Communicator (communicator) wrote,
Communicator
communicator

Like a pendulum, it goes back and forth

A lot of people have been laughing about the recent research which has proved that bisexual men exist. Here is an article in the Guardian about it (nice Laurence Olivier pic) and here is the research paper.

This research was deemed necessary as the official line for the past few years has been that research proves that bisexual men are 'really' exclusively gay, and just pretending to like women for social reasons - see this 2005 article in the NY Times. I think enthusiasm for this point of view was fueled by misogyny (of course men are just pretending to like women) and/or homophobia (one step out of line and that's it). I think it's disrespectful to people who self-identify as bisexual to deny they are telling the truth.

This is my big problem with the saying 'an anecdote is not data'. If an individual experience is not replicable in the lab, nevertheless it may well exist. The experiences of people who are seen as 'other' are not considered real (they are anecdotes) until they are observed by official means (they become data). In this case the 'official means' of verifying sexuality is measured tumescence on viewing porn. But porn is not politically or socially neutral. It reflects many issues as well as sexual arousal - such as anxiety and projection by objectification. I personally dislike most heterosexual porn, although I am heterosexual. Does that mean my identification as a straight woman is a mere anecdote?

Anyway. Bisexual guys - you exist again. Carry on.
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  • Phew what a scorcher

    I see Gove has backed down on climate change and it's back in the curriculum again.

  • GCSE Computer Science

    My book is now for sale

  • LJ Settings

    At the moment I have set up this journal so that only friends can comment. I hate doing this, but I was just getting too much Russian spam.