Gender F-ck Gender and sexuality in modern culture.

(photo from Mika's MySpace)

Last week, flamboyant international pop star Mika came out as "Bisexual" in an interview with "Gay & Night" magazine. He claimed he puts no labels or limits on himself or his sexuality, but if people feel the need to label him, then call him bisexual. I think humans are very quick to need to categorize something that doesn't really need a category -- very often the case with sexuality. It's often this way because each of the sexuality labels (gay, straight, bisexual, lesbian) have some sort of political and definitely a cultural connotation to them. It's easy to associate yourself with others you have things in common with, especially if that trait makes you a minority.

Bisexuals are a very widely discriminated against group and behaps the most interesting and diverse category sexually. First off, bisexuals are often thought of as an imaginery group. People have no problem wrapping their head around same-sex attraction or opposite-sex attraction, but both will blow their minds. People think that simple can't be. It must be black or white with many people in regard to sexuality -- not gray. I have a hard time finding this train of thought logical. After all, we honestly must know that sexuality is more complicated than that. No two people enjoy exactly the same sexualities. Everyone enjoys different things, is attracted to different people and experiences different feelings.

However, many claiming to be bisexual use it simply as a stepping stone. Going straight to gay is often a much longer process involving a period where the comfort of bisexuality means you can always go back to what society deems normal: "opposite-sex attraction." This lessens the strength of the bisexual category -- seemingly full of people fooling themselves into thinking they can still be part of "the norm."

My favorite blog, BastardLife (probably NSFW), is bisexual genius Neal Bouton's tribute to actual bisexuality in a graphic, beautifully vulgar and enlightening way. Bisexuals do exist. They're not greedy, they are open to love and sex in whatever way life decides to give it to them.