Читать книгу Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics - Paula C Rust - Страница 34

Some lesbians simply referred to bisexuality, or sexuality in general, as a matter of “preference” or “choice” without specifying what is preferred or chosen. Among those who referred to unspecified preferences, eleven consider bisexuality a sexual preference, whereas four conceptualize it as a lack of preference. For example, SueAnne called bisexuality “one kind of sexual preference,” and Helen thinks it “must be difficult not to have a definite preference one way or the other.” The ten lesbians who referred to sexuality as a matter of choice were evenly divided between those who consider bisexuality a choice and those who consider bisexuality to be the absence of choice, or a failure to choose.

Lesbians who consider bisexuality to be a positive sexual preference or choice generally expressed empathic and tolerant attitudes toward bisexuality. Many took the liberal stance, “if that’s what a person is happy being, go for it,” or explicitly stated that the bisexual preference is as valid or legitimate as the homosexual and heterosexual preferences are. In contrast, lesbians who define bisexuality as a lack of preference or choice are inclined to accuse women who call themselves bisexual of cowardice. At the very least, they are uneasy around women whose loyalties are not clear. Madeline, for example, is “more comfortable with people who have made definite choices for one sex over the other.”