Bisexuality
A criticAL essay
based on the lecture of
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
José maría Vázquez linares
Grupo 2 Crítica Literaria
Profesora: Inmaculada Caro
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction …………………………………………………………… 3
Objectives... ……………………………………………………….…… 6
Methodology …………………………………………………………... 6
Development …………………………………………………………... 7
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue …………………………… 7
Analysis I: Religion, family and promiscuity ……………….……….... 8
Analysis II: Gender roles and patriarchal system ...…………………….. 10
Analysis III: Prejudice, Love and Vice ………………………………… 12
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………..
Bibliography …………………………………………………………….
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INTRODUCTION
Basic notions about queer theory and bisexuality
“Queer” is a word that it is used to be defined against the normal, the norm. A
collection of intellectual engagements with the relations between sex, gender and sexual
desire is the basic sentence to define the “Queer theory” (Tamsin Spargo, 1999). The
queer theory can be seen as a method not orthodox enough as a discipline, but that is the
strategy: to provoke a shock in people to see different perspectives of reality, beyond
the classic views (those that belonged to a cisgender, heterosexual man).
Although the term queer includes other aspects as religion, race, disability, etc.
(Inmaculada Caro, 2021), in this project it is focused the concept of sexuality and,
specifically, the bisexuality.
Firstly, people have to be sure about the difference biological sex, gender identity
and sexual orientation:
- Biological sex refers to one’s biology, this means, a non-binary spectrum which
tends to be reduced to chromosomes and genitalia. There are three big groups:
chromosomes XY (usually associated with male), XX (usually associated with female)
and the third group a combination (e.g. XXY), in which people are born with external
genitals of “typically” male/female persons but their internal organs or hormones do
not. (Marian Joels, 2016). They are known as intersexual people.
- Gender identity is who you are. The personal conception of oneself as male or
female (or neither). This is a social construct according to the expectations of what is
masculine and what is feminine (Inmaculada Caro, 2021) When a person whose
biological sex when born does not suit with his, socially appropriate, gender, the person
is defined as transgender.
- Sexual orientation is the sexual and / or romantic attraction to a person,
depending on the gender. There are three sexual orientations: heterosexual, homosexual
and bisexual.
The Queer theory has studied and, in fact, still studies, the connection between the
LGTBQ people with the world: their connections, the factors who increased (or not) the
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difficulty to integrate themselves into the social and labor world, the reasons for what
LGTBQ people has been persecuted, mistreated, murdered, marginalized throughout
history and a long list of important aspects related to this collective.
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation consisted on the capacity for emotional, romantic,
and/or physical attraction to more than one sex or gender. Bisexuality is, in fact, the
most invisible sexual orientation, in spite of comprising more bisexual people than
homosexual ones, according to the polls done by bisexuals and homosexuals. (San
Francisco Human Rights Commission, 2011).
Which of the following best describes TOTAL Male Females
your sexual orientation?
Lesbian, gay or homosexual 51.1% 68.4% 34.7%
Bisexual 48.9% 31.6% 65.3%
TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Table 1: Proportion of lesbian, gays and bisexuals (Egan et al., 2007)
Bisexual people are, sadly, invisible not only for cis heterosexual people, but
members of LGTBQ community. Myths about bisexuality that provokes an invisibility
are:
Bisexuality is a phase. A lot of people think that bisexuality is a transition
between one orientation or another (heterosexual or homosexual).
Consideration of bisexual people as people who feels attraction to men. This
phenomenon is due to the androcentrism, which places men to the center of
sexual desire. For example, when a male defines himself as bisexual, most of
society thinks that he is gay. On the other hand, when a female defines herself as
a bisexual, most of society thinks that she is heterosexual, but modern or open-
minded (phallocentrism).
Promiscuousness. People who define themselves as bisexual, are always
considered vicious.
Carriers of sexual illness. That promiscuity flows into the belief that bisexuals
are carriers of sexual illness or for having a mental illness and sometimes are
marginalized for that.
Recently, it seems to have an increase in terms of bisexual people who leaves the
closet. Approximately, one in six members of Gen Z (15.9 per cent) identify as
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LGBTQ. This is almost the double than people born in 1980s and in the beginnings of
the 1990s, four times more than people born in 1980s and even eight times more than
people born in 1970s (Joe Carter, 2021).
There are three main factors for this increase: the visibility of famous people, the
feminism movement, and rise of the media.
Actress, singers, writers, and a large quantity of famous have identified themselves
as bisexual, for example, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox, and so
on. Many others support the LGBTQ fight as Lady Gaga, Daniel Radcliffe, Josh
Hutcherson and so on. All this visibility has provoked the rise of the people who have
identified as bisexual.
Moreover, people are supporting more and more the fight of LGBTQ collective
thanks to the help of other oppressed collectives as women (following the feminist
fight). Feminists and the LGBTQ are helping each other in their own causes.
Media has been a factor in this rise. In the beginnings of 2000s, without the new
technologies, bisexual people did not find visibility of bisexuality. But now with the
increase of media is easier to find referents people within the LGTBQ.
But why bisexuality is invisible for society? There is no a certain answer but in a lot
of cases bisexuals consider that people accept bisexuality beyond those close to them
but not within their friendships, or acquaintances whom still judge. Bisexuality, as
previously mentioned, is considered a phase, bisexuals are believed to be lost.
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OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the queer theory and the moralist theory.
2. Deepen into the bisexual collective and the dichotomy invisibility – tendency.
3. Meet the religious perspective related to the LGTBQ collective and, specifically,
the bisexuality.
4. Identify the main tools of oppression: religion, patriarchy, androcentrism.
5. Recognize the main prejudices concerning the bisexual people and distinguish
them from other types of prejudices.
6. Use the LGTBQ perspective in the lecture and analysis of fragments extracted
from the work “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtues”.
METHODOLOGY
After the understanding through a brief summary about the queer theory and,
especially, the bisexuality, it is applied a selection of texts extracted from the work “The
Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtues” written by McKenzie Lee, and an analysis to
the understanding of 3 factors about oppression and prejudices: religion and
promiscuity, the “normal” cis heterosexual man and the prejudice related to the
dichotomy love – vice.
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THE G E N T L E M A N’ S GUIDE
TO VICE AND VIRTUES
McKenzie Lee
Henry “Monty” was born to be a gentleman but he was never tamed. He was
different, he was marginated by his father, he was educated in the finest schools but he
still lived following his passions, his vices, and looking for women or men (Goodreads,
2017).
Monty embarks on the Grand Tour of Europe, and he worried about his vices and his
pleasant life for coming to an end. He shared his adventure with his best friend, Percy,
and he started to had a crush on him. (Goodreads, 2017).
Monty decided to convert his trip into his best experience ever. But his bad decisions
turn his experience into a harrowing manhunt that spreads throughout Europe and
jeopardized his relation with his love, Percy. (Goodreads, 2017).
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ANALYSIS 1
Religion, family and promiscuity
““Do you want to know if I’m a bugger?”
She winces at the crass word, but then says, “It seems a fair question, considering I’ve seen
your hands all over Richard Peele and Theodosia Fitzroy.”
“Oh, dear Theodosia, my girl.” I collapse backward into the sofa cushions. “I remain
inconsolable over losing her.” […] “Why does it matter who I run around with?”
“Well, one is illegal. And a sin. And the other is also a sin, if you aren’t married to her.”
“Are you going to give me the fornication without the intention of procreation is of the devil
and a crime lecture? I believe I could recite it from memory by now.”
[…]
“What was the question?”
“Are you—”
“Oh yes, am I a sodomite. Well, I’ve been with lads, so . . . yes.”
She purses her lips, and I wish I hadn’t been so forthright. “If you’d stop, Father might not be
so rough on you, you know.”
“Oh my, thank you for that earth-shattering wisdom. Can’t believe I didn’t think of that
myself.”
“I’m simply suggesting—”
“Don’t bother.”
“—he might ease up.”
“Well, I haven’t much choice.”
“Really?” She crosses her arms. “You haven’t a choice in who you bed?”
“No, I mean I haven’t much choice in who it is I want to bed.”
“Of course you do. Sodomy’s a vice—same as drinking or gambling.”
“Not really. I mean, yes, I enjoy it. And I have certainly abstained from abstinence. But I’m also
rather attracted to all the men I kiss. And the ladies as well.”
[…]
“But humans are made to be attracted to the opposite sex. Not the same one. That’s how
nature operates.”
“Does that make me unnatural?” When she doesn’t reply, I say, “Have you ever fancied
anyone?”
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“No. But I believe I understand the basic principles of it.” “
Extract 1, from “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtues” (M. Lee, 2017)
In this extract, two characters (Monty and his little sister, Felicity) are talking about the
sexuality of Monty. Monty talks about his sexuality with normality and serenity, ignoring the
opinions of his sister who is constantly repeating that his experiences are sins.
The fragment starts with Monty referring himself as a “bugger” after the controversial fact
that he was in bed with Theodosia Fitzroy and Richard Peele and the knowledge of his sister
about it. He does not deny that and he insured it to her. Felicity, who has a close-minded
perspective (although good enough being conscious of the novel is based on the eighteenth
century) assures that he is committing a sin and even a crime. On one hand, Theodosia Fitzroy,
a girl who was laying in bed with Monty without being married, just for pleasure and, in the
other hand, Richard Peele, for having homosexual relations. It is known that religion in the
eighteenth century predominated in the society’s mind, it was essential, and people who did
not follow the Christian religion used to be excluded.
This “promiscuity” is also a criticized action. Monty is considered not to be looking for a
stable life, but fickle. But Monty seems not to be agreed with the established rules. Moreover,
he assumes his bisexuality and he even uses disparaging adjectives to define his sexuality, as
bugger or sodomite… He is actually using these adjectives in order to convert those
disparaging adjectives into normal ones.
“Sodomy” is a concept condemned by religion from all over the years. The Bible says that
lands are contaminated after the presence of homosexuality (Lv. 18, 27), and Bible refers these
conducts to emphasize the vice and the evil of the people. Other reference taken by the Bible
is “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God.” (I Chor. 6, 9-10) The obsession that people had for the religion provoked
the increase of homophobic conducts and the marginalization of this collective.
Another issue that appears in the text is the role of the family. The figure of the father is the
owner of the house and family, the patriarch, the person who takes over the good
development of the family, and he uses the violence if it is necessary.
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ANALYSIS 2
Gender roles and patriarchal system
“When you are a lad who enjoys getting other lads in bed, you have to develop a
rather fastidious sense for who plays the same instrument or there’s a chance you’ll find
yourself at the business end of a hangman’s knot. And if this fellow and I had met at a
bar, I would have already bought him a drink and put his fingers in my mouth. It’s a
great risk—I’m not so much jumping to a conclusion as vaulting haphazardly to it—but,
somehow, I know.”
Extract 2, from “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtues” (M. Lee, 2017).
In this fragment Monty is referring how complicated is to meet a guy who can be gay
or bisexual but sometimes is easy. This is a stereotype about the concept of masculinity
and femininity, nothing weird in the eighteenth century but something that has not
changed over the time until now. In fact, nowadays guys who has attitudes socially
assigned to women, are more criticized and marginalized than those who has attitudes
within the attitudes that are considered “for men”.
It is socially accepted, although fortunately every time less, that a man can go to a
girl and flirt her, but not that a man can do the same to another man – because you are
then a gay, or in other words a “faggot”, or a woman to a man – because you are a
“whore”.
This conduct comes from the patriarchal system in which the normativity is
comprised in the power and privileges of those men who are cissexuals – not
transexuals -, straight – without being a member of the collective LGTBQ+ -, white –
not a black man because they are considered as the inferior race -, and Catholic
Christian – due to the importance of religion -. In fact, throughout the whole history
men have been free to do whatever they want, they have occupied all the great stalls in
jobs, they have been all the privileges, whereas the oppressed people were resigned to
be hidden, attending the necessities of the men, even being slaves. This people have
been always persecuted, women had no rights and now are living with disadvantages,
with more difficult to access to jobs beyond cleaning, attendance, cares or hostelry –
being considered objects of consumption.
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LGTBQ+ collective has been persecuted too. They have been murdered – and
actually it is happening now -, sent to conversion centers and even being exorcised by
the Catholic church. LGTBQ+ collective has less opportunities to access to
employments who attends to the public face-to-face than straight people. Moreover,
they have committed more cases of suicides than another collective.
Black people were objects to slavery for centuries. They were working for the
benefits of whites and in fact they are currently. In first world countries, entrepreneurs
take advantage of black people because they receive less money but that money is
higher than in their countries. But despite of that, white people still judge them for
“steal their jobs” but they do not blame to entrepreneurs.
Christianism and governments have persecuted Jews and Muslims, examples of this
are The Holy Inquisition or the Nazi dictatorship ruled by Adolf Hitler.
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ANALYSIS 3
Prejudice, love and vice.
“
I’m suddenly aware of my body in a way I wasn’t a moment before, every twitch and
blink, the way my shoulders sit inside this too-big coat, the bob of my throat as I swallow hard,
every point of my silhouette that his gaze touches. Love may be a grand thing, but goddamn if
it doesn’t take up more than its fair share of space inside a man.
I could tell him. Right here, right now, let it out in the light. Percy, I could say, I think you are
the most beautiful creature on God’s green earth and I would very much like to find a hidden
corner of this opera house and engage in some behavior that could only be termed sinful.
Percy, I could say, I am almost certain that I am in love with you. “
Extract 3, from “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtues” (M. Lee, 2017).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Caro, I. (2021) Introduction to Literary Theory, Feminist and Gender Criticism
[Material de la plataforma] Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla.
Caro, I. (2021) More about the Queer Theory [Material de la Plataforma] Universidad
de Sevilla, Sevilla.
Caro, I. (2021) Issues about the Queer Theory [Material de la Plataforma] Universidad
de Sevilla, Sevilla.
Carter, J. (2021, 27 febrero). Why Are Young Adults Increasingly Identifying as
Bisexual? The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-are-
young-adults-increasingly-identifying-as-bisexual/
de Lauretis, T. (1991). Queer Theory. Amsterdam University Press.
Lee, M. (2017). 15. In The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Special edition, pp.
148–149; 164; 171). HarperCollinsPublishers.
Lee, M. (2018). The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue: 1 (Reprint ed., Vol. 1).
Katherine Tegen Books.
PEREZ VAQUERO, Carlos, 2014. Homosexualidad y religiones: consideraciones
divinas y humanas. Madrid: Derecho y cambio social, vol.1, no.1, pp. 1-54. ISSN 2224-
4131.
PhD, D. P. P. W., & Joels, M. (2016). Hormones, Brain and Behavior (3rd ed.).
Academic Press.
San Francisco Human Rights Comission. (2011, marzo). Bisexual Invisibility: Impacts
and Recommendations.
https://sf-hrc.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRC_Publications/Articles/
Bisexual_Invisiblity_Impacts_and_Recommendations_March_2011.pdf
Spargo, T. (1999). Foucault and Queer Theory (First ed.). Icon Books.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. (2017). Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-
virtue
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