Jeremy Patrick <jhaeman@hotmail.com>

Stepping Out v. 1, n. 2 (May 2000)

In the past decade, the number of books written for gays and lesbians has skyrocketed. Literature that used to be available only at small, independent bookstores now covers entire bookcases at national chains like Barnes and Noble and Borders. However, it’s always been difficult to find books written from a bisexual perspective.

The past year has seen an explosion in the number of books written for bisexuals. In this edition of "Under the Covers," I’m going to look at one of the first contemporary books aimed at a bisexual audience.

Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out (Alyson Publications, 1991) edited by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu is a collection of short (generally 2-5 pages each) nonfiction essays written by over 70 self-identified bisexuals. The essays are grouped into four categories: Psychology, Spirituality, Community, and Politics.

There was a time when the dearth of material on bisexuality made any positive books important and valuable for the GLBT community. Bi Any Other Name is an earnest attempt to provide fresh voices of bisexual individuals; it achieves this goal, but suffers from some serious drawbacks.

The editors’ introduction makes frequent reference to the inclusion of a diverse array of authors. This is certainly true when it comes to race, gender, and class; however, there is little diversity in actual perspective, which may be even more important. The collection has a general theme of liberal feminism. There is nothing wrong with liberal feminists (I am one), but such a limited perspective is not representative of the majority of bisexuals.

Second, the essays quickly become repetitive. The majority are coming out/coming of age stories, with a few short selections on how bisexuality relates to the gay equal rights and feminist movements. Coming out stories are useful for those still trying to find themselves; they show questioning individuals that bisexuality is a real and viable sexual orientation. For those of us who have already found our identity, however, they are of little interest besides general curiosity.

Although Bi Any Other Name is divided into four sections, it’s difficult to tell them apart. The psychology section contains very little scientific or psychological explanation of the causes or effects of bisexuality; instead, it simply contains more coming out stories. The spirituality section contains more personal testaments, but with an occasional digression to Native American or Wiccan spiritual beliefs. The essays are generally not deep or thoughtful.

Bi Any Other Name is not a bad book; it is clean, concise, and well edited. However, it lacks substance. Personal narratives can only tell so much about what it means to be bisexual. This is one of those books you might pick up for $3 at a used bookstore, but it’s not worth buying now.

(c) 2000 Jeremy Patrick