Reaction To Anna Paquin's Announcement Reveals Society's Discomfort With Bisexuality

THE GOAL OF CYNDI LAUPER'S Give a Damn foundation is to unite people of all sexual orientations against the violence and civil oppression that plague the GLBT community. It certainly succeeded this week in attracting attention, though maybe not entirely to its cause.

A new PSA begins with Lauper rockin’ some red lipstick and standing before a white wall and making a simple statement: "I'm straight." Next up is Clay Aiken: "I'm gay." (Yeah, we know, Clay.) Then Anna Paquin: "I'm bisexual."
Thank God the impossible-to-ignore Wanda Sykes was next, with her mouthy: "And I give a damn about equality!" If not, the PSA may have just gone to shit. No one, after all, is talking about the message of the campaign. They’re talking about Paquin.


Every clip I watched of commentary of the PSA did a cheesy "rewind" sequence back to the two-second blurb of her declaration, usually followed by a clearly-scripted “Oh em gee! Did she REALLY say that?” squealed by the commentator.

Some of the rhetoric used to discuss Paquin's revelation is troubling. E! News’ Youtube channel posted its video on the topic with the title "Anna Paquin Admits She's Bisexual." That shit gets under my skin. "Revealing" she is bisexual is very different than "admitting" to it.
When I had my first sexual experience with another woman and became comfortable identifying as bisexual, I was excited to say it. It felt like a good category to fall into. To me, being bisexual means being open-armed and willing to sexual and/or romantic with anyone with whom you feel a connection.

I never believe people who say they are completely straight or completely gay. That just seems impossible.

Once I settled into the bisexual niche, I began to feel like bisexuality was somehow wrong, shameful, or stupid. Evidently, a lotta the gays and lesbos don't fancy my kind. My ex's uppity lesbian friends refused to call me bi, suggesting that somehow the term "half-gay" suited me better. They expected me to be complimented. My mom's friend told me one time that being bisexual was "selfish," that I was "having my cake and eating it too."

I applaud Anna for revealing her unpopular sexuality, especially considering she recently announced her engagement to True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer. Because I know that when I said I enjoyed a healthy romp with my fellow ladies, my eligibility for wifehood was slurped down the drain. Haters.

Bi-broads unite!

Source