Bisexual people are often
implored to "pick a side," implying that bisexuality is both more
controllable and less desirable than heterosexuality or homosexuality. Bisexual
people's status as a social group perceived to fall between a traditionally
advantaged group and a traditionally disadvantaged group may have the potential
to clarify lay conceptions of sexual orientation.
We examined participants'
views of groups varying in sexual orientation by randomly assigning
participants (including heterosexual men and women as well as gay men and
lesbian women) from four samples to evaluate heterosexual, bisexual, or
homosexual targets (N = 1379). Results provided strong evidence for
the previously untested theoretical argument that bisexuality is perceived as
less stable than heterosexuality or homosexuality.
In addition, participants
low in Personal Need for Structure rated female (but not male) bisexuality as
relatively stable, suggesting that a preference for simple, binary thinking can
partially explain a negative conception of an ostensibly "intermediate"
identity.
Bisexual targets were perceived as falling between heterosexual and
homosexual targets in terms of gender nonconformity, and less decisive, less
monogamous, and lacking in positive traits that were associated with homosexual
targets.
In sum, views of bisexual people were both more negative than and
qualitatively different from views of gay men and lesbian women. We discuss the
results as an illustration of the complex ways that perceivers' attitudes can
differ depending on which target groups they are considering, suggesting that
intergroup bias cannot be fully understood without attending to social
categories viewed as intermediate.
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By:
- 1Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. sara.burke@yale.edu.
- 2Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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