Male Bisexuality -- Hot or Not?

[amenirdis]

In which Salon finally catches up with fandom: http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/04/22/male_bisexuality/index.html

Is male bisexuality the new hotness? Discuss.

Comments

[erinya]

Oh my lord, bisexual men may be my favorite kind... I really hope that male bisexuality is becoming a little less taboo.

[amenirdis]

I hope so too. Yes, hot.

[anj1290]

I get the feeling that male bisexuality is seen increasingly as okay in certain mainstream settings, but only when it's ambiguous or people don't actually mean it. Such as it's okay as something to poke fun at, or something in a comedy movie, or when it's a figure who's not really around anymore, but not in a serious immediately relevant setting. Take, for instance, the frat boy dynamic--it's hilarious to slap another guy's behind, or make a drunken confession of love, but they're not nearly so accepting when it comes to guys who are actually openly bi or gay. Or if you look at many "bromantic" relationships (my favorite TV show is House right now, so House and Wilson are the first pair that comes to my mind), even when the dynamic seems more than platonic often the writers make sure to keep it ambiguous and show both parties as having relationships with women.

That being said, I think it's a good sign for the future that people are becoming generally more accepting, even if only in certain settings.

[anj1290]

(Personal context--I'm a straight female Asian-American from a big city in Texas, which probably affects things. And while I would not be at all opposed to dating a bi man, the majority of my family members would probably drop dead if they found out. Which is why I wouldn't tell them. :-) )

[amenirdis]

I totally get that. When I was in college and thereafter for a couple of years, I dated an Indian woman, and needless to say her bisexuality was something of an issue with her family!

[amenirdis]

I see what you mean about in fun. I think that's the first way to break down taboos -- doing it "just kidding!"

[amenirdis]

Yeah, me too!

[fried_flamingo]

Lately, I have become more enamoured with reading and writing about sexually ambiguous men (I blame Jack Sparrow), so I'm not sure whether I'm only noticing the preoccupation with male bisexuality because I'm actively seeking it out more or whether it's always been there.

I'm not sure I'd like to call it a trend, as the word implies that it might pass. I'd like to think that it's simply a shift in attitudes toward sexuality in general. But either way, I totally find it hot! What could be hotter to a straight woman than two attractive men kissing? (and I'm paraphrasing that last from a certain book I read recently ;P)

[amenirdis]

I think it is a shift. I mean, it's not just beginning now -- slash has been with us at least 45 years! But it's becoming important enough that the mainstream media is noticing, and that women are admitting that they think the idea of watching Johnny Depp kissing Orlando Bloom is hot! I think a large part of it is women being more open about liking it. Flying Colors isn't the first slash romance to top the romance book sales because all those thousands of copies are being bought by gay men!

[djarum99]

Yeah, all Jack Sparrow's fault, for making me think "dang, why did I not see this before." Although JD kissing Ted Demme in the behind-the-scenes features for Blow really started it for me, so I guess it's ultimately his fault :-)

I agree that it's a shift in attitudes about sexuality in general, beginning with women but moving into the male sector as well.

Totally hot.

[amenirdis]

It might just be all JD's fault! :)