During recent years, with the added focus on the LGBT community, you may have heard the term "Bi Erasure." You may not know exactly what that means, or even what it means to identify as bisexual.
Bisexuality is romantic or sexual attraction/behavior toward both males and females, in its most simple definition. However, bisexuality can be fluid, and encompasses other identities as well.
Fluidity is the notion that bisexuality differs from person to person, and sometimes even within one person over time. That means that some bisexual people may be attracted more to the same sex, while others may be attracted more to the opposite sex. It can also mean a variance in romantic attraction and physical attraction.
Another tricky concept when it comes to understanding bisexuality is that it can encompass other identities. People who identify as bisexual may have a more specific or personal identity that they prefer or that fits them better. One example is pansexual, meaning the attraction to ALL genders/sexes. Another example is queer, which is non-specific identity for someone who diverges from heterosexuality. There are several other identities in the bisexuality spectrum, but the key idea to keep in mind is that bisexuality is all about inclusion, yet bisexuals are often excluded.
Bisexual people make up over 50% of the LGBT community, yet are much less likely to "come out" (tell friends/family how they identify). Only 1/4 of bisexual people come out as bisexual, despite studies showing that the majority of people, women especially, identify as bisexual on some level.
Bisexual people are more likely to live in poverty than heterosexual or homosexual people. They are also at higher risks for domestic violence. According to some studies, they are even at higher risks for health issues.
Unfortunately, bisexuality is yet to be taken seriously by many. Bisexual people often report not feeling totally accepted by either the LGBT community or the straight community, which leads to high rates of depression. Even on mainstream media, in the rare cases bisexuality is portrayed, many shows and movies blatantly leave out the word bisexual. Bisexuality is too often sexualized into a fantasy or fetish. There are many negative myths about bisexual people being "greedy" or "seeking attention", or the worst one "just being a phase."
A bisexual person has every right for their identity to be taken as seriously as heterosexual and homosexual people. It is time to start destroying these myths and spreading the truth about bisexuality. If you have questions, ask a bisexual person, rather than perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
