It was only this past Saturday that the news broke announcing Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's split after getting married last year. While the details of their split aren't out (and aren't any of our business), some particularly gross Twitter users have asserted that their split is due to Miley's non-mono sexuality.
Obviously, this thinly-veiled biphobia has no semblance of truth to it. There's no evidence backing up the misconception that people who identify with a non-mono sexuality (polyamorous, pansexual, etc.) are more likely to cheat on their partner because of course there's not. As one contributor at Everyday Feminism put it, "Just as being attracted to both blondes and brunettes doesn't mean you need partners of both hair colors to be sexually and romantically satisfied, being attracted to more than one gender has nothing inherently to do with polyamory."
So where does this common myth come from? Its roots are, of course, in good old homophobia, supporting the false belief that sexuality is a choice and those who choose to be attracted to more than one gender are just greedy and want more options to choose from. And then once the greedy bisexual has these options, they just can't resist acting on their desires and inevitably cheating on their partner of one gender with a partner of another.
But the prejudices surrounding bisexuality go beyond that of homophobia. In fact, a lot of folks who identify with a non-mono sexuality feel ostracized not only by straight people but by LGBTQ people, as well. Because they don't fit into the same black and white boxes as gay and straight, it can be difficult to feel like one fits into any community, even one that prides itself on their acceptance. Unfortunately, biphobia within the LGBTQ community is not an uncommon experience.
All of this in combination with the fact that bisexuality and pansexuality get little to no media representation — and when they do, it's not positive — creates a space for individuals like the one above to be blatantly biphobic and explicitly say, "You shouldn't date bi people. Not offensive, just true. Bi is greedy and never satisfied."
The truth is, we don't know what happened between Miley and Liam, and frankly, it's none of our business. But one thing is for sure — Miley's sexuality has nothing to do with it.
