[Image: Dark purple grunge background. First line text: “Did you know?”. Second line image: 10 woman symbols/silhouettes, of which 5 are colored dark pink, and 5 light pink. Third line text (large): “nearly HALF of all bisexual women are survivors of rape”. Fourth line, smaller text: “By contrast, 13% of lesbians and 17% of straight women are rape survivors.” Fifth line: “STOP sexual violence against bi women!”]

The first in a series of infographics that I have in plan.

For more information: http://www.buzzfeed.com/annanorth/bisexual-women-almost-twice-as-likely-to-be-abused

For a (partial) explanation for why this is happening: http://radicalbi.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/hot-sexy-bi-babes-media-depictions-of-bisexual-women/

Or buy my book - Chapter 4 (Bisexuality, Feminism and Women) is pretty much all about this.

Images of bisexual women as confused, indecisive, transitional, or closeted lesbians effectively invalidate bisexual identity. Even among lesbians who believe that there are some true bisexuals, these beliefs have the effect of casting doubt on the identities of all women who claim to be bisexual. As long as a lesbian believes that bisexual women are likely to have these characteristics – or at least more likely than lesbians – she will tend to react suspiciously whenever another woman claims to be bisexual. Bisexual identity cannot be accepted at face value, because the woman who claims to be bisexual might not be a true bisexual. Therefore, these images, even if they are not generalized to all bisexual women, function to invalidate bisexual identity generally and, therefore, to invalidate bisexuality.

Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics by Paula C. Rust, p. 83 (via ethiopienne)

(via bialogue-group)

Source: tearingdownthatfence

By elevating the already politicized personally correct to a standard for binormativity, bi women deploy the terms of the dominant system to construct a deviant bisexual other. The outlines of the dominant cultural code and its lesbian interpretations in these interviews are evident: honesty, fidelity, sexual responsibility, and commitments to the unitary and empirically demonstrable sexual subject; even so-called traditional conservative values emerge as constitutive features of the true, proper, really real bisexual. For example, this discourse castigates bisexuals who are “promiscuous,” unpoliticized, or too weak to “take the heat” society directs at lesbians and gays.

Amber Ault, “Ambiguous Identity in an Unambiguous Sex/Gender Structure: The Case of Bisexual Women”, discussing inner-bi community biphobic slut shaming

Source: jstor.org

Hot sexy bi babes: media depictions of bisexual women

*** Which also happens to be Snippet #9. These snippets are taken from my book in writing, Notes for a Bisexual Revolution. For more, check out the notes for a bisexual revolution tag. ***

The curious case of bisexual women

In an article called Curiouser and Curiouser: the Strange ‘Disappearance’ of Male Bisexuality, British gay journalist Mark Simpson writes about biphobia against bi men, and compares their status to that of bisexual women. “It’s unquestionable,” he argues, “that female bisexuality is today much more socially acceptable than male bisexuality, and in fact frequently positively encouraged, both by many voyeuristic men and an equally voyeuristic pop culture.” [This quote is dealt with in greater depth earlier on the chapter]. In this section, I would like to look a bit deeper into this “positive encouragement” and to question whether it really is so positive. Continue reading →

Source: radicalbi.wordpress.com