Big Bi Lesbian/Gay Masterdoc
This is a document to record the history of and explain mspec monos. If you're on desktop, you can use the Doc Summary to the left to quickly go between sections. If you're on mobile, there will be a Table of Contents below. This document will be continuously updated as more sources are found. If you have anything you'd like to see added to this, message me @queeringourhistory on Tumblr.
WARNING: This document contains discussion of sexually predatory behavior, sexual assault, AIDS, queermisia, and reclaimed slurs such as d*ke and f*g (y, a). Some of these will be within the document itself, some of these are in the links provided. Please proceed with caution.
"-misia/misic" is used in replacement of "-phobia/phobic" to reflect that a hatred of queer identities is not a fear of them. Many individuals with phobias have expressed discomfort with phobias being associated with hatred. "Misia" is used as a suffix in this case; it's the Greek word for "hate or hatred."
Table of Contents
Page 2: What is an mspec mono? What is a bi lesbian/bi gay?
Page 4: Debunking common myths.
Page 7: History of all mspec monos.
Page 12: History of bi lesbians.
Page 26: History of bi gays.
What is an Mspec Mono? What is a Bi Lesbian/Bi Gay?
"Mspec Mono" is short for "multi-attraction spectrum/multi-spectrum monosexual." Multi-attraction spectrum is an umbrella term for any orientation where attraction or focus (in the case of a-attraction individuals) is on multiple genders. This includes bi-orientation, pan-orientation, and more. Monosexual, or mono-oriented, is the attraction or focus on one gender. This includes straight, lesbian, gay, and more. Someone who is mspec mono identifies with both of these terms, such as bi lesbian or bi gay.
Someone might be mspec mono for a number of reasons:
- Split Attraction Model; their sexuality and romality aren't identical.
- Being mono but experiencing mspec tertiary attraction and vice versa.
- Being mono mspec-queerplatonic or vice versa (see above).
- The inclusion of non-aptobinary men in mspec lesbian or non-aptobinary women in mspec gay, such as bigender men/women, genderfluid men/women, ect.
- Being abrosexual or abro-oriented.
- Being duosexual or amplusic.
- Orientation changes with gender (an example of abro-orientation in the case of fluid/flux genders).
- Being in the middle of a transition from an mspec orientation to a mono one or vice versa (an example of abro-orientation).
- Emphasizing their inclusion of nonbinary genders in their orientation.
- Being mspec but not attracted to men/women/ect. (See above.)
- Being hetero/homoflexible.
- Using a pre-lesbian separatist definition of lesbian.
- Being mspec but focusing on attraction or limiting partnerships to women/men/ect.
- Being a median system where one headmate's attraction affects the others.
- Being a multiple system and using several of their orientations for the "singlet-sona."
- Previously identifying as mono, but upon their partner coming out as trans and expressing discomfort in being included in a mono label, adding “mspec” to their orientation.
- Questioning orientation and going between mspec and mono identities.
- Being mono but being rejected by those communities due to transmisa and finding more acceptance in mspec communities, so they identify with them.
- The labels feel right to them.
- Other.
Debunking Common Myths
This section will focus mostly on common anti-bi lesbian myths as these are the most common I’ve come across. If you want me to add any misunderstandings surrounding mspec gays, straights, ect. please refer to my social media on the first page.
NOTE: Due to my previous account (@thequeer-menace) being suspended, the citation list for the first debunked myth has been lost. Please be patient while I try to relocate all of my sources!
“Lesbian has always meant non-man loving non-men.”
Lesbian has had multiple different meanings over the past century. Initially, lesbian and sapphic were synonymous with a woman sodomite. Over the years, both lesbian and sapphic were reclaimed (and synonymous) and meant a woman who had sexual or romantic relationships. During the 1970s Lesbian Feminist movement, it meant any woman who denounced any form of relationship with men and centered women in their lives, whether romantically, platonically, or in business. The Lesbian Separatist movement happened within the Lesbian Feminist movement, where any connection to manhood in gender or orientation were considered a threat to lesbian safety and regressive for lesbian political gains. This led to the “woman exclusively loving women” definition.* The “non-man loving non-men” definition grew in popularity in late 2010s/early 2020s as nonbinary lesbians became more accepted in the online queer community.
“Mspec Lesbian was created by TERFs for lesbians who date transfems.”
There is no proof of this other than hearsay online. There is, however, proof that “bi lesbian” and similar identities have been used to convey different orientation experiences for decades (see the History of All Mspec Monos/History of Mspec Lesbians). TERFs may use bi lesbian now to describe a lesbian who dates transfems, though they usually just say "bi." Furthermore, the misappropriation of an orientation does not mean it's bad, in the same way "bisexual" and "lesbian" shouldn't be treated as transmisic orientations because of TERFs weaponizing them.
“The existence of mspec monos insinuates bisexuals can ‘pick a side’ or lesbians/gays can ‘turn straight.’”
It is not the fault of mspec monos for the generalizations made by bigoted people. Everyone’s experience is their own and cannot be used as the one true experience for an abstract idea like orientation.
“Mspec lesbians will make straight men think all lesbians want to have sex with them.”
Once again, it’s not the fault of mspec monos for the generalizations made by bigoted people. Predatory men are predatory towards lesbians because of lesbomisia and misogyny, they don’t have any other “reason” or “cause.” There is also no data to show predatory men cite mspec mono identities as their justification.
"The Split Attraction Model can't be used on non-aspec identities. Having mismatched sexual/romantic orientation is just internalized homo/lesbo/bi-misia."
The idea of having split orientation isn't limited to a-spec individuals. Researcher Karl Heinrich Ulrich made record in 1879 on his studies into human attraction. He discussed the idea of a man experiencing homo-romantic attraction as well as hetero-sexual attraction, something he called "uranodoining" and "disjunctive."
100 years later, Dorothy Tennov used the phrase "limerence" to describe love that is romantic but not necessarily sexual. Other works of theorists discussing limerence throw around the idea of "non-limerence" people, or people who never experienced limerence. This can be interpreted as an early description of aromantic people.
In 1989 the discussion of orientation models continued, with "affectional orientation" being used to separate the idea of sexual and affectionate (romantic) love.
AVEN would continue to develop these models during the early 2000's, which would eventually lead to the coining of the Split Attraction Model to describe "mismatched" attraction in a-spec individuals. While it's unknown if this term originated on Tumblr, with the oldest posts going back to 2015, or elsewhere. Google search histories show the term "split attraction model" being searched as far back as 2011. (AUREA)
“Lesbians are the only orientation that deal with mspec monos, you never hear about bi gays.”
Some of the reasons bi-oriented gays/turians aren't as known about are this discourse isn't nearly as big in the gay community, and there also wasn't a Gay Separatist Movement that firmly separated gay and multi-spectrum attraction men. You will also see in the sections below that there is a long history of gay-identified bisexuals, as well as mspec gays/vincians to this day.
“Mspec lesbians are trying to include men in lesbianism; lesbianism is the only orientation that doesn't include men.”
Men already exist in lesbian spaces, whether they be trans or lesbian multigender and genderfluid/flux individuals. (This isn't to say MLW transgender men are lesbians, but some trans men do stay connected with the community or still attend those spaces.) Lesbian also isn't the only orientation to exclude men. There are a-attraction, faunic, XE4XE, and more.
History of All Mspec Monos
Impression of the Second National Conference on Bisexuality, Bi-Monthly Magazine (1985) (Reprinted in Bisexual Lives by Off Pink Publishing in 1988)
“It was really important too to hear for the first time the terms ‘lesbian and gay-identified bisexuals’ and to know that my own instinct to ‘identify’ as lesbian, while wanting to be accepted and acknowledged as bisexual, had a political validity and context which others were long aware of.”
Pink Dandelion, 22, Bisexual Lives by Off Pink Publishing (1988)
“It was at this time that I met a bisexual lesbian, i.e. someone whose culture and identity was lesbian, but who did feel something for some men. I suppose I saw myself as a gay bisexual.”
“I argued that you could be gay AND bisexual.”
“The second was the setting up of the Radical Lesbian and Gay Identified Bisexual Network, which was ME. Also there were ten other wimmin and men. At last I had found people to relate to.”
1990 National Bisexual Conference by Liz Highleyman, Bi Women Quarterly (1990)
“There were workshops aimed at married and straight-identified bisexuals, as well as gay- and lesbian-identified bisexuals.”
Bisexuality: A Reader and Sourcebook by Thomas Gellad (1990)
The list of alternative labels includes the terms “bisexual lesbian”, “gay bisexual”, and “byke”.
Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
The glossary includes “gay-identified bisexual”, “heterosexual-identified bisexual”, and “lesbian-identified bisexual”.
Bicoastal Introduction, Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
“More and more lesbians and gay men are examining and openly exploring their bisexual behavior, as are some bisexuals within heterosexual closets. This is due, in large part, to the public lesbian- and gay-identified bisexual pioneers who began the work of bisexual pride in the early 1980s.”
Who Are We? Establishing and Reclaiming the Bisexual Community by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Ka'ahumanu, Anything That Moves (1991)
“There is no one right way to be a bisexual; there are many. [...] Some of us are proud dykes and faggots.”
Activating Theory: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Politics published by Lawrence & Wishart (1993)
“When I refer to bisexuality I am therefore gesturing towards a range of social-political phenomena:...people experiencing both same-sex and opposite-sex desires or practices who choose positively to identify as lesbian, gay, straight…”
Breaking Silence: Toward an In-The-Life Theology by Elias Farajaje Jones, Black Theology: A Documented History by James H. Cone and Gayraud S. Wilmore (1993)
“There are men who would define themselves as ‘gay-identified bisexual men,’ women who call themselves ‘lesbian-identified bisexual women,’ women and men who are ‘queer-identified bisexuals’ and those who would label themselves as ‘heterosexual-identified bisexuals.’”
“I live in a loving, caring, nurturing family with my companion of many years, a lesbian-identified bisexual woman of color and (until the time of his death on January 10, 1992), with my partner, who was also a Black gay-identified bisexual activist AIDS educator.”
Women and Bisexuality by Sue George (1993)
“8 women chose dual sexualities: 4 identified as heterosexual/bisexual; 2 as heterosexual and lesbian; 2 as bisexual/lesbian.”
“I am a bisexual lesbian feminist.”
“Sexually I am bisexual with a strong lesbian identity; politically I identify as gay/lesbian.”
“That women identify as both bisexual and lesbian can advance the cause of both movements.”
“Within bisexual communities, particularly in the US, some women are now calling themselves ‘lesbian-identified bisexual’, to show where their political allegiance lies and where they choose to place their energy and have relationships.”
Power and Privilege Beyond the Invisible Fence by Brenda Blasingame, Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions by Naomi Tucker (1995)
“Lesbians like to ask me if I am a lesbian-identified bisexual.”
“She is a bi-dyke ABC (American-born Chinese) born, raised & planning to die in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Which Part of Me Deserves to Be Free? by Dajenya, Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions by Naomi Tucker (1995)
“Personally, I am unable to separate out the various ways that I am oppressed (as a woman, as an African American, as a bisexual lesbian, as an impoverished single mother) and say that one oppression is worse than the other, or that I desire one form of liberation more than another.”
Article by Jennifer Moore, Outright (1996)
“Some behaviourally bisexual people do identify as lesbian or gay - sometimes in conjunction with a bi identity (e.g. ‘gay-identified bisexual’ or ‘bi-dyke’).
Bisexuality: The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority by Beth A. Firestein (1996)
“In her ongoing study, Paula Rust did find substantial numbers of women identifying as both bisexual and lesbian, using a variety of labels, such as bi-dyke, bisexual lesbian, and so on, to name their own particular social, sexual, and political realities.”
“Most of the remainder identified themselves as bisexual in combination with other identities, for example, as a ‘lesbian bisexual,’ a ‘gay-identified bisexual,’ or a ‘bisexual queer,’ or preferred alternative terms, such as pansensual.”
Preventing Heterosexism and Homophobia edited by Esther D. Rothblum and Lynne A. Bond (1996)
“In my current research study, the most common sexual identities among women, after bisexual and queer, are lesbian-identified bisexual and bisexual lesbian. Similar identities are bi dyke and byke. These identities are often used by women for whom lesbian and bisexual identities each accurately reflect some aspect of their sexuality but do not completely describe their sexuality. Most commonly, these identities are used by women who feel attracted to both women and men but who, for political reasons often related to feminism or personal reasons involving their emotional feelings about women and men, choose to express these feelings only toward women. Other women use these identities because they previously identified as lesbian and retain the lesbian identity as a reflection of their political commitment to women or to the lesbian community. For them, the term bisexual is a more sexual and apolitical term than lesbian, so bisexual identity alone would not suffice to express the political meaning of their sexuality. But they feel attracted to both women and men and might be open to or actively engaged in either same-gender or other-gender activity, so they also use the term bisexual to express their sexual essence.”
“Other increasingly common identities are gay bisexual among men.”
Queerly Phrased: Language, Gender, and Sexuality edited by Anna Livia and Kira Hall (1997)
“Certainly, the emergence of bisexual identity has encouraged much lexical innovation (e.g. bi, biphobia, monosexual, gay-identified bisexual, byke).
Labelous Statements by Anne Killpack, Anything That Moves (1999)
“Be a bi-dyke or a bi-gay or a bi-androgyne or a bi-anything-that-moves-you.”
Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (2001)
“Others are unable to limit themselves to one identity, and therefore adopt ‘fractured’ or ‘compound’ identities, for example, ‘bisexual lesbian,’ ‘heterosexual-identified bisexual,’ or ‘byke’.”
Bi-Gay, Bi-Straight, and Bi-Bi: Three Bisexual Subgroups Identified Using Cluster Analysis of the Klen Sexual Orientation Grid by James D. Weinrich and Fritz Klein (2002)
“Another group consisted of 250 women on the heterosexual side of bisexual, whom we called Bi-Heterosexual. There were, similarly, 197, 115, and 63 women in groups we named Bi-Bisexual, Bi-Lesbian, and Lesbian, respectively.”
“This cluster analysis showed an easily interpreted division into five subgroups, which we named Gay (consisting of 121 men), Bi-gay (176 men), Bi-Bisexual (222), Bi-Heterosexual (277), and Heterosexual (221).”
Affirmative Practice: Understanding and Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons by Ski Hunter (2003)
“Terms also develop and change with socially available sexual identities. Today among bisexual women the most common identities not only include bisexual and queer but ‘lesbian-identified bisexual’ and ‘bisexual lesbian’ or ‘bi dyke’ and ‘byke.’ Some bisexual women include the term lesbian in their current identification because of a previous lesbian identification or a political commitment to women or to the lesbian community.”
“‘Gay bisexual’ is a recent identification among men.”
Lilaine, Bi-Dyke by Leanne Franson. (1999-2004)
“Hullo! My name is Leanne Franson, not to be confused with my main character, also a bi-dyke, whose name is Liliane. Liliane has no nose. I do.” (This comic features many complex identities, not just bi lesbian.)
History of Mspec Lesbians
We Walk Alone by Ann Aldrich (1950)
“Another sort of lesbian is the so-called bisexual. [...] The bisexual lesbian is indeed often love-hungry, not necessarily because her appetite is any larger than other females [...] Unlike many homosexuals who simply talk bisexuality, this lesbian lives it.”
Lesbian/Woman by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon (1972)
“A Lesbian is a woman whose primary erotic, psychological, emotional, and social interest is in a member of her own sex, even though that interest may not be overtly expressed.”
Bisexuality by Trisha Miller, pg. 19 Lavender Women (1973)
“What is a Lesbian? To me, a lesbian is a woman-oriented woman; bisexuals can be lesbians.”
National Women’s Conference Quote by Patricia Bailey (1977)
“I say I am a lesbian but I also say ‘listen to my definition of lesbianism.’ My definition is a woman who loves women. She cares about all facets of a woman’s life.”
Gay-Identified Bisexuals by the BiVocals, Bi Women Quarterly (1983)
“We are a group of radical gay-identified bisexual women who have been meeting together for almost a year.”
“Events took a dramatic turn when I then became very attracted to a bisexual Lesbian, who I shall call Robyn.”
Bisexual Women by R. Drew, Bi Women Quarterly (1984)
“How many bisexual lesbians are there? [...] Here’s one way for you to guess how many bisexual women exist in the lesbian community: The next time you find yourself surrounded by lesbians, at a workshop, a bar, a party, a dance, a benefit, a rally, a rap group, a class, ask yourself how many women would still be there if all the bisexual lesbians got up and left. [...] It’s just a hypothetical situation, since bisexual lesbians are a large and irremovable part of the lesbian community.”
Colorado college environmental alienates homosexuals by Sharon Brady, The Catalyst (1984)
“‘If I have to be labeled’, said Sam, ‘I’m a bisexual lesbian. I don’t like men in bed but I have very strong relationships with men.’”
Pro Choice by Marcia Deihl, Gay Community News (1984)
“One of the most important things I tell new friends is that I am a gay-identified bisexual.”
Study Group by Barb H., Bi Women Quarterly (1984)
“We started by trying to define some terms, specifically ‘feminism,’ ‘gay-identified bisexual,’ and ‘bisexual’. Alot of us were amazed to see how many different interpretations each term, especially ‘gay-identified,’ could have. Is someone ‘gay-identified’ because they devote a majority of their time, energy and emotion to the gay community? Or does an individual’s radical critique of heterosexuality make them ‘gay-identified’? And does ‘gay-identified’ also imply ‘women-identified’? Some people felt that one could be gay-identified, and still not be woman-identified. And exactly how many Meg Christian concerts make you ‘lesbian-identified’?”
Bisexuality and Discrimination by Lani Ka'ahumanu, Bi Women Quarterly (1985)
“It is important for me as a lesbian identified bisexual woman, who is politically dedicated to and active in the feminist movement, to discuss bisexuality as a valid lifestyle, to challenge the prejudices and encourage people to come out. [...] My political consciousness is lesbian but my lifestyle is bisexual.”
The Slang Thesaurus by Jonathan Green (1986)
A list of derogatory terms for “female homosexuals” includes “bluff (bisexual lesbian)”.
Bi of the Month: Betty Aubut by Robyn Ochs, Bi Women Quarterly (1987)
“I call myself a ‘bisexual lesbian.’”
Lesbian Psychologies: Exploration and Challenges edited by Boston Lesbian Psychologies Collective (1987)
“She calls herself a ‘bisexual lesbian’, presently interested in women, but acknowledging an attraction to men she may someday choose to act upon.”
Contributors' Notes, pg. 135 Sinister Wisdom (1989)
“Sharon Sumpter is a bisexual lesbian activist and psychotherapist who works with women survivors of abuse, institutionalization and sexual oppression.”
Bisexual Women and AIDS by Alexis Danzig, Women, AIDS, and Activism edited by Marion Banzhaf (1990)
“I define myself as a lesbian, but if I’m feeling really brave I’ll say I’m a lesbian-identified bisexual. Three years ago I was definitely a lesbian. Now I think of myself as bisexual, sometimes.”
Bistory at the Lesbian Herstory Archives by redacted author (1990/1991)
“[Joan Nestle] said that LHA is dedicated first and foremost to being a lesbian space. When I asked what she meant by ‘lesbian,’ she offered, “any woman who has at some point in her life loved another woman…For Joan, the mission of the LHA is to ‘preserve the multiplicity of lesbian presentations.’”
Bi Bi-Love, Hello Happiness by Rachel Pepper, Bay Area Reporter (1991)
“Although I really do think of myself as a woman with ‘dyke’ energy, and have been calling myself a dyke for years, when I think about it, maybe ‘bi dyke,’ a lesbian-identified bisexual woman, better suits me.”
Bisexual Lesbian by Dajenya (1991)
“I am not just bisexual. I am a lesbian. I am not just a lesbian. I am a bisexual lesbian. [...] I have the right to claim my lesbianism and my bisexuality even if it confuses you. I am a lesbian. I am bisexual. I am a bisexual lesbian. Deal with it.”
“Ka’ahumanu describes herself as ‘a lesbian-identified bisexual woman who is politically dedicated to and active in the women’s movement.’”
Bi Women, Lesbians Meet in Fence-Mending Bid by Nancy Boutilier, Bay Area Reporter (1991)
“At times the emphasis was on shared experience; at times it was on differences. Women referred to themselves as bidykes, queer, lesbian, bisexual — one called herself a bisexual-lesbian while another saw herself as a lesbian-identified bisexual.”
My Life As a Lesbian-Identified Bisexual Fag Hag by Ellin Terris, Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
Myths/realities of bisexuality by Sharon Foreman Sumpter, Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
“Most bisexuals consider themselves part of the generic term ‘gay.’ Many are quite active in the gay community, both socially and politically. Some of us use terms such as ‘bisexual lesbian; to increase our visibility on both issues.”
The Queer in Me by Carol Queen, Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
“Before I became sexual with women, I was worried about calling myself bisexual. Now I’m worried because it seems so imprecise. I deal with it by saying ‘lesbian-identified bisexual’ (or, when I’m feeling perverse, ‘faggot-identified lesbian’), but then almost no one understands.”
Sexual Democracy: Women, Oppression, and Revolution by Ann Ferguson (1991)
“Although lesbian separatists have been resisting the change, other lesbians are coming out as bisexual lesbians or as lesbians whose lovers are bisexual and who are tired of separatist politics that exclude them from the lesbian counterculture. As a bisexual lesbian myself, I applaud the development in the hope that the struggle against heterosexism can be strengthened by the inclusion of more who consider themselves hurt by it.”
The 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, Bi (yes!) Equal Rights and Liberation April 25 by Lani Ka'ahumanu, Anything That Moves (1992)
“Rebecca Hensler a Queer Nation/ACT UP bi dyke from SF.”
Bisexuals in the Queer Movement by Carol A. Queen, pg. 32 (1992)
“A great many bisexual women, particularly those who are feminist and lesbian-identified, have felt both personally and politically rejected and judged by the separatist sisters.”
Closer to Home: Bisexuality and Feminism edited by Elizabeth Reba Weise (1992)
“The women in this anthology give themselves many names. Bi-dyke, bi-lesbian, bi-feminist, lesbian-identified bisexual, bisexual, bi-affectional, lesbian, and formerly-lesbian bisexual.”
Evil Companions, Bay Area Reporter (1992)
“Danielle Willis, ‘bisexual lesbian vampyre’ weirds things up with her stories.”
The Invisible Sex by Noreen C. Barnes, Bay Area Reporter (1992)
“She defines herself as a bisexual lesbian, and says, ‘in theory, I enjoy men and women, but in reality I share my life and my bed with only one woman.’”
Activating Theory: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Politics published by Lawrence & Wishart (1993)
“At the workshop on women and bisexuality, Sue George…read out a list of various women…to fill out a questionnaire aimed at bisexuals…Some who identified as lesbian also filled in the questionnaire because they had or were having sexual relationships with men, and saw that as important.”
Activating Bisexuality: Towards a Bi/Sexual Politics by Jo Eadie, Activating Theory: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Politics edited by Joseph Bristow and Angelia R. Wilson (1993)
“‘To the five life-styles recognized in the 1950s at least three have been added: the lesbian-feminist, the lesbian mother, the lesbian anarcho-squatter’. Not the lesbian-identified bisexual or the lesbian who sleeps with men.”
“Aunt Tessie” Isn't Lesbian Enough by Marijo Readey, Anything That Moves (1993)
“Enclosed you will find a copy of a letter of rejection which I recently received from the lesbian journal Common Lives, Lesbian Lives. Please note that the story which I submitted was openly rejected because I acknowledged my identity as a lesbian-identified bisexual in my literary biography. The story was lesbian-oriented and had no male-oriented content.”
Bisexual Women Pushing the Limits by Beth Herrick, pg. 19P Sojourner (1993)
“As most of the writers are ‘lesbian-identified bisexuals’ (one of several labels used for the sake of convenience), the definition of lesbianism is also reevaluated. Is a lesbian a woman who relates emotionally and erotically with women or a woman who does not relate emotionally and erotically with men? Must a woman fit both criteria to be considered a lesbian?”
LGBA Rallies for Commitment: National Coming Out Day Held at Student Union by Deborah White, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (1993)
“Dvora Zipkin described herself to the crowd as a ‘white, Jewish, lesbian-identified bisexual, graduate student concentrating on social justice.’”
Street Zen: The Life and Work of Issan Dorsey by David Schneider (1993)
“He’d also taken up with a new companion, a woman named Stormy Reaves: ‘She was a whore and a bisexual lesbian.’”
Contemporary Psychology (1994)
“Burch focuses on differences between lesbian women in sexual orientation and defines two points on a continuum: a primary lesbian (more exclusively oriented toward female partners) and a bisexual lesbian (sexual orientation is often oriented to both men and women).”
The Gadfly Bi: An Intentionally Annoying Column to Stimulate or Provoke Thinking by Way of Persistent Irritating Criticism by Adrienne David, Anything That Moves (1994)
“I’m assimilationist because I’d one day like to move up the income ladder so I make enough to call myself a bi-lesbian and not a bi-dyke.”
Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video by Raymond Murray (1994)
“From riding through L.A. escorted by Dykes on Bikes through her controversial centerfold modeling in Playboy, we see the self-acknowledged bisexual lesbian as a new force in feminism, a none-too-comforting thought to traditional minded feminists without a sense of humor!”
Tippecanoe and Ka'ahumanu Too by Lani Ka'ahumanu, Anything That Moves (1994)
“‘Lani Ka’ahumanu — an ex-housewife mother of two from San Mateo, a mixed heritage lesbian-identified bisexual feminist’ — would compete with Geraldine Ferraro and then-Mayor Diane Feinstein for the Vice-Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.”
Untitled/Dajenya, Anything That Moves (1994)
“Dajenya is a self-defined bisexual lesbian and African-American Jewish writer, single mother and psychology student.”
Vamps & Tramps: New Essays by Camille Paglia (1994)
“Well, I’m a bisexual lesbian who’s also monastic, celibate, pervert, deviant, voyeur.”
The Very Inside: An Anthology of Writing by Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbian and Bisexual Women by Sharon Lim-Hing (1994)
“She is a bi-dyke woman-of-color-identified woman of color, specifically ABC (American-born Chinese).”
Bi in the Sky by Beth Elliot, Bay Area Reporter (1995)
“Some of us don’t see ‘lesbian’ and ‘bisexual’ as mutually exclusive categories (because we view lesbianism in terms of one’s own passion for women instead of how passionately one avoids intimacy with men). It seems to us that Maria’s angst about her lesbian credentials could be soothed by embracing one of the incredibly truly adventurous articulations a girl in love can adopt, like ‘bisexual lesbian,’ ‘bi-dyke,’ or ‘lesbian-identified bisexual,’ instead of complaining about not getting lesbian props while holding hands with her boyfriend.”
“So, we developed ‘bi-dyke’ nomenclature to make a couple of things clear: we’d absolutely, positively be without sisters if the proverbial chips were ever down, and our bisexuality was an adjunct to our lesbianism, not incorporated to water it down.”
Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life by Marjorie B. Garber (1995)
“Susie Bright, editor of the lesbian pro-sex magazine On Our Backs, has described herself as a bisexual, or ‘bisexual lesbian.’”
“‘I dislike labels. My past is heterosexual, my present life is mostly lesbian, and my future is unknown.’ writes Dvora Zipkin, who characterizes herself, selecting what she regards as the best available choice, as a ‘bisexual lesbian.’”
Chicks Goin' at It by Anastasia Higginbotham, Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation (1995)
“My favorite term (other than plain old ‘queer’) is ‘bisexual lesbian.’ It just works for me. I don’t expect a man to understand me; I don’t applaud him if he does. My heart and my mind belong with other women-loving women.”
Don't Assume Anything by Any Wyeth, Bi Women Quarterly (1995)
“Unfortunately, many of my experiences as a lesbian-identified bisexual woman have said to me that having an appearance or demeanor that diverges from the expected means I will not be accepted as truly belonging in the lesbian community.”
Introducing Jessica Meredith Xavier, TransSister: the Journal of Transsexual Feminism (1995)
“Jessica is an out lesbian-identified bisexual transsexual woman, a transgendered and queer activist, and songwriter/poet.”
Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America edited by Lynn Witt, Sherry Thomas, and Eric Marcus (1995)
“Lynda Moore, network news anchor for ABC Radio. A lesbian-identified bisexual, Moore says she believes if not for her presence and that of a gay person with AIDS (PWA) editor, there would be much less attention paid to gay and lesbian issues at the network.”
“I am bisexual. I am a lesbian. I am a bi-identified lesbian. I am a lesbian-identified bisexual.”
Plural Desires: Writing Bisexual Women's Realities by Bisexual Anthology Collective (1995)
“Lesbians like to ask me if I am a lesbian-identified bisexual.”
“She is a bi-dyke ABC (American-born Chinese) born, raised & planning to die in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
And on Publisher's Row by Jenn Tust, pg 121 Feminist Bookstore News (1996)
“Joan Tollifson relays her struggle to make sense of her life and her spiritual awakening in Bare-Bones Meditation. Born with only one hand, she grew up feeling different, found identity and purpose as a bisexual lesbian and a disability rights activist, but struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.”
Ambiguous Identity in an Unambiguous Sex/Gender Structure: The Case of Bisexual Women by Amber Ault, pg 455 (1996)
“Many women in this study define a dyke as ‘anyone who is not heterosexual,’ and lesbian-aligned bisexual women often use the term to describe themselves. This move allows bisexual women to participate in lesbian contexts without either the onus of deception, since ‘dykes’ includes bisexuals, or the burden of the bisexual stigma.”
Fitting by Charlotte Cooper, Generation Q: Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals Born Around 1969's Stonewall Riots Tell Their Stories of Growing Up in the Age of Information edited by Robin Bernstein and Seth Clark Silberman (1996)
“I am usually either bisexual, queer, or a bi-dyke.”
“Growing up as a fat bi-dyke, I didn’t fit in anywhere, and fitting was paramount.”
From Person Therapy to Professional Life: Observations of a Jewish, Bisexual Lesbian Therapist and Academic by Sari H. Dworkin, pg 43 (1996)
“I often come out as a bisexual lesbian when I believe it is therapeutically beneficial to the client (as a role model, to illustrate the working through identity issues).”
The Gay Almanac by the National Museum & Archive of Lesbian and Gay History (1996)
“My girlfriend is a lesbian-identified bisexual woman who sells sex toys to dykes at Good Vibrations.”
Lesbian Friendships: For Ourselves and Each Other edited by Jacqueline S. Weinstock and Esther D. Rothblum (1996)
“I have been ‘out’ as a lesbian for approximately six years and ‘out’ as a lesbian-identified bisexual for one of those six years. I suppose I include my year of bisexual identification within my six years of lesbian identification because I feel very ‘lesbian’ and it would be dishonest to imply that I no longer identify as such. It seems I currently identify as both ‘lesbian’ and ‘lesbian-identified bisexual.’”
The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader by Pat Califa and Robin Sweeney (1996)
“Lori Selke is a young butch bi dyke currently living in Chicago, somewhat to her dismay.”
Sexual Identity and Bisexual Identities: The Struggle For Self-Description in a Changing Sexual Landscape by Paula C. Rust, Queer Studies: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Anthology edited by Breet Beemyn and Mickey Eliason (1996)
“She also reported that she ‘just recently felt justified in calling [her]self a ‘bi dyke’ among lesbians.”
“A woman who calls herself a Bi-dyke said, ‘I think I made it up for myself (as did many others) out of necessity.’”
The Art of Creating Change by Lani Ka'ahumanu, Anything That Moves (1997)
“Jennifer Haekin Kim, a Korean-American bi dyke youth activist from Atlanta.”
“I identified myself as a Korean-American bi-dyke queer.”
A Committed Bisexual: Who Says Bisexuals Can't Be Monogamous? by Julie White, Anything That Moves (1997)
“Julie White identifies with the following labels: queer, mother, lover, health educator, friend, bi dyke, femme, vegetarian, dominant, writer, butch, activist, submissive. Sometimes all at once.”
A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution by Karen Green and Tristan Taormino (1997)
“Squealworm ‘a girl-produced zine by me—a young bi-dyke who loves her bicycle, various girlfriends, turtles, and eating well.’”
Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media (1997)
“As a self-appointed, bisexual-lesbian spokeswoman for the LIVE GIRL, Bright occupies a more marginal position on the campus roadshow circuit than Dines, whose institutional affiliation secures her status as a legitimate educator.”
Lesbian and Bisexual Identities by Kristen G. Esterberg (1997)
“At that point she thought that the term ‘bisexual lesbian’ would fit her situation.”
Music: Discipline Analysis: Women in the Curriculum Series (1997)
“Cathay Che, a self-identified Asian American bisexual lesbian.”
Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture by Carol Queen (1997)
“Trying to reconstitute my identity as a bisexual lesbian in that small community was difficult and painful.”
Engendering Femme by Rachel Lanzerotti, Anything That Moves (1998)
“Yet if I can call myself a tomboy femme bi-dyke in San Francisco, that might mean something important to a dyke reading this somewhere, who might suddenly have a new word to recognize and describe a piece of herself that isn’t quite described by ‘dyke’ alone.”
Married Women Who Love Women reviewed by Elaine Miller, Anything That Moves (1998)
“As a woman who spent eight years in a committed relationship with a man before coming out as a raving bi-dyke, I found this book oddly touching.”
Moving From a Lesbian Separatist State by Kaesja Laurine Wilder, Anything That Moves (1998)
“I’ve tried on queer, bisexual, dyke-identified bisexual, womyn-identified bisexual, lesbian-identified bisexual; none really fit.”
My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, a Real You, or Something Else Entirely by Kate Bornstein (1998)
“I’m a Poetess-bi-dyke-drag-chick (sometimes I crave dick)—Gasp! Laugh.”
O Solo Homo: The New Queer Experience edited by Holly Hughes and David Román (1998)
“I am a one-breasted, menopausal, Jewish, bisexual lesbian mom, and I am the topic of our times.”
Sex and Relationships: An Anthology by John P. Elia (1999)
“Even though many of my partners have been male, I like to call myself a ‘bisexual lesbian’ to make clear my allegiance to the queer community. This community is a safe place for me to express the diversity of who I am sexually. There is no comparable term in the heterosexual community.”
To Love Women, or To Not Love Men: Chronicles of Lesbian Identification by Hinda Seif (1999)
“Dahlia identifies as a bisexual lesbian; Aviva used to identify as lesbian and now calls herself as a lesbian-identified bisexual woman; Donna considers herself a ‘bisexual who identifies as a lesbian.’”
The Mad Monks' Guide to California by Jim Crotty and Michael Lane (2000)
“I was lesbian-identified bisexual, or however we were terming it there in the late eighties.”
Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology by Any Sonnie (2000)
“I know who I am. Being unable to fit into a narrow category defined by someone else is not confusion. I know that defining myself is not so simple. If I collect all the labels that apply to me — Jewish-pagan-vegan-bisexual-lesbian-queer-woman-girl-womyn-grrrl — I would quickly fill up a book. Everyone’s sexuality is unique, just as no two maple leaves on the trees surrounding my parents’ house are the same as they transform into fiery red, orange, and yellow each autumn. That is part of what makes us human. The unnatural society we have imposed on the natural world is based on polarity and dichotomy. But we are constantly transforming, developing, and changing. Nothing is as simple as yes or no, right or wrong.”
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2001)
“Most people are familiar with the labels ‘heterosexual,’ ‘gay,’ ‘lesbian,’ and ‘bisexual,’ but not ‘unlabeled,’ ‘bi-lesbian,’ and ‘not straight’—terms that current cohorts of youth, particularly young women, are likely to assume.”
“A mixture of bisexual and lesbian attractions (‘bi-lesbian’).”
Postcard from the Middle: Sex and Lassitude in New Orleans by Jack, Anything That Moves (2001)
“Me and my bi dyke buddy Wolf.”
The Masks of Mary Renault: A Literary Biography by Caroline Zilboorg (2001)
“Her sexual identity as a bisexual lesbian, as Julie’s partner, was threatened by her nusring, by the war, and by the Englishmen who came into her life and to whom she was attracted sexually as well as intellectually and emotionally.”
A Member of the Funeral: An Introspective Ethnography by Nancy A. Naples, Queer Families, Queer Politics: Challenging Culture and the State edited by Mary Bernstein and Renate Reinmann (2001)
“I remember the satisfaction I felt when I read Ann Ferguson’s (1991) conceptualization of her own bisexual lesbian identity. The category worked for me as a shortcut to describe my sexual history, although I have been lesbian-identified since 1980. Categories, as misguided as they may be to a postmodern sensibility, can be quite comforting and useful at times. Yet I also realize that while I adopt the term ‘bisexual lesbian’ to make sense of my personal history, it serves only as a fleeting comfort. It fails to capture the processes of negotiation and redefinition embedded in my ongoing identity construction.”
A New View of Women's Sexual Problems (2001)
“In recent years, younger generations of sexual minority women have adopted diverse and newly constructed self-identifications, including queer, lesbian-identified bisexual, bisensual, polyamorous, and bisexual lesbian.”
Romancing the Sperm: The Screening and Making of Alternative American Families by Diane M. Tober (2001)
“I’d say I’m a bisexual lesbian. Politically, I identify more strongly with the lesbian community, but sexually, I find myself attracted to women and men.”
Same Sex Intimacies: Families of Choice and Other Life Experiments by Jeffrey Weeks (2001)
“F45 Ebony is a 34-year-old black dyke (‘technically a bisexual lesbian’).
Sometimes a Cigar by Betty Blue, Anything That Moves (2001)
“Betty Blue is a polyamorous, Pagan, masochistic, pierced and tattooed bi-dyke and single mom.”
Writing as a Reflective Action: A Reader by Duncan A. Carter (2001)
“One lesbian transsexual explained why she calls herself a ‘lesbian-identified bisexual’. ‘I have always been attracted to and loved women only. I thought I was a straight man. Now I’m a woman but still love women and not men at all. Yet lesbians all reject me as one of them because I’m genetically male. Bisexual women, however, fully accept me.’ Excluded from lesbian contexts, she adopted an identity that was available in a bisexual context where she was accepted.
Bisexual Women in the Twenty-First Century edited by Dawn Atkins (2002)
“I’ve been thinking about the baby bi-dyke I was 25 years ago, how it would feel to her if I could time-travel back and tell her that in spite of all the trauma of trying to be a proper lesbian, everything would turn out all right—that, as Madonna sings, I’d ‘live to tell.’”
The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism by Shelley Rabinovitch (2002)
“She is a bi-lesbian.”
Trans-Sexuality: Bisexual Formations and the Limits of Categories by Josephine Ho (2004)
“Even within the lesbian community of the 1970s and 1980s, gender/sexuality coloring exerted very different effects on bisexual lesbians with different gender images.”
San Francisco Dyke March (2017)
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History of Mspec Gays
Andy, 27, Bisexual Lives by Off Pink Publishing (1988)
“I see myself as gay and bisexual, they say this cannot be. However, my lifestyle having developed over the last 10 years as an ‘out’ gay man, I am not going into the closet. I am still gay.”
David Burke, 45, Bisexual Lives by Off Pink Publishing (1988)
“Not only could I technically be bisexual, I could identify as gay and grow to be proud of it.” / “I began to feel that the right way for me to identify was as gay politically and bisexual behaviourally.”
Privatized “Recovery” Versus Collective Action by Leonard Tirado, Gay Community News (1990)
“As a gay-identified bisexual man, my anger is compounded by the nagging feeling that the entire lesbian, gay and bisexual community is being suckered into losing sight of the social aspects of dependency, chemical and otherwise.”
Another Senseless Loss by Delores Bishop, Bi Any Other Name by Lani Ka'ahumanu and Loraine Hutchins (1991)
“When Alan Rockway died of AIDS in November 1987, our bisexual community lost one of its key leaders. His was another senseless loss. Alan, a founding member of BiPOL, had been very active as a gay-identified bisexual organizer. He co-authored the controversial Gay Rights Ordinance in Dade County, Florida, which spurred Anita Bryant’s Save Our Children Campaign.”
“Alan had always been an inspiration to me as a gay-identified bisexual organizer, because he had incredible chutzpah and feminist politics.”
Duel Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality by Martin S. Weinberg, Colin J. Williams, and Douglas W. Pryor (1995)
“I have felt gay all along, along with feeling bi. [...] In terms of identifying, I feel like a citizen of the lesbian, gay, and bi community. Sexually, and in my heart, I identify as gay. Emotionally and personality-wise, I want to emphasize and have support for my relationships with men and with women, to identify with the community and as bi. People don’t always fit into discrete categories. I insist on identifying with both.”
Facing the Body on the Cross by Robin Hawley Gorsline, Men's Bodies, Men's Gods: Male Identities in a (Post) Christian Culture edited by Björn Kronendorfer (1996)
“I am a gay-identified, bisexual father. [...] As a gay-identified bisexual man.”
Gender Blending edited by Bonnie Bullough, Vern L. Bullough, and James Elias (1997)
“In the mid-1970s, I had a three-year relationship with a gay-identified, bisexual, female-to-male, preoperative transsexual (he was the dominant, and I the passive, partner). [...] Then, several years later, in 1982, I had a brief, but intense, love affair with another ‘new man’ (also preoperative, gay-identified, bisexual, and dominant).”