"Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited" — Page 3

A hole is just a hole when the lights are turned down.

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To go back to Evelyn's comments on page 1, I found something addressing the issue posted on Americablog. (http://americablog.blogspot.com) Hmm... It's interesting that the original NYT article didn't mention any of these.

The following is a bit I'm quoting from the post, with link to the full thing below:

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1. Dr. J. Michael Bailey had to step down from the chairmanship of the psychology dept. at Northwestern just last year because of ethics charges related to earlier research.

2. Bailey has been linked to a racist, neo-eugenics movement called the Human Biodiversity Institute by the Southern Poverty Law Center

3. Bailey's previous attention-getter was a book on transgenders that extrapolated from about nine transgenders he claimed to befriend into a study. Many of the people profiled claimed convincingly they had no idea they were part of a research study. (A violation of ethics.) One claimed Bailey slept with them. (Also a violation.) Though ostensibly science, it contained no footnotes. This book led to the investigation of Bailey that resulted in his stepping down as chair, though he remains a professor at Northwestern. The Chronicle of Higher Education profiled Bailey and the controversy, all but labeling him as a closet case.

4. Bailey claims to be gay-friendly but is so at odds with the GLBT community at Northwestern that campus groups urge people NOT to cooperate with his studies. Gee, think that might make any research he does there harder to accept as valid? (Bailey has reportedly found it difficult to recruit people for his research.) The Chicago Free Press paints a rather sad picture of Bailey trying to convince people he isn't anti-gay or biased by calling for a public meeting virtually no one attended, just weeks before the New York Times would treat his latest research as front-page of the Science section newsworthy.

5. Some of Bailey's more silly and offensive comments that should raise red flags for anyone wondering about his bias: most transexuals are "especially motivated" to shoplift and "especially suited to prostitution." Bailey says that if it became possible to genetically identify a fetus as "gay" and a parent chose to abort because they wanted a straight child, this would be "morally neutral." Yep, gay eugenics. Aborting gay fetuses wouldn't do anyone harm, he says. He's not anti-gay, just "pro-parental liberty."
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Full post here, with links to sources

Updated On: 7/6/05 at 07:44 PM

This is interesting

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Bailey sounds like a complete nutjob. Aborting gay fetuses is morally neutral? Didn't someone in Nazi Germany consider something along these lines? There was a thread a few weeks back about "warning labels" for gays. Maybe there should be warning labels about suspect "research" masquerading as science.

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Too true, and cheers for amasis! That assessment was a real service to all.

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I've been forced to accept that bisexuality exists. A close friend slept with both sexes, but only had relationships with women. We've been in some sleazy gay establishments together (memories...) However, men always irritate and annoy him. Well, they irritate and annoy me also, but that's another story.
Long story short, he's been married to a woman for four years and is incredibly happy. He can acknowledge an attractive man, and jokes about his 'gay days' in front of his wife.
I sincerely believe their marriage will succeed.

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Updated On: 7/8/05 at 12:47 AM

Baby, once you're with me, you ain't NEVER gonna look at a woman again. I may have to poke your eyes out, but it ain't ever gonna happen!

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Of course it exists. To limit yourself to one sex seems silly to me. There are two!

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Broomstick--smart words! And that is exactly what confuses the issue--it's very much like Roy Cohn's speech to his doctor in AIA.

RobbO--u git yer butt out in the yard and pick a switch. I'm busting yer butt good!

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I think people are inherently sexual. Under the right circumstances, most any person could have sex with either gender. Those circumstances, of course, would vary greatly. My statement also does not take into account social conditioning that would prevent some people from ever having sex with a same-gender partner.

That said, my own experience tells me that bisexuality, more often than not is a crutch, a stepping stone if you will, on the road to acceptance of one's true orientation, straight or gay. Having sex with a woman does not make a gay man straight or even bi. He is a gay man having sex with a woman. Just like a straight boy experimenting with another man does not make him gay or bi.

As for Evelyn's earlier comments about her alma mater, well, it's mine too, though I am much older than she and do not know the people involved. I will say this, I am glad that there is a university brave enough to tackle controversial sexual research, just as Indian was brave enough to allow Kinsey to do his.

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I want to share a story that illustrates why I think this issue ticks me off.

My first boyfriend, after years of dating and screwing guys, fell in love (and lust) with a girl. They are happily married with two kids. The ONLY explanation is that he is bisexual. A 5 (like me) on the Kinsey scale, but meaning that he was capable of falling in love and lust with a woman. When he told all of his friends about her--the gay ones (male and female) all abandoned him except me. ALL OF THEM. The GAY ones. The ones that want people to accept them (but clearly can't accept others).

My point is who cares if you think bisexuality is not legit. Don't let that opinion cloud you. What gays and lesbians are fighting for is the freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation. That means that we are fighting to protect heterosexuals and bisexuals as well as we are fighting to protect homosexuals and transexuals. Don't forget that.

I think it's great to do studies to form sound information on these issues. But, for the results to indicate that bisexuality is a falsehood is just wrong to me. It's EVERYWHERE. Most people are bisexual to some extent--sure we may CHOOSE to date only one gender to simplify things. Or we choose to date one gender and only have sex with another--well hell--that's Bisexuality as much as being able to date either sex.

A study that comes to these results just comes off as ridiculous to me as if someone concluded from a study that there are no red heads in the state of Oklahoma--and I drive around Oklahoma and see that CLEARLY there are red heads in the state of Oklahoma. And if red heads from Oklahoma posted on a thread about this study--wouldn't you be apt to think, hmmm. Maybe there ARE red heads in Oklahoma. Wow. I never thought there could be, but oh my there they are!

If those bisexuals on this board can't convince some of you to think outside of the box, then fine. But, do you really think THEY are fooling themselves??

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jerby, i was trying to make the point clear that i did not abandon my "friend" as i've never had any luck staying friends with my ex's. especially this one. we did not really part on good terms, and years later i sent his a christmas card to let him know there were no hard feelings.

that's when he contacted me and i spoke with him over the phone leading to the situation i described. i didn't drop his as a friend, as we were not friends after we stopped dating.

my point was this event left me with even less respect for him than i had before as it seemed quite clear to me that he was living a lie.

i don't doubt that your friend may be happy, but i was just presenting another viewpoint of what something may appear on the outside may not necessarily be the case for the parties involved.

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