A
prediction
last
month
that
bisexuality
could
become
more
common
worldwide
is
drawing
mixed
responses
from
Americans
who
identify
as
such.
Dr.
Umberto
Veronesi,
a
prominent
Italian
physician,
was
quoted
in
August
in
foreign
media
as
saying
that
sexual
intercourse
is
becoming
less
about
reproduction
and
more
about
affection.
He
said
that
shift
could,
within
three
generations,
cause
more
people
to
identify
as
bisexual.
But
not
everyone
agrees.
Sexuality
experts,
along
with
activists
and
authors
who
are
bisexual,
questioned
the
prediction.
“I
think
that
the
idea
that
‘bisexuality
will
prevail’
is
a
statement
that
can
easily
be
taken
out
of
context
and
overstated,”
said
Dr.
Paula
Rodríguez
Rust,
a
lesbian
and
member
of
the
International
Academy
of
Sex
Research.
Rodríguez
Rust
said
it’s
“highly
possible”
that
people
in
North
American
and
Western
European
cultures
will
increasingly
emphasize
“the
affectionate,
relationship-building
aspects”
of
sex
over
procreation.
But
she
said
that
doesn’t
mean
people
who
are
straight
or
gay
will
spontaneously
become
bisexual.
“I
do
not
think
that
anyone
who
is
naturally
attracted
to
people
of
one
sex
only
—
whether
that
be
people
of
the
other
sex
or
people
of
their
own
sex
—
will
suddenly
find
themselves
attracted
to
both
sexes,”
she
said.
“I
do
think,
however,
that
as
we
continue
to
rid
our
society
of
sexist
distinctions
…
that
more
and
more
individuals
might
find
that
they
are
not
as
limited
in
their
choices
of
life
partners
as
our
ancestors
were.”
A
small
percentage
of
Americans
—
less
than
3
percent
—
identify
as
bisexual.
The
National
Center
for
Health
Statistics
found
1.8
percent
of
men
and
2.8
percent
of
women
identify
as
bisexual.
The
numbers
come
from
a
2002
survey
of
more
than
12,500
people
ages
18
to
44.
But
Mike
Szymanski,
a
bisexual
and
co-author
of
“The
Bisexual’s
Guide
to
the
Universe,”
said
because
a
person’s
sexual
identity
does
not
always
match
his
or
her
sexual
behavior,
it’s
likely
that
more
people
could
acknowledge
being
attracted
to
both
men
and
women.
“My
experience
is
that
if
they’re
honest,”
he
said,
“everyone
will
admit
to
some
interest
in
same-sex
attractions
at
some
point
in
their
lives.”
Identity
aside,
the
national
survey
showed
a
slightly
higher
number
of
Americans
report
being
sexually
attracted
to
both
men
and
women.
It
found
3.9
percent
of
men
are
attracted
“mostly”
to
women,
and
1
percent
to
both
genders.
The
numbers
for
women
showed
10
percent
are
attracted
“mostly”
to
men,
and
1.9
percent
to
both
genders.
Sheela
Lambert,
a
New
York
bisexual
activist,
said
the
numerical
discrepancy
exists
partly
because
some
people
avoid
openly
identifying
as
bisexual.
“Few
people
want
to
own
the
label,
even
if
it
describes
their
romantic
or
sexual
feelings
because
negative
stereotypes
are
attached
to
the
word
by
non-bis,”
she
said.
“Bi
activists
are
tirelessly
working
to
erase
the
myths
and
stereotypes
about
bi
people,
but
it’s
an
uphill
job.”
She
said
despite
Veronesi’s
prediction,
people
will
become
more
willing
to
identify
as
bisexual
only
after
the
“social
stigma”
tied
to
it
disappears.
Loraine
Hutchins,
a
59-year-old
bisexual
woman
living
in
Takoma
Park,
Md.,
agreed.
“I
think
that
more
people
will
be
more
open
about
exploring
and
taking
more
seriously
intimacies
with
more
than
one
gender
if
and
when
we
as
a
society
get
more
relaxed
about
it,”
she
said.
“This
means
accepting
more
and
different
kinds
of
family
groupings
and
relationship
agreements,
and
accepting
that
women
and
men
are
equal,
in
marriage
as
well
as
in
society.”
But
Alexei
Guren,
a
45-year-old
bisexual
man
living
in
Tucson,
Ariz.,
said
even
then,
people
who
are
bisexual
might
not
readily
identify
as
such.
“I’m
not
sure
at
what
point
you’re
supposed
to
identify
as
bisexual,”
he
said.
“There
are
so
many
factors
involved
with
identity.
At
what
point
do
you
move
away
from
the
security
of
a
gay
or
straight
identity?
That’s
difficult.
“Perhaps
it’s
not
so
much
that
people
will
gravitate
toward
a
bisexual
identity,
but
perhaps
they
will
move
away
from
a
straight
or
gay
identity
because
those
identities
have
lost
their
meaning
in
the
greater
understanding
of
human
sexuality.”
