ABSTRACT
In sexualities research, bisexuality has historically been assigned a lower profile than heterosexuality and homosexuality (Angelides, 2001; Garber, 1995; McLean, 2003; Rust, 2002; Zaylia, 2009). Researcher interest continues to focus upon a sexual dichotomy involving a binary of hetero- and homosexuality. According to McLean (2003), the focus on hetero- and homosexuality as opposites suggests they are “mutually exclusive states of being” (p. 2), disallowing space for those who do not identify as either (Hemmings, 2002; Zaylia, 2009). This notion of sexual dichotomy is reflected in the common societal assumption that one’s sexual identity is determined by the gender identity of one’s partner (Butler, 1993; Hartman, 2011). People identifying as bisexual may this assumption through their physical and emotional attractions to people of any gender including transgendered people. Regardless, society continues to either invisibilize bisexuality by attributing it as a passing phase from homosexual to heterosexual or vice versa, or erases bisexuality altogether (Carr, 2011; D’Augelli, 2003; Diamond, 2003; Rust, 2000).
