Bisexuality is an orientation that involves romantic attraction, sexual attraction, and/or sexual behavior toward people of more than one gender. While there is no single way to experience bisexuality, it is typically understood as encompassing both same-sex and opposite-sex attractions.
This binary categorization can be limiting when considering all the possible variations of human desire, including fluidity, nonbinary identities, and polyamory. Bisexuality challenges traditional conceptions of linear thinking about gender, identity, and desire, which are often rooted in binaries such as male-female, heterosexual-homosexual, and monogamy-polyamory. In order to understand human desire fully, we need to move beyond these rigid categories and embrace a more nuanced and inclusive approach to sex and relationships.
Binary Thinking
Binary thinking is the idea that things must be divided into two distinct categories or groups. This type of thinking is prevalent in many aspects of society, from language to politics to science.
In the medical field, diseases are often classified based on their symptoms, while in mathematics, numbers are either odd or even.
In reality, many phenomena exist within a spectrum rather than being strictly binary. Sexual orientation is one such phenomenon. Research has shown that sexual attraction and behavior do not necessarily fall neatly into the male-female or homosexual-heterosexual dichotomy. Instead, they exist on a continuum with various subcategories, including asexuality, pansexuality, and polysexuality.
Limitations of Linear Thinking
Linear thinking can lead to oversimplification and exclusion. By limiting our understanding of bisexuality to its simplest form, we risk reducing it to something uncomplicated and easily understood. We may fail to recognize the complexities of bisexual experience and deny the validity of nonbinary identities. This can have serious consequences for individuals who do not fit neatly into binary categories, leading to social marginalization and discrimination.
Linear thinking can prevent us from recognizing the fluidity of desire and identity, which can change over time and vary depending on context. It can also lead to misconceptions about relationships, such as the belief that monogamy is the only acceptable form of intimacy.
Embracing Nuance
To better understand human desire, we must embrace nuance and complexity. Rather than categorizing people based on their gender or sexuality, we should recognize that these characteristics can be multiple and fluid. This means recognizing that some people may identify as bisexual while also having a nonbinary identity, or experiencing varying degrees of attraction toward different genders at different times in their lives. It also means embracing polyamory as a legitimate form of relationship structure, wherein individuals can have multiple romantic and/or sexual partners simultaneously. By rejecting binaries and embracing nuance, we can create a more inclusive society where all forms of desire are recognized and respected.
How might bisexuality reveal the limitations of linear thinking in understanding human desire?
According to research on sexual orientation, individuals may have various desires for different genders throughout their lifespan. Bisexuality is one such orientation wherein people experience attraction towards both men and women (Lykins & Baumeister, 2019). Research has shown that bi-sexual individuals often report feelings of confusion and inadequacy due to the cultural stigma associated with this identity (Dickson et al. , 2018).