Gay liberation and women’s liberation come full circle today: In “The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,” gay Elle writer Seth Plattner announces that he likes to make out with women sometimes, not because he is bisexual, but because he really likes sexual attention. He’s like a drunk sorority girl at a frat party, but gay and at a cool bar in New York. Here is his confession:

“At the most surface level, I kissed girls because, hey, it’s a good time. Kissing is a sensual experience, and I fancy myself as somewhat of a hedonist who’ll take his pleasures where he can get them. I appreciate physicality for its own sake, relish close contact with other bodies. But did kissing a girl ever make me want more? Did it arouse me? No. Gross. (Kidding-I’m not one of those gay men who’s disgusted by female anatomy.) Yet no matter how sexy the kiss, I just don’t get turned on.”

“[F]or me the spectacle was nothing without the audience. I’m not saying I rallied crowds to watch the gay get the girl, but being in the vicinity of others not only didn’t make me hesitate, it encouraged me. Once, Shannon and I went at it right in front of her boyfriend. In retrospect, he had every reason to want to throttle me for being such an asshole, but for some reason he didn’t flinch. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel victorious when, in that moment, she chose me over him.”

He’s the Katy Perry of gay men. ZZIINNGG!! (Redundant, get it?) Hetero-kissing also allows Seth Plattner to sexually dazzle his female co-workers. It’s not sexual harassment because he’s not sexually attracted to them:

“Although my motivations may have been convoluted, in a weird way canoodling with women kept me alive to the fact that it’s foolish to shut down my sexual self in the company of the opposite sex. It can be useful, even at work. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to kiss my way to the top. It’s more subtle than that. I work at a fashion magazine, where women are my bosses, colleagues, friends. And with all of them, I’m aware that my masculinity, my attractive guyness, is part of what I offer. Obviously, my professional skills are more important, but if a coworker or superior thinks I’m cute or captivating in some way, great! That gravitational pull is mine to leverage as I can.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Pink News:
Bisexuality revisited as university’s second study finds it does exist.

Scientists have discovered bisexual traits in men, where previous research found those claiming to be attracted to both sexes were, in fact, gay.

The findings, by Northwestern University, Illinois, were the result of a more in depth look at sexual attraction in men after a previous study failed to find any evidence of bisexuality in test subjects who identified as such. The 2005 study had not claimed bisexuality did not exist, but that they had yet to find evidence for it: “with respect to sexual arousal and attraction, it remains to be shown.”

The study caused controversy at the time for the ease with which it could support the view that bisexuals are only homosexuals in the closet. Released in the Biological Psychology journal this summer, the new research found “bisexual patterns of both subjective and genital arousal” in test subjects.

The selection criteria for the 2011 study was more stringent than before. Applicants needed to have had two sexual experiences with men and women, and one 3-month relationship with a member of each gender.

Many of the subjects who identified as bisexual exhibited signs of arousal to both men and women, compared with those in the previous study, who resembled gay men in their reactions. Alan Rosenthal, a doctoral student of psychology and lead author of the second study said: “Someone who is bisexual might say, ‘Well, duh!’”

“But this will be validating to a lot of bisexual men who had heard about the earlier work and felt that scientists weren’t getting them.”

READ MORE HERE.