[LemonyPie]

So as an out and proud bisexual and bisexual activist, I have to say how happy I am that Revenge has not one--but two!--bi characters on the show now. And not only that, but bi males--the single most underrepresented minority on television. I thought I'd create this thread to applaud the show for making this move and to open a discussion about the portrayal of bisexuality in the series from this point on.

It was very refreshing for Tyler to be bi rather than gay. To have him be gay would have been too cliche and overdone, in my opinion. Of course, having one of the villains be bi does follow the unfortunate stereotype of the "conniving bisexual character", but usually those characters are women (T-Bag on Prison Break would be the one exception and perhaps Andrew Vandecamp from Desperate Housewives, though he is more often said to be gay), so it's still a step in the right direction for male bisexual representation as far as I'm concerned.

As for Nolan, it's even better than he's bi than Tyler. He is quite possibly the first bisexual male protagonist on American TV! What a great record for Revenge to be breaking! And personally, I strongly suspected that Nolan was bi since the pilot episode. I have great bi-dar, as I like to say. But to hear him actually announce it, especially in the subtle way of saying "I'm about a 3 on the Kinsey Scale"...pure awesomeness. The Kinsey Scale rarely (if ever) gets mentioned on TV, and it seemed like a unique and yet natural way for Nolan to declare his bisexuality. And the fact that he is indeed a 3 rather than a 4 or 5 (which it seems most bisexual males are falsely assumed to be) is another refreshing change of pace.

Anyway, this thread can be used to discuss all the portrayals of bisexuality in the show, week after week. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of it, and I hope the writers continue to portray it as well as they did in "Charade"!

[lisztomania]

people are also speculating that emanda is bi.. along with the realy emily thorne. can they please have a nolan/tyler thing happening too pretty please? it would be even more awesome to have both protagonists be actively bisexual.

[LemonyPie]

Originally Posted by lisztomania (View Post) people are also speculating that emanda is bi.. along with the realy emily thorne. can they please have a nolan/tyler thing happening too pretty please? it would be even more awesome to have both protagonists be actively bisexual.

I read that too and think it would be awesome if it was true! Is the speculation purely from fans or has anyone involved in the show hinted at this?

[lisztomania]

Originally Posted by LemonyPie (View Post) I read that too and think it would be awesome if it was true! Is the speculation purely from fans or has anyone involved in the show hinted at this?

just from the fans so far, sadly. but gabe did say something about how his and emily's mind works the same.

[green eyes sparkle]

Thanks for opening this thread LemonyPie

I think its great that the show is portraying bi sexual characters.

[LemonyPie]

Originally Posted by Sara Caffrey (View Post) Thanks for opening this thread LemonyPie I think its great that the show is portraying bi sexual characters.

No problem! Thanks for posting on it! Did you suspect that Tyler or Nolan (or both) were bi before they revealed it in this episode?

[- Nina -]

I knew about Tyler. It was pretty obvious by the way he acts with Daniel. Nolan I suspected. I think it's good that the writers went there.

[NikNak]

Thanks for opening this thread, LemonyPie. Glad you are happy with this storyline on the show.

[lisztomania]

Originally Posted by LemonyPie (View Post) No problem! Thanks for posting on it! Did you suspect that Tyler or Nolan (or both) were bi before they revealed it in this episode?

i did get a sense of it in tyler but then i was confused if he truly attracted to daniel sexually or he just wants his life or both. i'm still a bit confused about him, actually because it does seem like he uses sex as a weapon rather than his own personal preference. same with nolan. but going with the fact that he said he is a three, i'd have to say i didn't suspect it. and i just want to at people saying they suspected it because of the way he dresses up. um, no. i don't think being either metrosexual or flamboyant would make you bisexual. that is a different aspect of nolan that has nothing to do with his sexuality. straight and gay people can be just as metrosexual and flamboyant and bisexual can be just as not. and let's all remember that he never used to dress that way. ten or so years ago, he used to dress like this:



eta: i think what hinted us the most about nolan's sexuality was the way he was with jack. back then, i was very curious to why he kept wanting to be friends with jack and i always thought it was just because he wanted a friend but now, i suspect it was more than that. i think he's got a bit of a crush and i'm not saying this to say that every bisexual person wanting to hang out with someone automatically means he has a crush on him but he did seem too invested in wanting to be in jack's company to it just be about wanting to be friends. altho, i do also think he wants to push jack and emily together because he cares about maintaining the amanda part about emily.

[Simon Spier]

I am LOVING the fact that this show is having bisexual characters!
We need more of them on TV.

Great idea for a thread!

[green eyes sparkle]

Originally Posted by LemonyPie (View Post) No problem! Thanks for posting on it! Did you suspect that Tyler or Nolan (or both) were bi before they revealed it in this episode?

A bit like others have said here I think with Tyler I could kinda see it with how he acts with Daniel. And Nolan idk I think I may have had an inkling. I think its great the show is portraying it though.

[everwoodfan52]

Hey, LemonyPie!! Great thread idea!!

I had no idea about Nolan! That came as such a surprise to me. Is it possible that because of his loyalty to Emily, and his need to trap Tyler, he pretended to be bisexual?
Or...is it not possible (for a guy) to pretend to be bisexual?

[LemonyPie]

Originally Posted by murphyboy11 Great idea for a thread!

Thank you, murphyboy11!

Originally Posted by lisztomania (View Post) i did get a sense of it in tyler but then i was confused if he truly attracted to daniel sexually or he just wants his life or both. i'm still a bit confused about him, actually because it does seem like he uses sex as a weapon rather than his own personal preference.

So you think that Tyler is pretending to be bi in order to get what he wants but that it might not be his true orientation?

and i just want to at people saying they suspected it because of the way he dresses up. um, no. i don't think being either metrosexual or flamboyant would make you bisexual. that is a different aspect of nolan that has nothing to do with his sexuality. straight and gay people can be just as metrosexual and flamboyant and bisexual can be just as not. and let's all remember that he never used to dress that way. ten or so years ago, he used to dress like this:

Very good point! Yes, of course dressing flamboyantly does not mean someone is necessarily non-straight. I think it's more likely, however, for a bi or gay guy to feel comfortable dressing that way though--if only for the reason that they know that, in our current society, dressing a certain way (falsely) conveys a "non-straight" vibe to a lot of people. So a lot of straight guys would be too "afraid" of appearing bi/gay and thus would steer away from portraying themselves in any ways that society deems "stereotypically bi/gay".

eta: i think what hinted us the most about nolan's sexuality was the way he was with jack. back then, i was very curious to why he kept wanting to be friends with jack and i always thought it was just because he wanted a friend but now, i suspect it was more than that. i think he's got a bit of a crush and i'm not saying this to say that every bisexual person wanting to hang out with someone automatically means he has a crush on him but he did seem too invested in wanting to be in jack's company to it just be about wanting to be friends. altho, i do also think he wants to push jack and emily together because he cares about maintaining the amanda part about emily.

I agree; all along, I sensed a little something between him and Jack. Maybe it's not even the case (we still don't know), but it does seem like he cares a bit more than most mere friends would. Then again, it could just be that he's lonely and genuinely wants nothing more than a friend for once. I can see Nolan as the type of guy who either has lovers or enemies, but not many plain friends, and I can see him truly wanting Jack to simply be his friend.

Originally Posted by everwoodfan52 Hey, LemonyPie!! Great thread idea!!

Hey, Betty!! Thank you!

I had no idea about Nolan! That came as such a surprise to me. Is it possible that because of his loyalty to Emily, and his need to trap Tyler, he pretended to be bisexual? Or...is it not possible (for a guy) to pretend to be bisexual?

I'm sure it's possible, but it would be difficult I'd imagine. It would be like when a gay guy pretends to be straight and has sex with a girl--he obviously was capable of "performing", but he could have been trying really hard to do so and having to think of something else. So Nolan hypothetically could have pulled that off with Tyler too. But I sincerely doubt it because...really, how many people that aren't bi would know about the Kinsey Scale and be so ready to describe themselves by it at the drop of a hat? I'm sure there are some, and I'm also sure that Nolan is sly enough to have that knowledge up his sleeve if he needed it, but Nolan seemed to genuinely like what he was seeing on the video at the end of the episode and said that he certainly would continue with it in a rather eager way!

[lisztomania]

Originally Posted by LemonyPie (View Post) So you think that Tyler is pretending to be bi in order to get what he wants but that it might not be his true orientation?

i don't think it, not really. but i am confused. so far, we we know he's consistently been with boys, apart from ashley who seems to be nothing but a cover for his plan to usurp daniel's life. so maybe he really is gay rather than bisexual. but it's also possible that he's asexual, not really putting value in any sexuality and just uses it as a means to an end. it doesn't help that he was very ambiguous about his sexuality unlike nolan who flat out said he's a three.

[Merlin_Bodhi]

Originally Posted by lisztomania (View Post) i don't think it, not really. but i am confused. so far, we we know he's consistently been with boys, apart from ashley who seems to be nothing but a cover for his plan to usurp daniel's life. so maybe he really is gay rather than bisexual. but it's also possible that he's asexual, not really putting value in any sexuality and just uses it as a means to an end. it doesn't help that he was very ambiguous about his sexuality unlike nolan who flat out said he's a three.

I really like this new twist in the show. Basically when Tyler and Nolan started kissing I was like "hey right on!!" Being gay myself I like to see any respresentation especially if it's done without fanfare.

Lets get some terminology straight: (from Wikipedia)
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical and/or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women.[1] It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the heterosexual–homosexual continuum. People who have a distinct but not exclusive preference for one sex over the other may also identify themselves as bisexual,[4] and people who lack sexual attraction to either sex or genders are known as asexual.

Tyler is definitely not asexual.
I think he is bisexual, so is Nolan. It's not a romance happening, it's a chess move with sex.

Why do people think Emanda is bisexual?