The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure

摘要: Teaching a seminar on Sexual Orientation and the Law, I faced an old inconsistency so frontally that it became difficult to avoid giving sustained attention. began course in what appears be common way,(1) by posing basic questions about sexual orientation. asked why contemporary American society(2) organizes people according their sexualities;(3) we do basis of orientation particular;(4) why, when classifying orientation, insist doing with binary system heterosexual homosexual.(5) In discussing last question, adduced view--powerful modern culture from at least publication Kinsey studies(6) onward--that arrays itself along continuum exclusive heterosexuality homosexuality.(7) noted this view encouraged us think straight/gay as defining ends could stretched, accordion-like, accommodate ever finer gradations cross-sex same-sex desire. This meant recognizing group often called bisexuals-on intermediate stretch continuum, well possibility group--sometimes asexuals--not represented all.(8) Indeed, argued classifications only used two "monosexual" terms(9) "heterosexual" "homosexual" were unstable naive.