ively attracted to the same sex, and those who are attracted to
both sexes. The first are the homosexual, whether or not the attraction
springs from genuine inversion. The second are the bisexual, or, as they
were formerly more often termed, following Krafft-Ebing, psycho-sexual
hermaphrodites.[135] There would thus seem to be a broad and simple
grouping of all sexually functioning persons into three comprehensive
divisions: the heterosexual, the bisexual, and the homosexual.

Even this elementary classification seems however of no great practical
use. The bisexual group is found to introduce uncertainty and doubt. Not
only a large proportion of persons who may fairly be considered normally
heterosexual have at some time in their lives experienced a feeling which
may be termed sexual toward individuals of their own sex, but a very large
proportion of persons who are definitely and markedly homosexual are found
to have experienced sexual attraction toward, and have had relationships
with, persons of the opposite sex. The social pressure, urging all persons
into the normal sexual channel, suffices to develop such slight germs of
heterosexuality as homosexual persons may possess, and so to render them
bisexual. In the majority of adult bisexual persons it would seem that the
homosexual tendency is stronger and more organic than the heterosexual
tendency. Bisexuality would thus in a large number of cases be comparable
to ambidexterity, which Biervliet has found to occur most usually in
people who are organically left-handed.[136] While therefore the division
into heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual is a useful superficial
division, it is scarcely a scientific classification.

In the face of these various considerations, and in view of the fact that,
while I feel justified in regarding the histories of my cases as reliable
so far as they go, I have not been always able to explore them
extensively, it has seemed best to me to attempt no classification at all.

The order in which the following histories appear is not, therefore, to be
regarded as possessing any significance.

It may be proper, at this point, to say a few words as to the
reliability of the statements furnished by homosexual persons.
This has sometimes been called in question. Many years ago we
used to be told that inverts are such lying and deceitful
degenerates that it was impossible to place reliance on anything
they said. It was