The Decreasing Significance of Stigma in the Lives of Bisexual Men: Keynote Address, Bisexual Research Convention, London

Abstract

This article is constructed around a keynote address given at the Bisexual Research Convention, th Century Foundations of Homo/BiphobiaAlthough homosexuality had not previously been understood as a static sexual identity, this notion came to public consciousness with the conviction of English author, poet, and playwright, Oscar Wilde in 1895. His conviction, profoundly important toward our understanding of sexuality in the 20thCentury, event gave male homosexuals both a spokesperson and a flamboyant stereotype. Femphobia combined with homophobia, to make the 20 th Century extremely hostile for sexual minorities.Research has documented that bisexual men experience stigmatization, discrimination and social exclusion in a range of settings (Barrios, Corbitt, Estes & Topping, 1976;Herek, 2002;Mohr, Israel & Sedlacek, 2001). This discrimination has been levied at bisexual men from both heterosexuals and homosexuals (Ochs, 1996). Of particular concern is the erasure of bisexuality as an identity: men who are attracted to both sexes are often regarded as being on the down low, heteroflexible or simply curious (c.f. Denizet-Lewis, 2003;King, 2004). Furthermore, bisexuals are often described as existing within a transitional phase from heterosexuality towards homosexuality (Klein, F. 1993). This belief is even located within academic literature, which frequently favors self-identification over one 's sexual predisposition (c.f. Einberg, 2000). ]Much of the anti-bisexual attitudes of western culture is linked with homophobia. Accordingly, while the history of homosexuality is not the same as the history of bisexuality, the two are heavily entwined. Events of the 20 th Century socialized homo/biphobia into men; in a way that we show does not occur today.In the early 1800's, three quarters of people worked in agriculture, a livelihood that brought insecure income. But by the turn of the 20 th Century, with its allure of stable wages and the possibility of class mobility that meant that three quarters of the population was now living 3 within cities (Cancian 1987). This period of time had substantial impact on 20 th Century understandings of homo/bisexuality, and the 'construction' of heterosexuality.In agrarian society, both men and women worked in physically demanding conditions. However as families relocated to cities, and fathers took industrial jobs (leaving their wives at home) women became more domesticated; fulfilling roles that were unseen, unpaid, and for the most part, much less physically demanding than they had worked on the farm (Hartman, 1976).Men on the other hand continued to toil and sweat for their family's income, working in factories and coal mines and other dangerous occupations. These working conditions demanded tough, stoic, and risk-taking men. And, because labor laws had yet to set maximum hours of work, men worked long hours away from their children. Accordingly, they were mostly absent to socialize their sons' into orthodox notions of masculinity.With mom at home and female teachers at sc...

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