Four Views - Is everybody bisexual?

Everybody is bisexual. Discuss.

This is part of a series of questions about lesbianism and mental health, answered by a varied selection of panellists.

Andie* - Bisexual, Female, Maths and Philosophy Student (20) - says…
I certainly don’t think that everyone is bisexual. I trust people who claim to be exclusively interested in one sex. However I think there is a lot more fluidity to sexuality than many people realise or care to admit. Since coming out as bisexual I have found myself attracted to women far more frequently and powerfully than prior to coming out. I think that being open to the possibility of being drawn to another sex makes it far more likely that it will happen.

Jimbo* - Straight, Male Football Hooligan (23) - says…
I have a friend who maintains that all a lesbian needs is a damn good male-imparted seeing-to. This probably isn’t true, but it is every man’s fantasy that they could turn a gay woman straight. Since this is invariably based on a sense of their sexual prowess out of all proportion with reality I’m sure it is completely unfounded. It’s an interesting question though, and I think it’s partially a cultural thing. Women, from my own experience, are far more willing to admit to having flings with other women, whereas if a man did, he would probably get a kicking. Men are not allowed to be so open minded, that is if they want to retain male friends, football buddies and functioning private parts. I have a friend who proclaims his willingness to “never rule it out”, but I wonder how much this is part of putting forward his ‘new man, liberal, free minded’ image he has tried so hard to create. A bit like that guy who wears dresses in Hollyoaks. I suppose ultimately you have to go with personal experience. Having never succumbed to sexual tendencies towards another man, I must say no, not everyone is bisexual. However, after last years FA Cup final, I must admit to having some pretty complicated feelings towards Steven Gerrard.

Megan* - Straight female computer scientist (25) - says…
Whilst there are people who are exclusively gay or exclusively straight, I think sexuality is on a sliding scale. If it were possible to measure sexuality I think you'd find that while most people are predominantly one way or the other, they have had some bisexual feelings at some point in their life. I would be inclined to say that this would be more true of women than men, but perhaps it's just that women report bisexuality more often because it seems more socially acceptable than among men.

Kit - Bisexual, Genderqueer English and Classic Student (22) - says…
Absolutely. My view is that human sexuality works on the scatter-gun principle. We’re not pinned down by biology to fancying the opposite sex, but society imposes the heterosexual/homosexual binary on us. I agree that there’s a continuum, but I don’t believe that everyone who claims to be at one end or the other has never considered the other option. I think there is no one in the world who has never got turned on by someone of the same sex – even if they don’t consciously realise or admit it.

Mrs X - Straight female housewife and mother of an alleged lesbian (53) - says…
What rubbish! I myself am completely straight, as is my husband who hasn't looked at a man since 1972. Some people are obviously gay and are beyond help but I think more often than not, youngsters behave like bisexuals to fulfil expectations placed upon them by fashion. These are sad times when youngsters believe they have to take part in unnatural acts just to seek respect from their peers.

Lucy - Lesbian Linguist and former president of LGBsoc (20) - says…
All women will have sexual contact with women, given the right parties involved and fortuitous circumstances. Even the straightest straight female can always still be 'turned' by that one particular actress or intensely beautiful woman from the tv. There is a sliding scale and we are all on it. We do not always define as bisexual though, because this is often seen not as a statement of fact but as ascribing to a particular approach to sexuality. It is widely regarded as
a political label, not a self-definition. This question itself is a political one. As a point of interest, I have slept with far more self-defining 'straight' women than I have self-defining 'lesbians'. I don't turn anyone - I just remind them of their bisexuality.

Rob - Straight, Male Political Therorist (25) - says…
I think people's sexual preferences are probably formed rather than given, and perhaps always subject to change, so whilst I'm fairly sure most people aren't bisexual right now, that doesn't mean that they always were or always will not be. That said, I find it quite difficult to imagine myself being attracted to a man.

See also:
1. In your experience, how can you tell whether or not a girl is gay?
3. Sexuality and mental health are closely related. Discuss.
4. How do lesbians have sex? Does it even count?