What is bisexuality?
According to some sources, bisexuality encompasses the attraction towards people of all genders and is, essentially, equal to pansexuality. Sometimes the bisexual umbrella is used to describe any non-monosexual attractions and behaviors.
The term bisexuality, just like the related terms heterosexuality and homosexuality, was coined in the nineteenth century.
Bisexual pride flag
The bisexual pride flag was created by Michael Page in 1998. It aims to increase bisexuality visibility, both within the LGBTQIA+ community and in society on the whole. The flag consists of three horizontal stripes. The colors, from top to bottom, are the following: bright pink, purple, and blue.
Usually, the pink and the blue stripe are wider, and the purple one is narrower. The pink color symbolizes sexual attraction towards people of the same sex/gender. The purple color stands for the attraction to two or more genders, and the blue, the attraction to individuals of the opposite gender for binary people, and different gender, for non-binary people.
The bisexual pride flag debuted on December 5, 1998, on BiCafe.com.
History of bisexuality
Just like all sexual identities, bisexuality has a history. And this history has hardly even started to be told. It comes as no surprise - this identity until recently was protested socially or thought not to exist at all. However, despite all denials, it existed, and well before it was mentioned by historians.
Bisexuality has been common across time, civilizations, and cultures - from Ancient Greece to the Chinese Han Dynasty. But often, many significant historical figures who had non-heterosexual relationships were viewed as heterosexuals even though they identified as bi.
Fortunately, the study of bisexuality has finally received more attention in recent years so humanity can learn and understand the key milestones in its history.
The second half of the nineteenth century in the West was a time of social contestation - movements for sexual equality and the emergence of new gender expressions and roles such as "effeminate men" and "masculine women" challenged old societal norms. But those were still dark times for bisexual people. In the 1886 book Psychopathia Sexualis by the German psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing. As the book title suggests, he considered bisexuality a form of deviant sexual behavior.
According to von Krafft-Ebing’s famous colleague Sigmund Freud, "a man’s heterosexuality does not put up with any homosexuality, and vice versa"; thus, according to Freud, a person can either be straight or gay. These examples show how deeply rooted bisexual erasure (tendency to remove/falsify evidence of bisexuality in history) and biphobia (prejudice and hatred directed toward bisexuality and bisexual individuals) were in society at that time.
The twentieth century saw the beginnings of greater bi visibility. The 1920s became an era of social experimentation, particularly with sex. That was when the expression "bisexual chic", meaning increased public interest/acceptance of bisexuality, emerged.
Marlene Dietrich - one of old Hollywood’s most powerful bisexual women.
In the USA, the idea of attraction to more than one gender was introduced academically through the work by the American biologist, sexologist, professor of entomology, and zoology Alfred Kinsey in the 1940s-1950s. He is the author of the books Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) and the creator of the Kingsey scale focusing on the sexual orientation of humans.
To find your place on his sexual orientation scale see the Kingsey sexual orientation test, but please be skeptical about its results.
Ideas of bisexuality started to reach mainstream awareness in the US in the late 1960s-beginning of the 1970s, alongside the growing LGBT rights movement. In 1990, the organization BiNet USA was founded. Declaring September 23rd Bi Visibility Day (also Celebrate Bisexuality Day) was another big event in bisexuality history. Today, it is still helping raise bisexual awareness throughout the world.
Myths about bisexuality debunked
Myth #1: Bisexuality does not exist.
Contrary to this common myth, recent data show that bisexual people are actually the largest group within the LGBT community. According to a 2017 survey, 54.6% of LGBT adults identify as bisexual.
Myth #2: Bisexuals are promiscuous.
Just because an individual has the potential to be attracted to both binary genders or all non-binary genders, it does not necessarily mean they have at least twice as many sexual partners compared to non-bisexual people. Bisexuality is a sexual orientation; it has nothing to do with moral norms.
Myth #3: Bisexuality is just a phase; nobody stays bisexual forever.
According to some people, bi individuals are indecisive, but eventually, they will have to choose to be straight or gay. However, a recent study shows that 92% of people who once said they were bisexual still identify as such 10 years later.
Importance of coming out
They call the LGBT marches and celebrations “pride” for a reason. Pride is the opposite of shame. And shame contributes to what keeps us feeling separate from ourselves and does not let us live honestly and openly. This is why coming out is crucial for your mental health and relationships. Even workwise, you can grow your career only if you develop authentic relationships with your boss and coworkers (and you cannot do that if you choose to "stay in the closet").
Before coming out as bisexual, secure your physical and financial safety. If you still feel confused, get support and guidance for the step-by-step coming out process. Internet, YouTube, bisexual-affirmative therapists can help you with this.
Here are some more tips for a successful coming out as a bisexual:
- Before you come out to your parents, make sure you have the support of a close friend or relative who accepts your identity;
- Be prepared for bad reactions, tears, worry; it may take some people time to digest this new information about you, so be patient;
- Face-to-face talk is intimidating? Then why not write an email or a letter where you describe how you feel; you can actually send or give people you want to come out to this written letter.
Helping your friends and loved ones understand bisexuality
As we mentioned above, the challenges bisexual people face are unique. Experiencing bi erasure and biphobia, having to debunk the myth that "it is just a phase" and so on, can take its toll on a bisexual individual's mental health.
What is worse is that even people who are supposed to support you and give you a helping hand do not make you feel accepted. In most cases, it is not their fault; it is only due to a lack of understanding of the subject.
Luckily, today we have plenty of resources like websites, blogs, YouTube channels that can help people better understand what bisexuality is. When you come out to your family, friends, or loved ones, you can explain this to them yourself, but it is also advised that you suggest to them a couple of sites where they can familiarize themselves with this sexual orientation.