From: cjmchale@dsg.cs.tcd.ie (Ciaran McHale)
Subject: Re: The War Between Us (Long)
Organization: DSG, Dept. of Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 10:36:59 GMT

In <Bs15F6.ECH@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu>
dbshapco@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Brad Shapcott) writes:
>cjmchale@dsg.cs.tcd.ie (Ciaran McHale) writes:
>>I was on holidays for a month and have just returned. I wonder if there
>>is any relation between my absence and your mood. Cheer up sweetie,
>>I have returned. :-)
>
>Must be it . . . then again. maybe knowing there was no way in the world that
>Suzanne and I could make it to Edin<mumble> contributed -- and then to boot it
>looks like the whole matter was quite successful without us <pout>.

Yeah I know, it's a bummer when something like that happens. You think
"How *dare* they have fun without me present" and then the ego is
deflated. I happy being bisexual but I'd much rather be the sun. That
way, the world _would_ revolve around me. (And I'd have a page 3 HOT BI
BABE to boot.)

>>There are several people here who share this viewpoint (to a greater or
>>lesser degree). Liz Highleyman was the first bi'ter I saw who said
>>something similar (this was many months ago). At first I disagreed with
>>her but I've since come round to share her viewpoint.
>
>Damn, and I was hoping for heretic visionary status at least.  Now it looks
>like the cross I was to be martyred on is already occupied.

Ah, come up and join us on the cross, anyway. If we get a few more then
we can start an orgy.

>>The word "queer" is being reclaimed from the straight community who use
>>it as a term of abuse and hate. Perhaps bifolk also have to reclaim it
>>from those lesbians and gay men who use it as a term which excludes
>>bifolk.
>
>I like the word 'queer' when it can be left with the inclusive definition of
>'not-het', but I've been made to feel that I betrayed the heritage by being
>married to a MOTOS and perhaps don't deserve to use the title.

I heard this 2nd hand so I don't have the exact quote, but Tom Robinson
once said something like this:

	When a queer-basher has his foot half way down your gob and
	is kicking your head in, he isn't worried about the subtle
	_nuances_ between bisexual and gay. To him you're _bent_.

(If anybody has the exact quote then please email it to me.)

>In a sense I wonder to how often that word has been used against us, compared
>to gays and lesbians.  My impression is that society tends to be somewhat
>more forgiving and intrigued by bisexuality, rather than blatantly and
>unreservedly hostile as towards homosexuals.  This, of course, is a source
>of tension between the communities despite the fact that we (I hope 'we')
>don't encourage bisexuality as an instrument for the sexual amusement of
>others.  That is part of what makes me so angry about the male trolling
>for hot bi-babes for a threesome -- because they reduce bisexuality to such
>unflattering and self-serving terms.

True, to a large extent. But then some straight 'phobes see bisexuality
as an additional threat. It works like this:

	If there are only two groups, straight and gay, then that
	permits a us-vs-them mentality. But when you connect these
	two camps together with the continuum of bisexuality the
	us-vs-them way of thinking becomes threatened.


<> Insofar as possible, I surround myself with pleasant,
<> tolerant, intelligent people.  Life's too short to spend
<> it with people who don't like what you are.
<> --- Eric Holeman (eah@milton.u.washington.edu)

Ciaran.
-- 
Ciaran McHale                                                             ----
Department of Computer Science, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.       \bi/
Telephone: +353-1-7021539 FAX: +353-1-772204 email: cjmchale@dsg.cs.tcd.ie \/