A refreshing, very bi-positive article in the Times of India by , an English language paper in India with a daily circulation of three million.
Are You Swinging? (The title of this article; I take it to mean swinging both ways.)
“The conversation veered towards ex lovers when suddenly Sayok said, ‘I have a confession.’ Having been engaged for over a year, I knew about all his ex’s as he did about mine, so I was unperturbed. But his revelation ripped me apart,” confesses a teary-eyed Suparna, adding, “He said that during his college and early professional life, he’d been in physical relationships with men. I was shell-shocked. I asked if he was gay, to which he replied, “No, at this point I’m totally into you, but yes, I’ve desired men in my past. I guess I’m bisexual.”
Even as Suparna grapples with the complexities of her fiancé’s sexual leanings, we can’t help wondering, if bisexuality is the latest joyride in the carnal carnival. Once considered the pleasure tool of the cocooned cocktail class or sexually adventurous Hollywood A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Ricky Martin – bisexuality is no longer an intimate personal preserve dwelling in the shadows, beyond our grasp. Today, it could be your best friend, your husband, or even your favourite youth icon.
Twenty-six-year-old copy-writer Maya Patil, who discovered she was ‘bi’ purely by ‘accident’, claims, “On a business trip to Pune, I was sharing a room with a married female colleague. We got talking and soon we found ourselves sexually drawn towards each other. We were scared that society may label us as ‘frustrated lesbians,’ but to my surprise, once we started talking to our friends we found a lot of them had swung both ways. My lover has now come clean to her husband who understands her sexual preferences. She doesn’t love him any less … and I’m not jealous,” says Maya.
Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty explains why bisexuality is now ‘coming out’? “Bisexuality, a natural human character, is latent in every human being. It’s just that some people prefer to keep their desires dormant, while others make a conscious choice to pursue their sexual identity more vociferously.”