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“Party bisexual,” a new term growing in popularity to describe men or women who act out bisexual urges while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is getting a mixed reception.

The term “party bisexual” can describe those who identify as straight, but demonstrate an interest in people of their own sex when drunk. The term also applies to those who identify as gay, yet hit on the opposite sex while drunk, or to similarly unexpected couplings.

Brownfield, who lives in Memphis, Tenn., said the growing use of “party bisexual” could nonetheless spur new discussion about bisexuality.

“If the term ‘party bisexual’ brings the subject of bisexuality up more often, then perhaps more people will recognize that it’s an orientation of its own,” he said.

Dr. Paula C. Rodríguez Rust, a member of the International Academy of Sex Research, and author of “Bisexuality in the United States,” agreed.

But she said the term also demonstrates how some people — especially younger adults — are increasingly recognizing bisexuals and bisexual feelings.

“We’ve evolved a little bit in our thinking, and most people now recognize that bisexuality does exist,” Rodríguez Rust said.

The greater prevalence of bisexuality was documented in “The Social Organization of Sexuality,” a 1994 study led by sociologist Edward O. Laumann.

According to that study, an estimated 5.8 percent of American men, and 3.3 percent of American women, have had sexual experiences with both men and women.

The study also said that most people who have had same-sex partners have also had opposite-sex partners. Among women who’ve had female partners, about 91 percent previously had a male partner. Among men who’ve had male partners, about 95 percent previously had a female partner.

However, people who’ve had sexual experiences with men and women don’t necessarily consider themselves bisexual. Brownfield and others said that some people act out of curiosity.

Sometimes the behavior indicates mere curiosity. Mike Killian, a 38-year-old bisexual from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said a game of strip poker played over drinks once pitted him against a straight friend.

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