Bi-curious.

I choose to believe that I led a pretty sheltered life. There were a lot of things that I didn't really understand or even think about until I was around my friends in high school or college. One could say I was naive, why others would say that my parents did a fantastic job at letting me stay a child as long as humanly possible. Kudos to them...for the that opportunity.

I am always up for learning. In the past week, I learned a new word that seems to be floating around my generation. Never in my life have I heard the term "bi-curious." I am all in favor of loving whoever makes you happy. I am all in favor of leading whatever life you choose to lead. I am in favor of supporting everyone on their pursuit to happiness. But the idea of bi-curious really did throw me for a leap. Earlier in the week, I heard a story about about a few of the people (let it be known that they all in a heterosexual relationships) that I work with, that have a tendency to have a few drinks and become bi-curious. It seems or at least I was led to believe that their companions know about their behaviors and either promote it or acknowledge that it is okay.

I agree that I am sheltered, I agree that I might be naive, but honestly, I had to ask for a definition when I heard this term. The term has come up in conversation at least 3 times in the last week, all with different groups of people. I thought they were all kidding, but apparently not so much! They just laughed at me. They couldn't believe that I didn't know what that meant. I thought, you either are or your not...I didn't know there was a term for curiosity.

By definition:Bi-curious (also heteroflexible) is a term for someone who generally identifies as heterosexual but feels or shows some interest in having a relationship with someone of the same sex. The term is also occasionally applied to a person who generally identifies as homosexual but feels or shows some interest in having a relationship with someone of the opposite sex - such persons may use the term homoflexible. The term implies that the individual has had no sexual experience – or very little – of that sort, but a person may continue to self-identify as bi-curious if they do not feel they have adequately explored these feelings, or if they do not consider their feelings to "qualify" as truly bisexual.

I love to ask questions. I love to be inquisitive and pick people's brains. I love to think outside the box and catch people off guard with some random questions. I decided to ask several people at work about bi-curious. Especially those that are in the relationships. They were very forth coming, and all had very similar responses. Big picture response, was the intimacy they felt with a female was much more passionate and intense then that with a male. One suggested I test the waters and see for myself, if I was so curious about being bi-curious. I explained that I was more curious about the actual act of bi-curious then being bi-curious itself. During my hunt to find answers about this bi-curious business, a friend of mine had a strange look on her face and just kind of giggled. I didn't get it, I had a puzzled look on my face but I figured it wasn't my place to ask, so I just assumed maybe she was bi-curious. She responded to my puzzlement, by asking me when the first time I had realized that I was bi-sexual. My jaw, hit the ground and I just kind of sat there stunned. Was she really asking me this? I explained to her, that I wasn't bi-sexual and she again responded with "oh sure, well let me know when you want to come out of the closet?"

I laughed it off, but thought to myself...am I missing something? I must be missing something. Now, I had even more questions to ask. I started asking my friends. Apparently, when I first met them, they all thought that I batted for the other team. However, most of them agreed that after hanging out with me, they realized that I was pretty committed to the male gender. However, there were a couple that were convinced that after a night or two with them, I would be, all about being bi-curious or bi-sexual. I just couldn't grasp the fact that people thought or think I am bi-curious, when I have not only have never heard of the term nor ever even thought of practicing it.

I did find it extremely interesting, that I was such a topic of conversation, yet I didn't have a clue.