Inside Cinema

The B Word

People who are actually attracted to more than one gender are everywhere in the real world, whether they decide to call themselves straight, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual — or prefer not to label their sexuality. But bisexuality is more often hinted at or implied in cinema, and when bisexuality is mentioned by name, it’s not always exactly flattering. But just because the movies don’t feature loads of out and proud bisexuals in lead roles, doesn’t mean bisexual behaviour, coded or otherwise, isn’t a big part of cinema — whether or not the B-word is ever mentioned. Catherine Bray looks at bisexuality onscreen, to see how bisexuals have been characterised — and mischaracterised — in pop culture.