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January 16, 2008

Study on Bi Women Discredits Stereotypes

Bisexuality in women appears to be a distinctive sexual orientation and not "just a phase" or a gateway to lesbianism, the American Psychological Association announced Tuesday.

A study of 79 bisexual, lesbian, or unlabeled women ages 18–25 over a decade found that bisexuals maintained a stable pattern of attraction to men and women, according to a press release from the APA. The study also disproves the myth that bisexual women are unable to commit to long-term monogamous relationships. Results were published in the January issue of Developmental Psychology, an APA journal.

University of Utah psychologist Lisa Diamond, who conducted the study, said in the press release that the research provides the first experimental study on the topic and debunks long-standing beliefs.

“The findings demonstrate considerable fluidity in bisexual, unlabeled, and lesbian women’s attractions, behaviors, and identities and contribute to researchers’ understanding of the complexity of sexual-minority development over the life span,” she said.

Bisexual women were more likely than lesbians to change their identity but tended to switch between bisexual and unlabeled rather than lesbian and heterosexual.

At the end of the 10-year study, most of the women were involved in long-term (more than one year in length), monogamous relationships -- 70% of the self-identified lesbians, 89% of the bisexuals, 85% of the unlabeled women, and 67% of those who were then calling themselves heterosexual. (The Advocate)

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