As a Butch lesbian who has regularly frequented lesbian chatrooms, forums and online communities since the beginning of this century I have witnessed first hand some extremely STRAIGHT privilege co-opting of gay and lesbian culture coupled with some serious vociferous misogynistic lezbophobia. But I must say THIS is right up there with the worst of it!
Bisexual invisibility? Wha? Perhaps if statistically bisexuals didnt cease IDing as bisexual after five years and resume IDing as their natural hetero state they might be able to put together amovement with which to change their so called "invisibility"! And by "they" I am speaking predominantly of hetero females.
If you were ever in doubt about the logistics of bisexual as a sexual orientation, the fact that women are the primary IDers of bisexuality pretty much nails the coffin shut in favour of bisexuality as a "choice" and NOT a nature! If still in doubt add to that that unlike heteroism and gay and lesbianism, bisexuals will wind up in a number of years IDing as gay/lesbian or straight, you dont see too many 90 y/o bi's!
Gay men more than lesbians have a tendency to use the bisexual ID as a sticking their toe into the waters of homosexuality to see if the water is warm, while lesbians rarely tend to ID'd as bi as a starting point to lesbianism. The majority of bisexuals are straight women, who use this label for one of two reasons. First reason being the MENZ love it! And straight women continue to allow themselves to be conditioned by patriarchal porn standards regarding their sexuality.
This is one of the areas that frustrates the hell of most lesbians. Because straight women choose to have sex with women and base that sex on patriarchal porn standards these bi (straight) women cannot understand why lesbians want nothing to do with them. They seriously cannot see past their ignorant straight privilege in order to understand the requisite of shared sexuality for true sexual pleasure and true intimacy.
The second reason some straight women choose bisexuality is an attempt to recoup the loss of maternal intimacy. This loss can be because of the actual loss of the mother in the literal sense(death/leaving), but more often it is the violent disruption from patriarchal conditioning that forces all young females to choose the father over the mother during childhood development. Thereby guaranteeing a continued divide between women which ensures that patriarchy remains in power.
Regardless of why a person (female) chooses the temporary bisexual label all roads lead to that label's tie to men/patriarchy. The same men, the same patriachal regimes that have kicked to death feminine gay men, that have raped butch lesbians, that continue to deny gays and lesbians basic human rights.
As a lesbian, a Butch lesbian, it would literally be suicidal to support a lifestyle choice (bisexuality) regardless of its cancerous attachment to the G/L community, that remains so entrenched in patriarchy and misogyny. And posts this coming from that "bi-community" certainly clinch it for me!
dirt
