A thread on the GD board sparked my curiosity about this. My assumption is that most people who are truly bi-sexual are biologically predisposed and not making a concious choice about being sexually attracted to males and females. I was going to spend time researching  this but decided to ask you instead Do you, or anybody else, know if there is any research about whether bi-sexuality is biologically determined?

Thanks
smc

-- Modified on 11/9/2008 8:38:53 AM

Dear showmecal,

There are studies describing the behavior of bisexual individuals and possible etiologies. But as far as a biological marker for bisexuality...haven't seen such studies. There's Dean Hamer's research but that's on the "gay gene." It's more important [it seems] to find a scientific marker for homosexuality than bisexuality. Again, the origins of bisexuality is not important from a grant research-funding perspective, since the implications of homosexual behavior within epidemiological/HIV/STD circles is so much more important.

Remember that most funded sex research has nothing to do with pleasure-oriented topics, it's more from a preventive standpoint. You have to put yourself in the position of universities, the NIH and the CDC to understand the reasons for funding such research.


Cheerio,
The Love Goddess

I can only speak from my own experience of course, so treat this as anecdotal at best, and NOT intended to represent anyone else, or describe what may or may not be a 'typical' experience of someone who is bisexual.

I had my first 'crush' on a girl when I was 8 years old. I can still remember her name, Lori, and what she looked like. There was something in her face, in her smile that attracted me to her. When she smiled she had the cutest dimples you ever saw, and I can clearly remember feeling an urge to lean over and kiss her when she smiled like that. Interestingly enough, even at 8 years old, long before I knew what sex was, and before I knew words like gay and bisexual meant, I had already picked up on the fact that I probably shouldn't tell her that I liked her. So I never said anything, but I certainly did have a crush on her.

All through my teenage years, even as I began dating boys, some girls would simply catch my eye. Something in their hair, or their face, or the way they walked would attract me. But I never approached a girl or in any way let it be known that I was attracted to women. I was a little confused by it myself. I was attracted to boys too, and I honestly didn't know what to make of the occasional fascination I felt towards some girls.

Then, when I was 17, I had my first experience with a girl. It was more of a dare really, I was double dating with my boyfriend and his best friend, we were all a little drunk, and somehow I was dared to go down (I didn't call it DATY then lol) on her. Talk about a transformational experience. The heavens parted, the earth moved, all that jazz. After that, there was no more confusion at all! I kissed a girl and I liked it as the song goes! Actually, we didn't kiss, she wouldn't, but I got to kiss other parts and I really really like it.

So from the age of 17, there was never any question in my mind that I was bisexual. But I was still pretty confused. This, I think is where one person differs from another. I knew that I loved the scent and taste and feel of a woman, yet I've never had any urge to date a woman. I adore a woman's body and could spend hours savoring her curves and soft folds. Sexual intimacy then, is not a problem. I very much enjoy that. Yet my desires toward men and women are quite different. Not only do I love sexual intimacy with men, I have only ever desired emotional intimacy with a man.

So to answer your question from my own experience, there is no doubt in my mind that I was simply wired this way. It is without doubt biological with me. But I in no way pretend that I can speak for the experiences of anyone else. There is no doubt that others have come to their conclusions about their sexual preferences in a completely different manner than I did.

Makes sense, SinsOfTheFlesh,

Available research shows that females are more fluid in their sexual orientation than males...

By and bi,
the Love Goddess

Though your experiences are a great example that you're "wired to be bisexual", it by no means proves that your mixed orientation is biological.  There's still the question of how you GOT to be "wired" that way.  Not to say there's anything wrong with being bisexual (heck it's a huge turn on), it's just that one can be attracted to both sexes for a variety of reasons.  LG is right that women have greater plasticity when it comes to sexual orientation, this has been shown not only statistically but historically.

The question of how one GETS to be bisexual can go into the whole "nature vs. nurture" debate: whether one's sexual orientation is a direct effect of the biological instructions imbedded in every cell of our bodies or is it of the environment and methods by which we are raised.  For that Q, there is no singular answer.

Well, the point I was making is that there was no point in my life where I "got" to be bisexual, or where I "became" bisexual. I simply always HAVE been. At eight years old, I didn't know the first thing about sex, and I certainly had no idea what homosexuality or bisexuality was. Despite that, I was equally as apt to develop a crush on a girl as I was on a boy. In other words, I experienced equal attraction to both sexes. The logical conclusion then, is that for me, bisexuality is natural.

But here is further food for thought. Something ocurred to me the other day while discussing this very topic on a different forum. Not only am I bisexual, but homoesexuality seems to be relatively dominant on my mother's side of the family. I come from a family of five children. I am bisexual, and I have a brother who is homosexual. Futhermore, my mother comes from a family of five children as well. I have a total of 7 cousins from my mother's siblings. Of those, 2 are also homosexual. So, out of a total of 12 children born to my mother and her siblings, 4 of us are homosexual or in my case bisexual. Kind of makes you wonder, given that studies have claimed that homosexuals make up roughly 10% of the population. I think the actual number is probably higher than that, but those are the numbers I've come across. In my family though, the rate is 33%, more than double that estimate. Could genetics explain the higher rate? Perhaps.

I am inclined to believe that both nature and nurture play a role. My background is in addictions counseling, and I view the combination of nature/nurture in determining sexual orientation in similar terms as the incidence of addiction. It is well known that genetics plays a role in determining whether someone will have an addictive personality or not, but it also documented that genetics are not the sole determining factor. A study in Sweden many years ago studied twins who were separated at birth and raised separately. The study found that for maternal twins - identical twins - 50% of the time both siblings, though raised separately developed addiction or alcohol problems. Among fraternal twins, the rate was only 25%. If genetics were the sole factor that determined addiction, the rate among maternal twins should have been 100%. Clearly, nature does play a role, but nurturing also played a part.

I think drawing a similar conclusion with regard to sexual orientation is probably the most accurate. Genetics has some role, though science has yet to be able to pin down exactly what that role is, or how much influence it really has. Nurture undoubtedly has its part as well.

I'll let the scientists cramp their brains trying to figure it all out though. I know what my preferences are, and feel quite comfortable accepting my sexual orientation as something as natural as the color of my eyes, and that is all that matters. Enjoying the delights of both the male and female form is a far more pressing issue for me

-- Modified on 11/13/2008 9:04:26 AM

Yes, yes, yes, SinsOfTheFlesh,

There has been a lot of research in the matter...so much that Wikipedia has a page on it! Not that Wiki is always right, but I've read Bogaert's papers in very reputable journals and there's definitely something in it!

Good observations SOTF,
the Love Goddess

Thanks for sharing about this. It is wonderful that you are comfortable with your sexual orientation. Not easy in our society.  I agree our life experiences play a role but feel nature is the primary factor.  Seems to be the case with you. I may have to break down and read the journal articles LG mentioned.