List of media portrayals of bisexuality
Appearance
The portrayal of bisexuality in the media reflects societal attitudes towards bisexuality. List includes portrayals of bisexual identification as well as non-identified bisexual behavior.
Film
Title | Release Year | Bisexual Characters | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
3 Play | 2004 | Johnny | |
2by4 | 1998 | Johnny Maher | |
9 Songs | 2004 | Lisa | |
Alexander | 2004 | Alexander the Great | Bisexuality presented as a social norm. |
All Over Me | 1997 | Ellen | |
Anatomy of Hell | 2004 | "The Man" | Sexuality is fluid and symbolic |
Art School Confidential | 2006 | Audrey | |
Auto Focus | 2002 | John Carpenter | |
Basic Instinct | 1992 | Catherine Tramell | |
Bedrooms and Hallways | 1998 | ||
bi·sex·u·al·i·ty | 2011 | Various | A feature length documentary about a film-maker's personal journey while making a film about Bisexuality in the UK. |
Bi.sex.u.al | 2011 | Various | Documentary on bisexuality. |
Bi the Way | 2008 | Various | Documentary on bisexuality in the US. |
Les Biches | 1968 | ||
Borstal Boy | 2000 | Sexuality portrayed as fluid, but can be socially problematic. | |
Brokeback Mountain | 2005 | Ennis Del Mar, Jack Twist | Sexuality of both characters portrayed as fluid. The film displays a love relationship between same-sex male partners in the American West; who are simultaneously struggling with their opposite gender relationships. |
Butley | 1974 | Ben Butley | Butley portrayed as an uncommitted, emotional failure. |
Cabaret | 1972 | Brian Roberts, Maximillaim von Heune | |
Chasing Amy | 1997 | Alyssa Jones | Sexuality portrayed as fluid, but can be socially problematic. |
Crash (1996 film) | 1996 | James Ballard, Helen Remington, Vaughan | |
Cloud Atlas | 2012 | Robert Frobisher | |
The Color Purple | 1985 | Celie Johnson, Shug Avery | Bisexuality portrayed as a simple fact with no value judgments. |
Confusion of Genders | 2000 | Alain Bauman | |
C.R.A.Z.Y. | 2005 | Zachary Beaulieu | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Dark Blue Almost Black | 2007 | Israel | |
Death in Venice | 1971 | Gustav von Aschenbach | Aschenbach is portrayed as a homosexual cripple and failure. |
De-Lovely | 2004 | Cole Porter | Sexuality portrayed as fluid |
The Disappearance of Alice Creed | 2009 | Daniel | |
Dodgeball | 2004 | Kate Veatch | While some male characters try to date her, others believe that she is a lesbian. Turns out to be bisexual, and gets together with main male character. |
Dog Day Afternoon | 1975 | Sonny Wortzik | Sonny has a cisgender wife and a pre-op transgender girlfriend. |
The Dying Gaul | 2005 | Jeffrey Tishop | |
Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds | 2006 | Troy | The prevalent attitude that one has to choose between gay and straight is portrayed as the cause of confusion for bisexuals. Self-acceptance itself is praised, and denial of queerness is mocked. |
Face to Face | 1976 | Bisexuality is portrayed as a symbol. | |
Femme Fatale | 2002 | Laurie Ash | |
The Fox | 1967 | Ellen March | |
French Twist | 1995 | Loli | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Frida | 2002 | Frida Kahlo | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Gia | 1998 | Gia Marie Carangi | |
The Girl | 2000 | The Girl | |
Glue | 2006 | Lucas, Nacho | |
Go Fish | 1994 | Daria | Daria has sex with a man and on her way home is challenged by a "jury," who question whether a woman who has sex with a man can call herself a lesbian. She contrasts how a gay man who has sex with a woman is characterized as being "bored, drunk [or] lonely" but if a lesbian has sex with a man "her whole life choice becomes suspect." |
Goldfinger | 1964 | Pussy Galore | See notes under her character in literature. |
Goldfish Memory | 2003 | Various | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Grande École | 2004 | Paul, Mécir | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Grindhouse | 2007 | Dr. Dakota Block | |
Henry & June | 1990 | Anaïs Nin, June Miller | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Horsey | 1997 | Delilah Miller | |
High Art | 1998 | Syd | |
The History Boys | 2006 | Stuart Dakis | Portrayed as aware and unconfused, in opposition to his homosexual contemporaries. |
The Hunger | 1983 | Miriam Blaylock, Sarah Roberts | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
I Dreamt Under the Water | 2008 | Antonin | |
Imagine Me & You | 2005 | Rachel | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
In extremis | 2000 | Thomas, Vincent | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Itty Bitty Titty Committee | 2007 | Shulie | Thought to be straight, revealed as more fluid. |
Kinsey | 2004 | Alfred Kinsey | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Kissing Jessica Stein | 2001 | Jessica Stein, Helen Cooper | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Les temps qui changent | 2004 | Sami | |
The Libertine | 2005 | John Wilmot | |
Liquid Sky | 1982 | Margaret | |
Love Songs | 2007 | Ismaël Bénolie, Julie Pommerraye, Alice | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
May | 2002 | May Dove Canady | |
Midnight Express | 1978 | Billy Hayes | Controversial, film replaces consensual affair between prisoners with a fictionalized rape. |
My Own Private Idaho | 1991 | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. | |
Manhattan | 1979 | Jill | Went from bisexual to lesbian after being married to Isaac. |
Monique | 1970 | Monique, Jean | |
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh | 2008 | Cleveland Arning, Art Bechstein | |
Nowhere | 1997 | Dark Smith, Mel | |
One to Another | 2006 | Pierre | |
Orlando | 1992 | Orlando | Orlando changes genders, having romances with both genders. |
The Pillow Book (film) | 1996 | Jerome | |
Portrait of a Marriage | 1990 | Vita Sackville-West, Harold Nicolson | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Possession | 2002 | ||
Puccini for Beginners | 2006 | Grace, Allegra, Samantha | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
The Raspberry Reich | 2004 | Various | Bisexuality is believed to be a necessary part of the 'revolution'. |
Race You to the Bottom | 2005 | Nathan, Maggie | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
The Rocky Horror Picture Show | 1975 | Dr. Frank N. Furter, Rocky Horror, Magenta Raff, Brad Majors, Janet Weiss, Columbia, Eddie | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
The Royal Tenenbaums | 2002 | Margot Tenebaum | Had a female lover in Paris. |
Rent | 2005 | Maureen Johnson | Maureen fits many negative stereotypes of bisexuality, as she is bad with commitment and has a talent for driving her lovers insane. It's worth noting, however, that her behavior is never attributed to her sexuality in any way, being portrayed as a personal flaw instead. |
Savage Nights | 1992 | ||
The Sex Monster | 1999 | Laura Barnes | |
The Sex Movie | 2006 | ||
Seven Secrets of Sumuru | 1969 | Sumitra | Sumitra uses her sexuality to force men in servitude. |
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills | 1989 | ||
School of Flesh | 1998 | Quentin | |
Saturday Night at the Baths | 1974 | ||
Score | 1972 | All characters | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Shortbus | 2006 | Sofia, Justin Bond | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Sobreviviré (I Will Survive) | 1999 | Iñaqui | |
Something for Everyone | 1970 | ||
Stage Beauty | 2004 | Ned Kynaston, George Villiers | |
Sunday Bloody Sunday | 1971 | Bob Elkin | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Swimming | 2002 | Frankie Wheeler, Josee | |
Relax...It's Just Sex | 1997 | ||
Teorema | 1968 | The Visitor, Paolo | Symbol, sexuality portrayed as fluid with no value judgments. |
Three of Hearts | 1993 | Ellen | |
Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family | 2004 | Sam, Steven | Documentary about a bigamous marriage. |
Torch Song Trilogy | 1988 | Ed Reese | |
Transamerica | 2005 | Toby Wilkins | Sexuality portrayed as fluid;, bisexuality suggested. |
Velvet Goldmine | 1998 | Brian & Mandy Slade | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
The War Widow | 1976 | Amy | Portrayed as bisexual, but seen as a lesbian. |
Water Drops on Burning Rocks | 2000 | Leopold, Franz | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Women in Love | 1969 | ||
Wild Side | 2004 | Djamel | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Wild Things | 1998 | Kelly Lanier von Ryan and Suzie Marie Toller | |
Ya lyublyu tebya (You I Love) | 2004 | Timofei | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Y tu mamá también | 2001 | Tenoch Iturbide, Julio Zapata | Sexuality portrayed as fluid but sometimes socially problematic. Teenage male characters do not act on their attraction until end of film, under influence of alcohol and while having sex with the same woman. The next morning they are repulsed and regretful, and apparently never discuss what happened. |
Literature
Fiction
Title | Author | Release Date | Bisexual Characters | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Advise and Consent | Allen Drury | July 11, 1959 | Brigham Anderson | Anderson, a married senator, has a homosexual affair. | ||
American Gods | Neil Gaiman | June 19, 2001 | Sam | |||
American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | 1991 | Paul Denton, Sean Bateman | |||
Ancient Evenings | Norman Mailer | 1983 | ||||
Belle de Jour: diary of a London call girl | Anonymous (Belle de Jour) | 2006 | Belle (Anonymous) | Published blog [1] | ||
Bi Guys: Firsthand Fiction for Bisexual Men and Their Admirers | Ron Suresha | 2006 | ||||
Blonde | Joyce Carol Oates | 2000 | Cass, Eddie | Cass and Eddie are manipulative. Marlon Brando also appears, but his bisexuality is not made apparent. | ||
Breakfast on Pluto | Patrick McCabe | 1998 | Pussy | |||
Bye-Bye | Jane Ransom | 1997 | Rosie | |||
The City and the Pillar | Gore Vidal | 1948 | Bisexuality is portrayed as the most "natural" human state. | |||
Claudine Novels | Colette, under the name of her husband, Willy | 1900, 1901, 1903 | ||||
Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell | 2004 | Robert Frobisher | |||
The Color Purple | Alice Walker | 1982 | Celie Johnson, Shug Avery | |||
The Corrections | Jonathan Franzen | September 2001 | ||||
Cry to Heaven | Anne Rice | 1982 | ||||
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. Le Guin | 1974 | ||||
Drawing Blood | Poppy Z. Brite | 1993 | Zack | Zack is portrayed as promiscuous, but able to commit. | ||
Dusty Answer | Rosamond Lehmann | 1927 | Judith | Judith is attracted to both men and women, and interacts with fairly openly gay and lesbian characters during her years at Cambridge. | ||
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Tom Robbins | 1976 | Sissy Hankshaw | |||
Fanny Hill | John Cleland | 1748 | Fanny Hill | |||
Fetish Girl | John Glassco | 1972 | Ursula, Adrian | initially published under the pseudonym "Sylvia Bayer"[2][3] | ||
The Fifth Sacred Thing | Starhawk | 1993 | ||||
The Fox | D. H. Lawrence | 1923 | ||||
The Front Runner | Patricia Nell Warren | 1974 | Harlan Brown, Vince Matti | Harlan is portrayed as homosexual, but he was formerly married to a woman; Vince identifies as gay, but still sleeps with women. | ||
The Girl Who Played with Fire | Stieg Larsson | 2006 | Lisbeth Salander | Salander is portrayed as having an on-and-off relationship with both Mikael Blomkvist and Miriam Wu.[4] | ||
Goldfinger | Ian Fleming | 1959 | Pussy Galore | Portrayed as a lesbian until she falls in love with James Bond. | ||
Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin | 1956 | David | Portrayed as vacillating, weak, and neurotic; Giovanni is portrayed as the villain and a killer. | ||
Glamorama | Bret Easton Ellis | 1998 | Victor Ward | While outwardly homophobic refers to his past identification as bi and is easily seduced by Bobby Hughes. Sean Bateman from Rules also reappears. | ||
How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater | Marc Acito | 2004 | ||||
The Hunger | Whitley Strieber | 1981 | Miriam Blaylock, Sarah Roberts | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. | ||
His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood | Poppy Z. Brite | 1993 | ||||
The Informers | Bret Easton Ellis | 1994 | Bruce, Graham, Martin, Bryan Metro, Danny, Biff, various others. | Various characters are casually bisexual, one of many shared features which serves to make these Los Angeleans almost entirely indistinct from one another. | ||
Just As I Am: A Novel | E. Lynn Harris | 1995 | ||||
The Left Hand of Darkness | Ursula K. Le Guin | 1969 | ||||
The Last of the Wine | Mary Renault | 1956 | ||||
Less Than Zero | Bret Easton Ellis | 1985 | Clay | |||
Little Children | Tom Perrotta | 2004 | Sarah | |||
The Lost Language of Cranes | David Leavitt | 1986 | ||||
Lost Souls | Poppy Z. Brite | 1992 | Zillah, Nothing | Zillah is portrayed as sexually driven; Nothing is portrayed as young, lonely, and loving). | ||
Lunar Park | Bret Easton Ellis | 2005 | Fictional Bret Easton Ellis, Mitchell Allen | Semi-autobiographical author depiction. The fictional Bret also relays that most of the boys at Camden College experimented with bisexuality. | ||
The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon | ||||||
The Metaphysical Touch | Sylvia Brownrigg | 1999 | ||||
Milk and Cookies | The Mortal Instruments | Cassandra Clare | ||||
Mrs Dalloway | Virginia Woolf | 1925 | Clarissa Dalloway, Septimus Warren Smith | |||
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh | Michael Chabon | April 1988 | ||||
The Neanderthal Parallax | Robert J. Sawyer | 2002, 2003 | All Neanderthals | Neanderthals are all bisexual in the parallel universe. | ||
Orlando: A Biography | Virginia Woolf | 1928 | ||||
The Passion | Jeanette Winterson | 1987 | ||||
The Persian Boy | Mary Renault | 1972 | Alexander | |||
Primal Tears | Kelpie Wilson | 2005 | Sage is a half human, half bonobo | |||
The Romance of Lust | anonymous | 1873–1876 | Charlie Roberts, the narrator; most other characters | Steven Marcus comments “all men … are always and infinitely potent; all women fecundate with lust and flow inexhaustibly with sap or juice or both. Everyone is always ready for everything”.[5] | ||
The Rules of Attraction | Bret Easton Ellis | 1987 | Paul, Sean, Victor | Lauren Hynde has relationships with three bisexual men: the flamboyant Paul Denton, the unstable Sean Bateman and the vacuous Victor Johnson. Clay from Less Than Zero also appears. | ||
The Sea Change | ||||||
Son of a Witch | Gregory Maguire | 2005 | Liir | |||
Story of O | Pauline Réage | 1954 | O | |||
Stranger in a Strange Land | Robert A. Heinlein | 1961 | Valentine Michael Smith | Smith is raised on Mars, a planet without gender. | ||
Time Enough for Love | Robert A. Heinlein | June 1973 | Bisexuality is portrayed as the norm. | |||
Two for One--a novel about having choices | Sean David Wright | 2005 | Danielle | |||
The Vesuvius Club/The Devil in Amber | Mark Gatiss | 2004/2006 | Lucifer Box | |||
While England Sleeps | David Leavitt | 1998 | ||||
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | Gregory Maguire | 1995 | ||||
Women in Love | D. H. Lawrence | 1920 | ||||
Woman on the Edge of Time | Marge Piercy | 1976 | Luciente, Jackrabbit, others | In the Utopian future of Mattapoisett, people freely pick partners based on interpersonal compatibility above all other factors. | ||
Young in One Another's Arms | Jane Rule | 1977 | ||||
Fireflies | Lacey Reah | 2011 | Linda | A bi-curious, married woman is seduced by vampire-like creatures called nymphomites. These creatures feed on orgasms and convince her that she will survive best by only feeding on women. |
Comic books
Title | Bisexual Characters | Notes |
---|---|---|
Anima | ||
Avengers Academy | Lightspeed | |
The Authority | Swift, Jenny Sparks | Prominent gay superheroes Apollo and Midnighter also feature. |
Captain Marvel | Marlo Chandler, Moondragon | |
Doom Patrol | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. | |
Hellblazer | John Constantine | Sexuality portrayed as trivial aspect of character. |
Justice League | Icemaiden | |
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Jekyll/Hyde | |
Lost Girls | ||
Love and Rockets | Maggie Chascarillo, Hopey Glass etc. | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Marvel 1602 | Werner | |
Outsiders | Grace Choi | Long list of sexual conquests. Claims to have relationships with women, but only 'sleep with' men. |
Secret Six | Knockout | Violent supervillains. |
Spider-Man | Electro, Black Cat | Electro is a violent supervillain Black Cat is a one-time love interest of Spider-Man. |
Starman | Mikaal Tomas | Mikaal belongs to an alien race where sexuality is indiscriminate. |
Strangers in Paradise | Francine, Casey | |
Supergirl | Blithe | Sexuality portrayed as fluid but socially problematic. |
Thunderbolts | Andreas von Strucker, Skein | Violent supervillains Outed during separate runs. |
X-Factor | Jamie Madrox, Rictor | Jamie's duplications occasionally exhibit alternative sexual desires. Rictor enjoys keeping his sexual orientation somewhat vague. |
X-Men | Mystique, Destiny | As originally intended by Chris Claremont, a committed couple. Violent supervillains. |
X-Statix / X-Force | Doop | Doop is a sentient, nonhumanoid Cold War lab experiment. |
Y: The Last Man | Agent 355 | Displays attraction to both men and women. |
Non-fiction
Title | Author | Release Date | Bisexual Characters | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence | Rebecca Walker | 2007 | ||
Bi Men : Coming Out Every Which Way | Ron Suresha and Pete Chvany | 2006 | ||
The Bisexual Option | Fritz Klein | |||
Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World | Robyn Ochs | 2005 | ||
The New Joy of Gay Sex | Dr. Charles Silverstein | 1993 | ||
Portrait of a Marriage | Nigel Nicolson | 1973 | Vita Sackville-West, Harold Nicolson | Based on the true story of Vita and Harold Nicolson, a bisexual couple. |
Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life | Marjorie Garber |
Television
Title | Bisexual Characters | Notes |
---|---|---|
24 | Mandy | A terrorist. |
American Dad | Roger | A bisexual alien. |
All My Children | Lena Kundera | Lena was the first recurring bisexual character in daytime television. Maggie was sexually confused throughout most of her time on the show. Dated and had sex with several men before committing herself to Bianca Montgomery that make her bisexuality. |
Babylon 5 | Susan Ivanova | Her sexuality is not explicit, but heavily implied. |
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) | Number Six, D'Anna Biers (also known as Number Three), Felix Gaeta | Number Three, Number Six and Gaius Baltar have a triangle relationship in Season 3. Felix Gaeta's sexuality was addressed in online "webisodes", where is dating Lt. Hoshi (male) and had a past relationship with a female Cylon. |
Bob and Rose | Bob | Identifies as gay, though finds the only female he's attracted to is Rose. |
Bones | Angela Montenegro | Currently married to a man, but had at least one serious relationship with a woman that was rekindled during the course of the show. |
Brookside | Lindsey Corkhill | Has three marriages on the show, but has a long-term affair with friend Shelley Bower. |
Caprica | Clarice Willow | Clarice is a member of a group marriage involving two husbands and several wives. |
Casanova | Giacomo Casanova | Tries to sleep with a man, only to discover she's a woman and sleep with her anyway. |
Coupling | Jane | Claims to have slept with fifteen women, but seems to be pretending for the attention. |
Degrassi: The Next Generation | Paige Michalchuk | Paige has dated many guys, and one lesbian. She started to question her sexuality when she became attracted to her female friend Alex. |
Desperate Housewives | Katherine Mayfair | Katherine at a sexual attraction to men, and later for a woman. |
Dirt | Leo Spiller, Julia Mallory, | Leo possibly in denial of homosexuality; Julia "only when stoned". |
Doctor Who | Captain Jack Harkness | From the 51st century when pansexuality is the norm. |
Drawn Together | Foxxy Love, Captain Hero | Foxxy is openly bisexual with a preference for men; Captain Hero comically displays sexual attraction to most things, but is secretive about his romantic attraction to men |
EastEnders | Sonia Fowler, Tony Hills | Sonia leaves the show in a happy relationship with a man (with whom she has a daughter), but had sexual relations with a woman beforehand. Tony has an ongoing relationship with Simon Raymond but has a number of affairs with women during that time. |
Emmerdale | Charity Tate, Debbie Dingle | Charity marries Chris Tate and later has an affair with his sister, Zoe. Charity's daughter Debbie has had many relationships with men but becomes serious involved with friend Jasmine Thomas |
Ellen | Ellen Morgan | In terms of behavior only. Closeted lesbian for first three seasons. |
Farscape | Chiana | Sexuality portrayed as fluid. |
Family Affairs | Adam Sheldrake, Karen Ellis, Brendan Boulter | Adam Sheldrake is engaged to Gabby Johnson but later has a fling with friend Clive Starr. Karen is engaged to long-time boyfriend Matt who she marries but later leaves him to have a relationship with Kelly Hurst. After Kelly dies, Karen reconciles with Matt. Brendan Boulter dates Becky Scott and Melanie Costello, who he eventually marries but has affairs with Sean Steel and a man named Jason. |
Family Guy | Lois Griffin, possibly Stewie Griffin | Lois at one point reveals she had same-sex relations when she was younger, but eventually lost interest. Stewie's orientation is left ambiguous, with many hints indicating he is either bi or gay. |
Firefly | Inara | Takes a female client in the episode "War Stories" and mentions having done so in the past occasionally. |
Footballers' Wives | Conrad Gates | Discreetly bisexual, Conrad had many female partners but had an affair with struggling gay character, Noah. |
Friends | Phoebe Buffay | Though she doesn't identify as bi, it's implied that Phoebe's enganged in sexual acts with both men and women. At one point, she's blatantly sexually aroused by Ross and Monicas' attractive cousin. |
Glee | Brittany S. Pierce | Has been described on the show as "fluid" and "bicurious," and the fall 2011 GLAAD report listed her as bisexual. Brittany has had sex with most of the boys in school and Santana, and has had serious romantic relationships with Sam, Artie and Santana. By season four she is comfortable saying she would date men or women. |
The Good Wife | Kalinda Sharma | |
Gossip Girl | Chuck Bass, Elliot, Olivia Burke | Chuck, while primarily portrayed as a promiscuous womanizer, has admitted to kissing guys before. Elliot states explicitly that he likes boys and girls, and begins a relationship with Eric, who is gay. Olivia Burke kisses Vanessa more than once during their threesome with Dan Humphrey. |
Grey's Anatomy | Calliope Torres | Married to George O'Malley for a brief time. Has a sexual relationship with a male doctor before embarking on two consecutive relationships with women. |
Hollyoaks | Craig Dean, Kris Fisher, Ravi Roy | Craig is depicted as straight until he starts an affair with best friend John Paul McQueen, who is gay. Kris is a self-identified bisexual cross-dresser and has had affairs with both genders, through primarily females. Ravi begins a relationship with Nancy but then sleeps with Kris, both of whom were having an affair themselves, causing the three of them to form a short-lived 'love triangle'. |
Homicide: Life on the Street | Tim Bayliss | Explores bisexuality in later seasons of the show. In the first episode concerning his bisexuality, Bayliss flatly stated he was "not gay" and did not formally come out until season 7, but even then he did not want to be deemed "a crusader" on the matter. |
House | "Thirteen" | |
How I Met Your Mother | Lily Aldrin | Displays several erotic dreams involving her friend Robin. |
The L Word | Alice Pieszecki, Jenny Schecter, Phyllis Kroll | Sexuality portrayed as fluid, but can be socially problematic. Often shown as a phase. |
L.A. Law | C.J. Lamb | First kiss between women on a prime time television series and first regular bisexual character on a prime time TV. |
Law & Order | Episodes "Castoff" and "Obsession" both feature psychotic bisexuals | |
Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Nicole Wallace | Arch-nemesis of Detective Robert Goren. Appears in episodes "Anti-Thesis", "A Person of Interest", "Great Barrier", and "Grow". Referred to in episodes "Pas de Deux", "Slither", and "Renewal". |
Lost Girl | Bo | Because she feeds off of sexual energy, Bo is involved with many human and Fae characters throughout the show. Her 3 long-term relationships are with 2 Fae men and a human woman, though in each season she has many sexual partners both female and male. |
Make It or Break It | Max Spencer | In episode "What Lies Beneath," Max reveals his bisexuality to Austin and worries about how his female love interest, Payson, would respond. |
The Midnight Caller | episode "After it Happened"/1988 – spreading AIDS from the Gay community to straight women. | |
My Name Is Earl | Stuart Daniels | Became long-term lover of Kenny James, but demonstrated strong attraction to women as well several times throughout the series. |
Nip/Tuck | Quentin Costa, probably Julia McNamara and Kimber Henry, possibly Christian Troy and Matt McNamara | |
The O.C. | Alex Kelly, Marissa Cooper | Had a casual romance during a part of the series second season |
One Tree Hill | Anna Taggaro | First recurring bisexual character of color on television. |
Oz | Chris Keller, Tobias Beecher | Keller homicidal sociopath; Beecher previously married but falls in love and engages in sexual relationship with Keller. |
Pretty Little Liars' | Maya St. Germain | Maya believed to be a lesbian, until she admitted dating a boy at the camp 'True North'. |
Queer as Folk (US) | Hunter, Lindsay | Sexuality portrayed as fluid, but can be socially problematic. |
The Real World: Sydney | Shauvon Torres | Bisexual woman in reality TV show. |
Revenge | Nolan Ross | Claims to be "about a three on the Kinsey scale." |
This Life | Ferdy | |
Roseanne | Nancy Bartlett, Beverly Harris | |
Rose by Any Other Name... | Rose | |
Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Belle/Hannah | |
Sex and the City | Samantha Jones | |
Supernatural | Dean Winchester | Dean's attraction to men is implied at best. He has a crush on a male TV star (Dr. Sexy) in an episode in season 5, and can be seen looking appreciatively at other men. He also has an ambiguous friendship with Castiel. |
The Staircase Murders | Michael Peterson | |
A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila | Tila Tequila | Bisexual themed reality dating show. |
Scrubs | The Todd, Elliot Reid, Bob Kelso | In "My Lucky Charm" he begins to hit on men, stating 'The Todd appreciates hot, regardless of gender'. Through the series, Elliot shows strong signs of being bisexual. Kelso often speaks of times in his past and hints he may have been with another man. |
Six Feet Under | Russel, Keith Charles, Billy Chenowith | Russel is confused; Keith is primarily gay; Billy is primarily straight. |
Skins | Tony Stonem, Cassie Ainsworth, Naomi Campbell, Mini McGuinness | Tony's sexual behavior is primarily towards women, but he has a one-night stand with Maxxie; it is later revealed through his subconscious that Tony is polysexual. Cassie begins sexual relations with both men and women to spite her boyfriend. In series 3 and 4, Naomi displays attraction to men and women, though her primary relationships are with women. In the later half of series 5, Mini's attraction towards Franky implies she is bisexual, though this attraction is short-lived and has no relevance in series 6. |
South of Nowhere | Ashley Davies | Displayed a romantic/sexual attraction to ex-boyfriend Aiden Dennison on more than one occasion, but often identifies as a lesbian. |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Jadzia Dax, Kira Nerys in alternate universe, Ezri Dax and Elim Garak. | Dax's relationships with females portrayed as related to previous existence as a male, alternate-universe Kira portrayed as a hedonistic tyrant. Garak was originally intended as omnisexual by the actor, and many fans still consider him as such, although he never engages in an 'official' relationship throughout the seasons. |
Sugar Rush | Sugar, Saint | |
Survivors | Anya | |
The Tudors | George Boleyn, Thomas Tallis | |
Torchwood | Captain Jack, Toshiko, Ianto, Captain John. | All main characters sexualities intended to remain fluid. Other characters Gwen and Owen's sexualities remain ambiguous. Jack and John embody pansexuality to varying degrees, whereas Ianto and Tosh more realistically depict 21st century bisexuals. Ianto explicitly acknowledges that he identifies as bisexual in the Torchwood novel Twilight Streets.[6] Also, the actor who played Ianto, Gareth David-Lloyd, stated, "He doesn’t quite strike me as a labelist anyway, but if he were a labelist, he’d probably be bisexual." [7] |
Warehouse 13 | Helena "H.G." Wells | The character explicitly states, "Many of my lovers were men." |
Whitney | Neal | He starts the series dating Lily and they later get engaged. After they break up he begins a relationship with a man. His sexuality is described as fluid. |
Wild West | Mary Trewednack, Angela Phillips | They are a lesbian couple and then decide that the romance has left the relationship and start to date men. |
Will & Grace | Karen Walker | |
Xena | Xena, Gabrielle | Possibly lovers; implied from middle of the series to its end. Hints that Xena may have been sexually intimate with two women before Gabrielle are also present. |
Music
Title | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|
"Bicoastal" | Peter Allen | |
"John, I'm Only Dancing" | David Bowie | |
"Suffragette City" | David Bowie | |
"The Jean Genie" | David Bowie | |
"Rebel Rebel" | David Bowie | |
"Sexuality" | Billy Bragg | |
"My Wife Left Me For My Girlfriend" | The Bellamy Brothers | |
"The Middle" | Edie Carey | |
"Bisexual Girl" | Coyote Shivers | |
"Bye Bisexual Boy" | Das Pop | |
"If It Isn't Her" | Ani DiFranco | |
"In or Out" | Ani DiFranco | |
"Shameless" | Ani DiFranco | |
"Light of Some Kind" | Ani DiFranco | |
"I Like Dick and Jane" | Laya Fisher | |
"My Boyfriend's Back" | Monica Grant | |
"Coming Clean" | Green Day | About Billie Joe's own sexuality.[8] |
"This Door Swings Both Ways" | Herman's Hermits | |
"Bisexual Military" | Hypnotic Clambake | |
"Human's Lib" | Howard Jones | |
"Hey Mister, She Was My Baby Last Night | Candye Kane | |
"Poker Face | Lady Gaga | Lady Gaga has said the song is about fantasizing of a woman while sleeping with a man. |
"Sneakin' In The Back Door" | The Late Bloomers | |
"Bi" | Living Colour | |
"Softcore" | of Montreal | |
"Which Way Do You Go?" | Paxton | |
"I Kissed A Girl" | Katy Perry | |
"Nancy Boy" | Placebo | |
"Sissy Blues" | Ma Rainey | |
"My Bride" | Robin Renee | |
"I Do Both Jay and Jane" | La Rissa | |
"The Last Word" | Tom Robinson | |
"More Lives Than One" | Tom Robinson | |
"I Kissed A Girl" | Jill Sobule | |
"Double Your Chances" | STA-PREST | |
"ACDC" | Sweet | |
"I Like It Both Ways" | Supernaut | |
"I Spent My Last $10 on Birth Control and Beer" | Two Nice Girls | |
"Take Me on the Floor" | The Veronicas | |
"Black Girls" | Violent Femmes | |
"Pink Triangle" | Weezer | "everyone's a little queer" |
"Sissy Man Blues" | Josh White | |
"Kiss That Boy" | Leah Zicari | |
"i u she" | Peaches | |
"Two boys for every girl" | Peaches | |
"Secretly" | Skunk Anansie | |
"Zwitter' | Rammstein | |
3-Way (The Golden Rule) | The Lonely Island, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga | "it's not gay, when it's in a three-way," |
"Sailor" | IAMX | "A three-way freeway, take me like a sailor" and "A quick step, boy girl love me like you love her". Chris has also introduced the song during concerts by saying, "This is for all you bi-curious people out there". |
Theatre
Title | Character | Notes |
---|---|---|
Alfred Kinsey: A Love Story[9] | Alfred Kinsey | |
Butley | Butley | |
Diagnosis: Jew Pain[1] | Michael Feldman | Stand up comedy show about Feldman's life. |
Gemini | Francis | Treated sympathetically, seen in positive light. |
Hair[10] | Claude, Berger, Woof, various | |
The History Boys | Dakin | Self-aware, complacent, unconfused |
Rent | Maureen | Unable to commit. |
Rocky Horror Show | Various portrayals | |
The Shadow Box | Brian | Bisexuality simple fact. |
Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery (1684) | King Bolloxinion; most other characters | An obscene Restoration closet drama thought to be by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. Bolloxinion, King of Sodom, commands universal same-sex sodomy.[11] |
Spring Awakening | Ernst | Seduced by male classmate. |
Torch Song Trilogy | Ed | |
The Vagina Monologues | "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy" |
Video games
Title | Character | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mass Effect | Commander Shepard (Female), Liara T'Soni, Sha'ira | If the player creates a female character, they can pursue a romantic relationship with either a human male, Kaiden Alenko, or asari female, Liara T'Soni. The asari are a mono-gendered species, all members of whom are sexually female, and are capable of reproducing with a male or female of any species (including their own.) A character of either gender can also have a sexual encounter with an asari consort, Sha'ira. |
Mass Effect 2 | Commander Shepard (Female), Kelly Chambers, Liara T'Soni, Samara, Morinth | A male or female character can enter into a romantic liaison with Kelly Chambers, the ship's yeoman, or the asari characters Samara or Morinth, two of the player character's possible henchmen. If a relationship with Liara T'Soni was pursued in the previous game, it can be continued in Mass Effect 2, specifically in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. |
Mass Effect 3 | Commander Shepard, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko, Diana Allers, Kelly Chambers | If a relationship was pursued with Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko or Kelly Chambers in previous games, it can be continued in Mass Effect 3. Additionally, Kaidan Alenko becomes available as a romantic option for both a male and female Commander Shepard (provided he survived the events of Mass Effect.) Furthermore, a character of either gender can engage in a sexual encounter with Diana Allers, a reporter stationed aboard the ship. |
Dragon Age Origins | The Player Character, Leliana, Zevran | The player (if female) can engage their character in a romantic relationship with either (or on occasion, all) Alistair (male), Leliana (female) or Zevran (male). A male character can pair with Morrigan (female), Leliana or Zevran. |
Dragon Age 2 | The Player Character | |
Bully | Jimmy Hopkins, Several Male Students. | Kissing various characters, male or female, regains health; homosexual content is optional. |
Darkstalkers | Lilith Aensland and Morrigan Aensland | Both succubi |
Fable | Potentially any | If the player does not marry and have sex with female characters, the personality status screen will label the character as gay. Otherwise, the player will be labeled as bisexual. |
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Vamp | A villain; according to dialogue within the game, "Vamp" is considered slang for bisexual. |
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Colonel Volgin | A villain, is in a relationship with Tatyana and his top officer, Major Raidenovich. |
Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh | Curtis Craig | First game to establish playable character as bisexual. |
Morrowind | Crassius Curio | Non player character, attempts to seduce players of either sex. |
The Sims | All | All characters can potentially fall in love with either gender, however Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and DS versions appear to have removed any same-sex 'romance' interactions. |
Fallout 2 | Miria and Davin | A player character can marry either of them, regardless of sex. |
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines | Therese and Jeanette Voerman; various | The player can choose the sex of his character and seduce characters regardless of the sex chosen. The character Jeanette/Therese Voerman (the characters have a split personality and are therefore actually the same character) is apparently explicitly bisexual. |
See also
- 1974 in film
- Bisexuality
- Biphobia
- List of American television episodes with LGBT themes
- List of television shows with LGBT characters
- Media and sexual orientation
- Media portrayals of bisexuality
- Media portrayal of lesbianism
References
- ^ Bell de Jour's Blog
- ^ Ostry, Bernard; Yalden, Janice (2004). Visions of Canada: the Alan B. Plaunt memorial lectures, 1958-1992. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 310–311. ISBN 0-7735-2662-5.
- ^ Sutherland, Fraser (1983). "Sylvia Bayer and the Search for Rubber". Canadian Poetry. 13: 86–91.
- ^ Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D. "The World's -- and My -- Love Affair with Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth Salander -- a misfit -- may be the most beloved figure in the world." Psychology Today, Published on December 16, 2011 in Addiction in Society
- ^ Marcus, Steven. The Other Victorians: A Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England. New York: Basic Books, (1966)
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ianto_Jones
- ^ http://www.afterelton.com/people/2008/2/garethdavidlloyd
- ^ "Coming Clean", The Advocate interview with Billie Joe Armstrong (January 24, 1995)
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 11, 2007). "A New Play From a Producer Who's an Old Hand". The New York Times.
- ^ The Advocate Interview with James Rado
- ^ Johnson, J.W. (1987). "Did Lord Rochester write Sodom?". Publications of the Bibliographical Society. 81: 119–153.
- GLAAD: Bisexuality in Movies, Television and Music
- Bryant, Wayne M.. Bisexual Characters in Film: From Anais to Zee. Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies, 1997. ISBN 1-56023-894-1
- Thomas Geller's Bisexuality: A Reader and Sourcebook (1990)
- The Bisexual Option – Fritz Klein's psychological exploration of the bisexual.
- Out Films: Top 10 bisexual films
- Bisexual Songs
- Bisexual Literature
- AfterElton.com about gay and bisexual men in entertainment
- AfterEllen.com about lesbian and bisexual women in entertainment