Question:
It appears to me that bi-sexuality is becoming an epidemic with teens and young adults. Until recently, my son had only confessed that he had bi-sexual friends that were girls. Sunday I read something he had written about "his true self" which declared that he was bi-sexual. Once confronting him he denied being either bi-sexual or totally gay. He has no "feminine" qualities. It appears that this is just another "thing" that teens are being drawn to. Is the issue a big (nationally) as I perceive?Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline expert, Logan Levkoff, Ph.D. , is a Sexologist and Sexuality Educator. She answers:
There is a difference between "experimenting" and identifying as "bisexual". Someone who is bisexual is attracted to both genders; someone experimenting is just looking for a range of experiences (attraction is not necessarily a factor). In addition, how a person expresses their gender (either by being stereotypically male or female) has nothing to do with who he/she is attracted to. There are plenty of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people who do not exhibit the characteristics that we frequently see in pop culture. Curiosity is part of adolescence though, and while it may be difficult to understand, your son may not yet know exactly how to identify himself. As a parent, it is important that you are just there for him - to answer his questions, be a sounding board, and his support.