*Bisexual History Sources: a Thread*
Though most of my sources center on bi women, I will maintain this thread for all bi's in order to improve access to our erased history. We've always been here, &, "You can want who you want," (TS).
#Queerantine @bihistory @HistoryisGayPod
Though most of my sources center on bi women, I will maintain this thread for all bi's in order to improve access to our erased history. We've always been here, &, "You can want who you want," (TS).
#Queerantine @bihistory @HistoryisGayPod
"Past Out: Who Were the Black Women-Loving Women of the Blues and Jazz Era?"; Liz Highleyman (2003)
web.archive.org/web/2003122911…
web.archive.org/web/2003122911…
“Bisexual Movements”; Genny Beemyn (2004)
*published under her dead name*
glbtqarchive.com/ssh/bisex_move…
*published under her dead name*
glbtqarchive.com/ssh/bisex_move…
Twitter essay on the bi/lesbian split in the mid-20th century by @teamarimo (2017)
"before [the 60s], any text or study that said "lesbian" meant gay & bi women unless it (on the rare occasion) specifies otherwise, so context matters"
"before [the 60s], any text or study that said "lesbian" meant gay & bi women unless it (on the rare occasion) specifies otherwise, so context matters"
http://web.archive.org/web/20171218161923/https:/twitter.com/teamarimo/status/942239479825346561
“Bisexual Movement”; Encyclopedias of Lesbian Histories and Cultures anthology, Robyn Ochs, Liz Highleyman (2000) (pp. 112-114)
robynochs.com/bisexual-movem…
robynochs.com/bisexual-movem…
"GL vs. BT: The Archaeology of Biphobia and Transphobia Within the U.S. Gay and Lesbian Community"; Jillian Todd Weiss (2004)
poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?I…
poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?I…
“Her Neighbor's Wife”; Lauren Jae Gutterman (2020)
“In the 1970s, however, as lesbian feminists sharpened the boundaries around lesbian identity and the lesbian community, the once amorphous “ghost” of female bisexuality solidified.” (p. 150)
“In the 1970s, however, as lesbian feminists sharpened the boundaries around lesbian identity and the lesbian community, the once amorphous “ghost” of female bisexuality solidified.” (p. 150)
“LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth — PAST Out: What is the history of the bisexual movement?”; Liz Highleyman (2003)
“"Gay" was originally interpreted as encompassing anyone who had same-sex relationships, exclusively or not."
camprehoboth.com/letters/2003/j…
“"Gay" was originally interpreted as encompassing anyone who had same-sex relationships, exclusively or not."
camprehoboth.com/letters/2003/j…
"Mary Shelley"; Queer as Fact (2018)
https://twitter.com/queerasfact/status/1167225419461885953?s=20
"The Bloomsbury Group wasn’t ‘unconventional’. It was bisexual"; Joel Lucyszyn (2017)
varsity.co.uk/features/13929
varsity.co.uk/features/13929
“This is bi-erasure in its most insidious form: erasure through absence, not given a mention, explaining away a homosexuality which would be better described as bisexuality.” — Joel Lucyszyn, "The Bloomsbury Group"
"Controversial Silent Film Shot In Jacksonville, St. Augustine Returns To The Silver Screen"; Melissa Ross & Patrick Donges (2014)
news.wjct.org/post/controver…
news.wjct.org/post/controver…
"A Florida Enchantment was among the raciest films of it's day, with a provocative plot of infidelity and gender-bending. It’s believed to be the first documented appearance of bisexual characters in an American motion picture. It outraged the censors of the day." — Ross & Donges
"Homosexuality & Civilization"; Louis Crompton (2003)
"In this age [during the reign of Louis XI], bisexuals of Guiche’s sort were said to be au poil et à la plume—“after fur and feathers,” like versatile huntsmen.)”
archive.org/details/homose…
"In this age [during the reign of Louis XI], bisexuals of Guiche’s sort were said to be au poil et à la plume—“after fur and feathers,” like versatile huntsmen.)”
archive.org/details/homose…
"Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America"; Lillian Faderman (1991)
archive.org/details/oddgir…
archive.org/details/oddgir…
“The 1930s diary of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, a middle-class black woman [from Harlem], reveals the existence of an active black bisexual network among prominent “club women” who had husbands but managed to enjoy lesbian liaisons as well as a cameraderie [sic] with one another[.]”
"Historical context is important, so it's critical to note that, similar to “homosexuality” and “lesbianism,” “bisexuality” is a word reclaimed by the bisexual movement from the medical institution[.]" — BRC
"Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions"; edited by Naomi Tucker (1995) (anthology)
archive.org/details/bisexu…
archive.org/details/bisexu…
"Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life"; Marjorie Gerber (1996)
archive.org/details/viceve…
archive.org/details/viceve…
"Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World"; edited by Robyn Ochs (2005) (anthology)
archive.org/details/gettin…
archive.org/details/gettin…
"The History of the Bi Pride Flag"; Michael Page (~2001)
"[T]he purple pixels of color blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in the "real world" where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities."
web.archive.org/web/2001061012…
"[T]he purple pixels of color blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in the "real world" where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities."
web.archive.org/web/2001061012…
“Masked Homosexuality”, William Stekel (August 1914)
“By nature all human beings are psychically bisexual — capable of loving a person of either sex.” (p. 531)
archive.org/details/americ…
*the earliest known usage of "bisexual" to refer to an orientation*
“By nature all human beings are psychically bisexual — capable of loving a person of either sex.” (p. 531)
archive.org/details/americ…
*the earliest known usage of "bisexual" to refer to an orientation*
“1824, "having the organs of both sexes in one being, hermaphroditic;" see bi- "two" + sexual. Meaning "attracted to both sexes" is from 1914; the noun in this sense is attested from 1922, and compare bisexuality. Not in general use until 1950s.” — Online Etymology Dictionary
"Aids to Reflection"; Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1824)
archive.org/details/aidsto…
*earliest known usage of "bisexual" to refer to humans in English*
archive.org/details/aidsto…
*earliest known usage of "bisexual" to refer to humans in English*
“This, but little differing from Origen's interpretation or hypothesis, is supported and confirmed by the very old tradition of the homo androgynus, that is, that the original man, the individual first created, was bi-sexual: a chimæra[.]” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge (p. 242)
“Flânerie and the Lesbian Gaze: Female Spectatorship in the Work of Toulouse-Lautrec”; Ashley Bruckbauer (2009)
scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewconten…
scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewconten…
“[I]t is noteworthy that [Toulouse-Lautrec] continually chooses [Jane Avril], a bisexual celebrity, as a simultaneous witness of and participant in the revelry and decadence of Montmartre’s infamous nightlife.” — Ashley Bruckbauer (p. 23)
https://twitter.com/thotscholar/status/1191424588124696576Thank you, @thotscholar for collecting & making all these resources available.
“Bisexual Women and the “Threat” to Lesbian Space: Or What If All the Lesbians Leave?”, Sharon Dale Stone (1996) --> great essay on the lesbian/bi split in the 70s/80s.
"Charlotte Wolff’s Contribution to Bisexual History and to (Sexuality) Theory and Research: A Reappraisal for Queer Times"; Toni Brennan & Peter Hegarty (2012)
epubs.surrey.ac.uk/793359/7/2012%…
*text distorted, fully legible when downloaded as a PDF*
epubs.surrey.ac.uk/793359/7/2012%…
*text distorted, fully legible when downloaded as a PDF*
"It was not until the 1970s, when second wave radical feminism gave rise to the lesbian separatism movement, that a cultural war developed within gay rights organizations over whether the word lesbian included bisexual women."
"For, By, and About Lesbians: A Qualitative Analysis of the Lesbian Connection Discussion Forum 1974-2004"; Terry McVannel Erwin (2007)
etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file…
etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file…
“Many bisexual women responded to the concerns raised by [Lesbian Connection] subscribers. They explained that gender was secondary to their feelings of intimacy. One woman wrote, “We should love people because of who their spirit is and not what their genitals look like.”" (184)
The LC issue that published this woman's description of bisexuality was for its fall 1986 issue, a few years before the Bisexual Manifesto's famous statements on gender inclusivity. To say that bisexuality is transphobic, enbyphobic, or binary is to simply not know bi history.
Lesbian Connection, Volume 9, issue 2, Sept./Oct. 1986
(p. 15)
voices.revealdigital.org/?a=d&d=BAHDEAC…
(p. 15)
voices.revealdigital.org/?a=d&d=BAHDEAC…
"This study analyzed 4,633 letters or items of discussion and responses published in 170 issues of [Lesbian Connection] over a period of 30 years from [1974 to 2004]." (Erwin p. 367)
Erwin included charted the "Top Ten Items of Discussion" over this period. (pp. 628-629)
Erwin included charted the "Top Ten Items of Discussion" over this period. (pp. 628-629)
Number 10 on the list was, "[D]iscussions regarding whether bisexual women or “ex lesbians” have a right to identify as lesbian and attend lesbian-only events," (p. 368).
"Interview with Stella Rush. Monday, August 21, 1989. Interviewer is Eric Marcus."; Eric Marcus (1989)
*transcribed for the Making History Gay podcast
makinggayhistory.com/podcast/stella…
*transcribed for the Making History Gay podcast
makinggayhistory.com/podcast/stella…
https://twitter.com/sluttyseagull/status/1235112029561802752
"A Study of a Public Lesbian Community"; Ethel Sawyer (1965)
*likely the first known sociological study on Black American lesbian culture*
This is a good piece on stud/fish dynamics in the mid-1960s, & Sawyer, a straight woman, talks about bisexuality.
web.archive.org/web/2017081412…
*likely the first known sociological study on Black American lesbian culture*
This is a good piece on stud/fish dynamics in the mid-1960s, & Sawyer, a straight woman, talks about bisexuality.
web.archive.org/web/2017081412…
"Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958)"; Brett Genny Beemyn (2015)
*a forgotten writer whose work includes poetry published during the Harlem Renaissance*
glbtqarchive.com/literature/gri…
*a forgotten writer whose work includes poetry published during the Harlem Renaissance*
glbtqarchive.com/literature/gri…
"[S]he never sought to publish many of her poems, apparently because they describe an attraction to women. Nor did she avoid the use of female pronouns[.] [...] Evidence suggests that Grimké was also attracted to men, but scholars have largely ignored this aspect of her life."
"‘No Kisses Is Like Youres’: An Erotic Friendship between African-American Women During the Mid-Nineteenth Century"; Karen V. Hansen (1995)
"Addie admitted to her attraction to men. However, her devotion to Rebecca created obstacles for those men[.]" (194)archive.org/details/lesbia…
"Addie admitted to her attraction to men. However, her devotion to Rebecca created obstacles for those men[.]" (194)archive.org/details/lesbia…
"Lesbian-Like" and the Social History of Lesbianisms"; Judith M. Bennett (2000)
"I want to participate in the creation of histories that can have meaning for those women who today identify as lesbians, bisexuals, queers, or otherwise." (p. 4)
"I want to participate in the creation of histories that can have meaning for those women who today identify as lesbians, bisexuals, queers, or otherwise." (p. 4)
"Man Royals and Sodomites: Some Thoughts on the Invisibility of Afro-Caribbean Lesbians"; Makeda Silvera (1992)
"[She] had lots of friends—both men and women." (p. 101)
archive.org/details/reclai…
"[She] had lots of friends—both men and women." (p. 101)
archive.org/details/reclai…
"Public Acts and Private Languages: Bisexuality and the Multiple Discourses of Constance Grey Swartz"; Karen Duder (2002)
ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcst…
ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcst…
"Bisexual history has suffered the double burden of heterocentric and homocentric colonization of its sources and its literature." — Duder (p. 5)
“Dance to “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” Get Churched, and Buy the Little Lady a Drink: Gay Women’s Bar Culture in Toronto, 1965-1976”; Becki L. Ross (1993)
*article that discusses political lesbians/lesbian feminists, who helped lead to the lesbian/bi split*
archive.org/details/weavin…
*article that discusses political lesbians/lesbian feminists, who helped lead to the lesbian/bi split*
archive.org/details/weavin…
“Sex, Lives, and Archives: Pleasure/Danger Debates in 1970s Lesbian Feminism”, Becki Ross (1991)
*Similar article on the culture/history of political lesbianism*
archive.org/details/womenc…
*Similar article on the culture/history of political lesbianism*
archive.org/details/womenc…
“““The Famous Lady Lovers:” African American Women and Same-Sex Desire from Reconstruction to World War II”,
Christina Anne Woolner (2014)
deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/hand…
Christina Anne Woolner (2014)
deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/hand…
"[Maud Russell] recalled, “girls needed tenderness, so we had girl friendships, the famous lady lovers...I guess we were bisexual, is what you could call it today.”"
—Woolner (p.26)
—Woolner (p.26)
[...] "While many of the women in this dissertation had relationships with both men and women and were, as Russell noted, therefore “bisexual” in contemporary parlance, I rarely use this term since it was not utilized at the time.”
—Woolner (p.26)
—Woolner (p.26)
“Historical Sources of the Bisexual Movement”; Queer Studies anthology, Amanda Udis-Kessler (1996) (pp. 52-63)
books.google.com/books?id=tOATC…
books.google.com/books?id=tOATC…
“Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future”, (1999)
google.com/books/edition/…
google.com/books/edition/…
“The term [lesbian] has been used to describe women who have sex with women, either exclusively or in addition to sex with men (i.e., behavior); women who self-identify as lesbian (i.e., identity); and women who sexual preference is for women (i.e., desire or attraction)." (22)
“Center for Bi's”, Bay Area Reporter Volume 7, Number 18, 1 September 1977 (1977)
"The [San Francisco] Bisexual Center is celebrating the opening of its first office on Friday, Sept. 23[.]" (p. 35)
cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=BAR1977…
credit to @verilybitchie
"The [San Francisco] Bisexual Center is celebrating the opening of its first office on Friday, Sept. 23[.]" (p. 35)
cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=BAR1977…
credit to @verilybitchie
"San Francisco’s Bisexual Center and the Emergence of a Bisexual Movement", EJ. Haeberle & R. Gindorf (1998)
"They were drawn to the notion of an expanded and inclusive notion of human sexuality that avoided dichotomization of sexual orientation."
bayareabisexualnetwork.org/sfbc.html
"They were drawn to the notion of an expanded and inclusive notion of human sexuality that avoided dichotomization of sexual orientation."
bayareabisexualnetwork.org/sfbc.html
"Timeline: The Bisexual Health Movement in the US", Lani Ka'ahumanu (compiled initial data)
*runs from 1966-2006*
web.archive.org/web/2019020718…
*runs from 1966-2006*
web.archive.org/web/2019020718…
"Loving whom we choose: Bisexuality and the lesbian/gay community. Where we stand", Lisa Orlando (1984)
Gay Community News, vol. 11, no. 31; Feb. 25th, 1984
*one of two articles on bisexuality, which was the cover subject*
archive.org/details/gaycom…
Gay Community News, vol. 11, no. 31; Feb. 25th, 1984
*one of two articles on bisexuality, which was the cover subject*
archive.org/details/gaycom…
"The Bisexual Phenomenon", Louise Knox (1974)
Viva, July 1974 (erotic magazine published as Penthouse-equivalent for women)
*article not available in its entirety online as of this tweet*
vfiles.com/vfiles/1546/me…
Viva, July 1974 (erotic magazine published as Penthouse-equivalent for women)
*article not available in its entirety online as of this tweet*
vfiles.com/vfiles/1546/me…
"A lesbian at a feminist meeting tells me I've got "the new disease." I've just told her I'm bisexual. [...] For all the credibility I get, I might as well be calling myself a centaur or a mermaid." — Knox (p. 42)
"BiNet USA Wins Over Google in Search Term Dispute", BiNet USA (Sept. 2012)
bialogue.livejournal.com/45695.html
bialogue.livejournal.com/45695.html
"Since late 2009, Google has had “bisexual” on a list of banned words; such words were de-prioritized by the Google search algorithm, leading to a drop in search rankings for all bisexual organizations and community resources." — BiNet USA
https://twitter.com/ianLourinho/status/1255608437070651392?s=20
Thread by Ian Lawrence-Tourinho on the bi flag/BiNet debacle (4/29/20)
https://twitter.com/SaliWho/status/1234058765395275776?s=20
Thread by @SaliWho on Brenda Howard's history of activism (3/1/20)
https://twitter.com/MajesticMesses/status/1119389194734854144?s=20
Monica Helms mentions Michael Page's connection to trans history, which is part of the long-held alliance between the trans and bi communities.
https://twitter.com/AsexyArotica/status/1092595020639670272?s=20
Thread by @AsexyArotica on asexual history, cites a specific Tumblr collection of material that shows how asexual history fits into bisexual history.
autismserenity.tumblr.com/post/148029316…
“She Wolves: Feminine Sapphists and Liminal Sociosexual Categories in the US Urban Entertainment Industry, 1920–1940”, Anastasia Jones (2017)
"Recognized for their homosexual inclinations--that did not necessarily negate heterosexual relationships, dalliances, or desires--these women juggled complex and elastic social and sexual identities." — Jones (p. 2)
This lovely article outlines how the tabloids depicted queer women in urban entertainment. It's also a good recent example of how gay-lesbian scholarship erases bi people in history, as the author describes bisexuality yet never uses that word, only 'lesbian-leaning'.
@we_are_biscuit's screenshots of Cafepress confederate bi flag clothes. @verilybitchie pointed out that the colors aren't the proper shades of pink, purple, & blue, making BiNet's trademark argument even stupider.
https://twitter.com/we_are_biscuit/status/1256575304849592321
"I selected, which to me, is the most attractive combination of pink, purple and blue. In flag-maker parlance this is magenta - PMS 226 (pink), lavender - PMS 258 (purple) and royal - PMS 286 (blue)." — Michael Page
web.archive.org/web/2001061012…
web.archive.org/web/2001061012…
@Sixthhokage95 made a thread that tracks the history of the domain name biflag.com. (They used data from domaintools.com.) Michael Page registered the site on October 15th, 1999, more than 10 months after he unveiled the flag.
https://twitter.com/Sixthhokage95/status/1255742856238637056
"[Many] bisexual activists and organizations have historically allied with transgender and nonbinary people, and bisexual critiques of the gender binary go back decades before words like “nonbinary” even entered our gender lexicon." — Kravitz M. (2020)
medium.com/an-injustice/t…
medium.com/an-injustice/t…
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