A Multisexed Species

Michelle C. Aca

Glory Novem B. Marapao

Introduction

" We are… a multisexed species." These are the words, a little over ten years ago- and that liberating recognition saved John Stoltenberg's life. All the time he was growing up, he knew that there was something really problematical in his relationship to manhood. Inside, deep inside, he never believed that he was fully male- he never believed he was growing up enough of a man. He believed that some place out there, in other men, there was something that was genuine authentic all- American manhood- the real stuff- but he didn't have it: not enough of it to convince him anyway, even if he manages to be fairly convincing to those around him. He felt like an impostor, like a fake. He agonized a lot about feeling male enough, and he had no idea then how much he was not alone. Those words ha had read suggested to him that the notion of manhood is a cultural delusion, a baseless belief, a false front, a house of cards. It's not true.

Doubts about the reality of bisexuality are not yet new, since they are common in our society nowadays. Variously characterized within dominant discourses of sexuality as, among other things, a form of infantilism or immaturity, a transitional phrase, a self-delusion or state of confusion, a personal and political cop-out, a panacea, a superficial fashion trend, a marketing tool, even a lie and catachresis, the category of bisexuality for over a century has been persistently refused the title of legitimate sexual identity.

Men are used to think of themselves only as men, and women think of themselves as women, but the facts indicate that every human being is androgynous. " Within every man there is the Reflection of a Woman, and within every woman there is a Reflection of a Man," writes the American Indian Hyemeyohsts Storm, who is stating his own personal opinion. The ancient alchemist agreed: "Our Adamic hermaphrodite, though he appears in masculine form, nevertheless carries about with him Eve, or his feminine part, hidden in his body." Bisexuality as human inclination can be explained through the following perspectives: Mythology, Philosophy, Psychology, and Biology.

Michelle C. Aca

Glory Novem B. Marapao

Body

A. History of Bisexuality

Bisexuality has a universal history. People in most known societies have exhibited varying degrees of bisexuality, and most of what is called homosexuality in previous cultures is in fact bisexuality (it should be noted, however, that the terms heterosexuality and bisexuality, and particularly homosexuality, may not be appropriate in the historical context. In most ancient societies, behavior was considered homosexual while people were not labeled using such terms. Similarly, heterosexuality and bisexuality are also relatively modern concepts).

Ancient Greece men often engaged in same-sex relationships, yet most also had wives. Ancient Rome, Arab countries up to and including the present, China and Japan, all exhibit patterns of bisexual behavior. Perhaps the most famous and militaristic example is Alexander the Great:

King of Macedon; conqueror of Greece and Egypt and Persia; founder of Alexandria (356-323 BC)Alexander the Great who had many wives, but also a sexual relationship with his close friend Hephaestion, but the same could be said of almost all the Roman emperors, the shoguns of Japan, the Chinese emperors, and others in every country and every age.

An ancient Greek city famous for military prowess; the dominant city of the Peloponnesus prior to the 4th century BCSparta also tolerated same-sex relationships among their troops so long as the men also had wives and produced children. The Spartans thought that physical relationships between older and younger soldiers would solidify combat loyalty and encourage heroic tactics as men vied to impress their lovers. Once the younger soldier passed a certain age, the relationship was supposed to become non-sexual, but it is not clear how strictly this was followed.

A member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern AfricaArab world, same-sex sexual behavior between men is very common; some sources describe it as near-ubiquitous. This is despite prohibitions against homosexual behavior in the Quran.