lives: bisexual women tell their stories. See Sharp Press, 1999
Storr, Merl. Bisexuality: a critical reader. New York: Routledge, 1999
Szymanski, Mike. “Bisexuality 101: Am I bisexual”. Examiner.com, 2010. Web.
Weinberg Martin S., Williams Colin J., & Pryor Douglas. Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.