ILLINOIS – We don’t have to take the B out of LGBT. Researchers at Northwestern University have concluded that bisexuals actually exist.
“Someone who is bisexual might say, ‘Well, duh!’” Dr. Allen Rosenthal, a psychology doctoral student at Northwestern University and author of the study, told the New York Times. “But this will be validating to a lot of bisexual men who had heard about the earlier work and felt that scientists weren’t getting them.”
Researchers struggled for decades to confirm bisexual tendencies. An earlier Northwestern University study, for example, showed that bisexual men do not exist. The new study, released in the August issue of Biological Psychology, presents evidence that bisexual men are aroused by both women and men.
Researchers took 100 men, about a third straight, a third gay and the remaining third bisexual. They compared their sexual and romantic relationships, plus compared how the three groups of men reacted to adult movies. Researchers discovered the bisexual men had distinct bisexual patterns of both genital and subjective arousal.
Surprisingly, bisexual advocates are not happy with the new findings.
“It’s great that they’ve come out with affirmation that bisexuality exists,” Jim Larsen, chairman of the Bisexual Organizing Project, told the Times. “They’re proving what we in the community already know. It’s insulting.”
Ellyn Ruthstrom, president of the Bisexual Resource Center in Boston, echoed Mr. Larsen’s discomfort.
“This unfortunately reduces sexuality and relationships to just sexual stimulation,” Ruthstrom said. “Researchers want to fit bi attraction into a little box. That’s nonsense. What I love is that people express their bisexuality in so many different ways.”
I am bisexual and am very happy about the finding however I agree “Science is what passes for truth” (Foucault). The issue is visual stimuli is not the only bisexual thing. I am not very attracted to masculine men for example, mainly feminine men. I am attracted a variety of women but date mainly bisexual women – emotional loving connections are key issues. And what if a blind man were to take this test? My current girlfriend is very feme in appearence but very masculine in personality. My last boyfriend was Kinsey 6 gay and his high pitched voice turned me on more than his body. So there are a variety of bisexualities – this is me and my preferences.