Reevaluating my bisexual bias

When writers publish their work, there’s nothing more disheartening than having people misinterpret what you’re trying to say and turn it into something it was not intended to be.

That is the beauty and danger of the written word. Because everyone can take something different from a piece, the author’s desired message may be lost.

What I meant to do in my Jan. 24 column, “Bisexual bias,” was voice that I am a product of an unjust society in which bisexuality is viewed with hostile suspicion. I have trouble grasping the existence of bisexuality because I have grown up influenced by ignorant foundations of thought.

In hindsight, I played up the declaration that bisexuals don’t exist too aggressively in the column.

I employed the controversial punch and neglected to be the articulate writer I can be. Unfortunately, this joke defined my column and steered away from the real point I was trying to make, which was our culture isn’t accepting of bisexual men.

When I wrote the column it was never my intention to insult or hurt anyone, and I apologize if anyone took my piece offensively.

Since then, I’ve been labeled a homophobic and misogynist bigot. With taking this job, I never thought everyone would agree with me 100 percent of time, but being called these things has been upsetting.

While I am not perfect, I am in no way, shape or form homophobic or misogynistic. I realize I cannot explicitly prove these things in the limited space I have for this column. But in my daily life, I have nothing but the highest level of respect for both the gay community and women. What I am, however, is a college student and aspiring writer who is continuously learning and growing.

By writing my columns, I’m exploring myself in addition to looking at issues and events from an analytical viewpoint. I’m not a perfect writer or person, but I’m attending school and writing newspaper columns in order to better both myself and my writing.

In the aftermath of my column’s publication, I had the good fortune to participate in a panel discussion regarding bisexuality with experts like Martin Weinberg from the Department of Sociology and Brian Dodge from the School of Public Health, who have both extensively researched the subject.

The discussion, which can be listened to online, opened my eyes to a point of view and lifestyle I didn’t understand before. I was also lucky to have a fellow columnist write an eloquently written and informative rebuttal, especially for me.

I’m happy to know even though my previous column was written from a place of ignorance, I can now grow towards understanding and acceptance, which would not have happened if I had not written “Bisexual bias.”

At the end of the day, people are free to judge whether my opinions are right, wrong or somewhere in between, but they are still my own. I’ve been given a platform on which I can share those opinions, and it would be a dishonesty to censor myself just because some people may get offended.

That being said, the reaction from my column has given me the chance to expand my horizons and revaluate what I believe. As a student, I’m constantly growing, constantly learning new things and constantly rediscovering who I am. That’s why we’re here at IU.

Yes, we’re working towards degrees and, ideally, a career. But most importantly, we’re here to grow into the people we were meant to be. I’m always going to be a work in progress, but I’m figuring it out a bit more every day, one column at a time.

­— wdmcdona@indiana.edu