Let us turn from these figures and consider what bisexuality may mean as a way of life for those who have the capacity and desire for it. Dr. Kinsey has a pertinent comment: he notes that many of those who revile the homosexual from the minister and the judge to the man in the street liberally indulge in the same activities that they are so eager to punish others for. Obviously, bisexuality as a way of life in such cases leaves much to be desired. No way of life can be called a success for one who has not carefully analyzed his own sexual needs. To find a way of squaring these with our own conscience and with the rights of other people is essential. And we must in all respects extend to the rest of mankind the freedom to do the same.
For many people, sexual activity is a part of their lives that is kept almost entirely separate from the rest of their affairs. It may be a minor pursuit or it may engross them fully, using most of their leisure time, but it remains for these people a necessity uncomplicated by association with the other aspects of their lives.
If a man of this sort is not excessively discriminating, or if he can and will purchase what he desires, his being bisexual in his tastes merely extends a field that would probably be extensive enough for him already if he were monosexual. For many who have the casual approach to sex, the search for an acceptable partner is a search for a desired particular "type"-tall, or blond, or boyish, and so on. To those whose desired type is very special, the search may be difficult; and bisexual interest would seem to provide enlarged freedom and opportunity for them. There is, of course, the fact that no
time than 24 hours a day; and the time that is spent in hunting for a suitable partner of one sex is necessarily subtracted from the time that is available for pursuing a prospect of the other sex. In any case, persons of this temperament seem to choose to take only the minimum the pinch of excitement and release that suffices for the moment and assures a quick return of the same desires, in an endless cycle that is its own goal and purpose.
The natures of many of us require more than this, for sexuality is full of promise. It leads us to want ever greater union with the beloved, to join our life to his in ever wider and higher levels of human experience, to explore life and adventure in it together, to plumb the mysteries of partnership and comradeship, to discover the many worlds of love. For this, we gladly give up the freedom of perpetual choice, curb the many small desires, and strive to clear the field for achievement. For the sake of the mysterious and inviting possibilities of our dreams, we take a narrow road.
For the heterosexual, the narrow road of marriage is very difficult, even though for him it has been charted and standardized. For the homosexual, a mate has to be sought for in a most arduous and dangerous venture, without aid or approval from the traditions and institutions of our society. The bisexual has his choice between these two ways, which differ exceedingly from each other. If he has embarked upon heterophile marriage, with the blessing of society, the part of himself that he has abandoned often remains obscurely smoldering, ready to erupt and to blast his achievements and his hopes. The dragnets of the police gather in countless victims of such explosions family men, often men of prominence, who blindly rush into obvious traps like moths into candle flame. Others manage to avoid outright disaster, but their wives and they themselves are often made to suffer acutely when circumstances, such as unusually attractive temptations or opportunities, stir the embers of suppressed desires and make them moody or distraught. Others adroitly, and they think cleverly, live a secret life. Such a
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