Bisexual tendencies
What Does It Mean to Be Bi or Bisexual?
So, does this information signify that you’re “technically” bi — even though the term doesn’t call to you? Does it sound like you’re not actually bisexual, even though you’ve always identified that way?
You — and only you — can decide your own sexual identity.
You may prefer to notify yourself bisexual, fluid, cross oriented, gay with some bisexual tendencies, multiple identities, or no identity label at all.
If you’re looking to answer what bisexual means to realize who you really are, then it’s time to look inward for your answers.
You’re on your own unique journey toward understanding yourself.
Maisha Z. Johnson is a writer and advocate for survivors of violence, people of shade , and LGBTQ+ communities. She lives with chronic illness and believes in honoring each person’s unique route to healing. Find Maisha on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Stephanie Barnes is a freelance author from Kingston, Jamaica. Her work has been featured at The Huffington Announce, Healthline, The Lily, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and more.
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Rachel Wright, LMFT, is a psychotherapist recognized as one of the freshest voices on modern relationships, mental health, and sex. She has a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and has worked with thousands of humans worldwide.
The word "bisexual," for many, still exclusively brings to mind a person attracted to both men and women. That was the dictionary definition for decades, but as public discourse has evolved to finally acknowledge the vast number of gender identities that exist, that definition no longer feels specific or broad enough to capture the complete range of experiences of bisexuality.
Today, our understanding of bisexuality has evolved along with our understanding of sexual attraction and gender identity. As people are finally able to accept a seemingly infinite number of identities and ways of being, we want language to
Why Do So Many Bisexuals End Up In “Straight” Relationships?
When I started digital dating a woman for the first time after years of happily dating men, I had a go-to joke ready for when I was called upon to explain my sexual orientation to the confused: “I’m half gay. Only on my mom’s side of the family.”
I’m one of those people who’d always misguidedly “hated labels,” and I actively eschewed the term “bisexual” for years. I went on to date a number of trans guys, and in my mind, “bi” was also indicative of a gender binary I didn’t believe existed. I’ve since come to realize that actually, the “bi” implies attraction not to two genders, but to members of both one’s own and other genders, and that the double attraction umbrella includes a roomy rainbow of labels connoting sexual fluidity. These days, I wear the “bisexual” label proudly.
Given all that struggle and growth, my current situation might approach as a surprise: I’m in a committed, long-term relationship with a cisgender man who identifies as straight—just like a startling majority of other fluid women.
Dan Savage once observed that “most adult bisexuals, for whatever reason, wind up in opposite-sex relationships.” Whether or not
How does someone know if they are bisexual?
Many people are confused about the term bisexual and wrongly assume it is a transitional phase to becoming gay or lesbian. Bisexuality is not a phase. It is a singular sexual orientation, spanning a variety of different characteristics.
People who are bisexual person can experience romantic and/or sexual attraction to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily equally or at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree.
But not everyone who experiences bisexual attraction or engages in bisexual habit self-identifies as bisexual. Self-identification is the way people refer to themselves, either privately or publicly. People who self-identify as fluid believe that bisexuality finest defines their sexual self. It feels true to who they are.
Approximately % of adults in the U.S. identify as bisexual according to Gallup (Jones, ). There are distinct generational differences, however, with % of Gen Z adults in the U.S. saying that they are bisexual, as compared with % of Millenials, % of Gen X adults, and just .3% of Baby Boomers (Jones, ).
There are studies reflecting a higher percentage of the adult popu
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