Sadly, I have to say that I've caught a lot more shit in my life for being bi from gay folks than I have from straight. I don't really get why anybody gives a shit about other people's sexual arrangements, though I do realize that, as you say, there are real political consequences to these things. And I have other psychological reasons for being a bit paranoid about not fitting in with the crowd. I can't usually assume that I'm not an anomaly, so I sometimes wonder if what seems reasonable to me is just one of those things that is mostly just me. This doesn't keep me from writing almost all of my characters as bi to some degree or another, you understand, but it's enough to make me a little insecure. Then again, that's another of my psychological issues, so there you go.

I think in my twelve years or so of writing fiction, I have written one strictly gay character (a future version of Draco Malfoy), one who was bi but wanted to believe that he was straight (an original character who was a *vampire* who wanted to believe he was straight - that boy had *issues*), and maybe one who is actually nearly altogether straight but she isn't actually in the book very much. Everyone else is more or less bi. Hell, "straight" people have been writing "straight" characters for years, I don't see why I shouldn't get to write universes full of bisexuals. That's my ideal, after all, and if I'm to be god of all my own little worlds then that's what I'm going to set up.

But it does kind of suck to be made self-conscious and/or paranoid about one's natural inclinations, and being bi often does mean catching shit from all sides. There are compensations in being able to choose to pass - especially if you're married to a member of the opposite sex, as I am - but there are special irritations as well. Still, slash fandom on the whole is a fairly friendly place to queers of all stripes, and I've only occasionally been badgered by the pc police.

Nevertheless, it's awfully nice to hear a voice of validation; thanks for that!