Taking issue with ‘evil bisexuals’
IN THE season premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel, Elizabeth’s (Lady Gaga) bisexuality is revealed when she and Donovan seduce a heterosexual couple.
The steamy foursome quickly tur ns dark and gory when Elizabeth and Donovan slit the throats of their conquests and drink their blood. Sleeping with both men and women to gain power, Elizabeth is de- picted as the villain of the Hotel Cortez; duplicitous, selfish and evil. On television, the trope of the evil bisexual isn’t new.
Last year, Glaad (formerly the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) annual report on the state of minorities in the US revealed that bisexuals are often typecast as villains. The report said bisexual characters are “de- picted as untrustworthy, prone to infidelity, and/or lacking a sense of morality”. Their 2016 report said this was one trope that keeps recurring.
One show, however, offers more positive depictions: The musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, has a character, Darryl, coming out in the song, Getting Bi, in which he pushes back against notions that bisex- uals are actually closeted gay individuals who are confused, indecisive and promiscuous.
He sings, “Being bi / does not imply / you’re a player or a slut.” Not only is his bisexuality critical to his identity and growth, it also has nothing to do with his morality. He’s like any other good man, who just happens to be bisexual. – The Washington Post