Are We There, Yet?:A Bisexual Tribute to Rich's Continuum
Ozge Canbul
This presentation focuses on the importance of "bisexuality" from the perspective of literary scholarship andits possible representations within the writings of Adrienne Rich, whose work on sexuality and feminism shaped
much of the current discourse. Rich has drawn inspiration from her own experiences with heteronormative andfemale-oriented relationships. Thus, in order to establish an active conversation between lesbian feminism andbisexual feminism and create an origin point for a bisexual continuum, it is necessary to discuss the bisexual
connotations and the coexistence of bisexuality alongside lesbian existence within Rich's scholarship, using four
sample essays: "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence," "Reflections on 'Compulsory
Heterosexuality'," "If Not With Others, How?," and "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision." The argument
is presented in three major parts; firstly, a brief historical background of the radical, separatist, lesbian movement andthe feminist discourse within the timespan of early 1970s to mid-1980s and the major terms surrounding the sexualitydiscourse and their limitations. Secondly, Gilles Deleuze's theory of bisexuality and the relationship between
language, manifestation, and events, are presented, followed by a critical reading of Rich's essays and their potential
for bisexual dialectics created through the Deleuzian framework.
The amount of scholarship on bisexuality as a standalone topic has been scarce, to say the least. Because of
the inherent difficulties of being a bisexual woman, they are often overlooked or underrepresented within the feminist
discourse and queer theory and usually treated merely as a sub-group or part of the LGBTQ+ but rarely as a standalonefaction. The main reason for this lack of attention is bi-invisibility. In the early 1970s, the term defined a broad rangeof concepts, from androgyny to sexual orientation to an obscure/uncategorized anomaly within the binary
gender/sexuality theory. Only a fraction of these definitions truly captures the essence of bisexuality in thecontemporary sense. Bisexuality always operates outside the binaries of the gender theory and the dichotomies of thesexual discourse: but it is often theorized within a binary system. From a Foucaultian perspective, sex is as much ofa social construct as anything else. Michel Foucault argues that the notion of 'sex' groups together, in an artificial
unity, anatomy, biology, and senses, to use this fictitious unity as a causal principle, an omnipresent meaning, a secret
to be discovered everywhere: thus, sex becomes "a unique signifier and as a universal signified" (154). Clear-cut
definitions are bound to become outdated when social and cultural variables change; thus, an enforced binary system
becomes even more oppressive and repressive to make up for the loss of legitimacy. Since the 1970s, as a result of
the feminist movements, gender-related terms have multiplied exponentially: what started with masculine andfeminine branched off to androgyny, then into transgender, agender, genderfluid, genderqueer.
Deleuze stands on the intersection of language, repetition, and bisexuality. Rich and Deleuze have certain
ideas in common regarding female sexuality. Conceptualizing bisexuality within a Deleuzian framework relies on
the development of language through the interaction of the whole and part: repetition is the part which makes thewhole multiple times. Through repetition, it is possible to reconnect the body, pleasure, and sexuality, divided by
Foucault's categorical definition. Additionally, Deleuze's comments on language itself are also useful in puttingRich's essays and her rhetorical decisions in conversation with his theory and bisexuality . Rich acknowledges
bisexuality even if it is in a satirical utopic tone: "This assumption of female heterosexuality seems to me in itself
remarkable: it is an enormous assumption to have glided so silently into the foundations of our thought. The
extension of this assumption is the frequently heard assertion that in a world of genuine equality, where men are
nonoppressive and nurturing, everyone would be bisexual" ("Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence"17). In "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision," she draws attention to intersectionality within thefeminist discourse. Furthermore, even when Rich opposes the male oppression, she does not condemn herheterosexual past completely. In the "Re-vision," she discusses the future of the radical feminist movement and herfight against patriarchal oppression, which affected her writing. When she acknowledges her heterosexual relations
in both of the sample essays, 1972 and 1985, within the Deleuzian framework, she "manifests" the bisexual
discourse on her own, by giving equal attention to both heterosexual (past) self and her homosexual self within the(same) body of her scholarship.

Drawing clear-cut conclusions at this point can be arduous because bisexuality within the feminist
scholarship is a relatively unthreaded ground; hence any judgment would either become the groundwork for thefuture of the scholarship or become baseless through the same future scholarship. Furthermore, it can be dangerous,
as creating definitions could lead to creating limitations that would halt the advancement of such a progressive
discourse. Yet, by acknowledging the existence of bisexuality, Rich challenges us to set up a bisexual continuum.
Her rhetorical choices and wording allow us to delve deeper into her arguments and emerge with the first seedlingsof the coexistence of bisexual and lesbian continuums. The gradual change within her ideas from the early 1970s tothe mid-1980s strengthens the bisexual discourse because she moves from acknowledging heterosexual relations tofemale-only experiences and then acknowledging the validity of both. Through Deleuze, approaching bisexuality as
the synthesis of restricting dichotomies, which operates outside the accepted binaries, becomes viable. Thus,
combining the bisexual reading of Rich and the Deleuzian framework grants us the hope of establishing feminist
solidarity through the acceptance of bisexual women as a crucial part of intersectionality.
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