Bisexuality

Bisexuality is defined as having romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior towards more than one gender or attraction that is not limited by sex or gender. The term bisexuality originated in early sexology as a descriptor for those with both homosexual and heterosexual attraction and was coined in the 19th century in German by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his Psychopathia Sexualis, then introduced to English by Charles Gilbert Chaddock in his 1892 translation. Bisexual (or bi) was reclaimed as a sexual orientation label in the 1960s and has been defined in a variety of ways by the bisexual community, including as attraction regardless of gender or sex, attraction existing beyond the gender and sexual orientation binary, attraction to men and women, attraction to more than one gender or sex, attraction to people of similar/same and different/other genders, and attraction with gender being an irrelevant factor. Scientists do not know the exact determinants of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences, and do not view it as a choice. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biologically based theories. There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Bisexuality has been observed in various human societies, as well as elsewhere in the animal kingdom, throughout recorded history.