Basic Instinct (1992) is a neo-noir psychological thriller that achieved widespread distribution and notoriety; it follows detective Paul Curran (Michael Douglas), a morally dubious San Francisco detective investigating the murder of a former rock star who was killed mid-coitus with an ice pick. One of the prime suspects is Catherine Trammel (Sharon Stone), a crime novelist who happens to be bisexual and has written a book featuring a character killed in the same unusual manner.
Catherine is portrayed as intelligent, cunning, and successful, unapologetically expressing her attraction to multiple genders. However, these positive traits are overshadowed by her embodiment of nearly every negative bi stereotype, some of which were groundbreakingly harmful for the time. She is depicted as greedy, ruthless, selfish, psychopathic, manipulative, and potentially murderous, using her sexuality as a tool for personal gain.
While some might argue that these traits align with the femme fatale archetype common to the genre, the stereotypes surrounding Catherine transcended the film and seeped into popular culture. As one of the first major bi characters in 1990s cinema (though the term “bisexual” is never explicitly used), Catherine’s portrayal established a biphobic blueprint that continues to influence modern media and challenge the bi community’s efforts for fair representation. It’s worth noting that the true killer is revealed to be the jealous and bi character of Dr. Beth Garner — played by Jeanne Tripplehorn — though this twist did not have the same cultural impact.
Sharon Stone, for her part, has never shied away from acknowledging Catherine’s bisexuality (which was further emphasized in the 2006 sequel). At the time, she believed it was important to bring more queer characters to the screen, despite the backlash. Stone actively engaged with LGBT nonprofits and sought to address the concerns of activists. In an interview with PrideSource, she reflected on the controversy:
When ‘Basic Instinct’ was released, it agitated LGBT activists who were taken aback by your character being a bisexual psychopath. Seeing as though you were passionate about LGBT issues and you are an activist for the community, how did you process their concerns at the time?
At the time, we had all kinds of problems, not just LGBT people feeling like they were going to be abused and not knowing what was going to happen, and showing great concern. But there were just people acting out all over the place over this movie. People [were] blowing horns, trying to destroy the sets.
So (co-star) Michael Douglas and Sherry Lansing, the head of Paramount Pictures, and I sat down, and we talked about it. I said that I would be very happy to become the person who talked about these LGBT issues and to discuss that, what we were trying to do was put LGBT characters in a major motion picture from Paramount, and that we were trying to, for the first time, do this. We were trying to give the LGBT community a platform. And that I would take on the position of being the voice of that platform if this community would trust me.
And you did.
And I did. And Michael and Sherry were like, “You’re willing to do this?” And I’m like, “I’m absolutely willing to do this, and there’s nothing about me that would cause people to distrust that that’s what I’m going to do.”
While the role of Catherine Trammel catapulted Stone’s career to new heights, it ultimately did a disservice to the bi community. Frankly, Basic Instinct represents a low point in bi representation in the film legacy from which the film industry and modern storytelling are still striving to recover.