Bisexual

Emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to more than one gender - not necessarily equally, simultaneously, in the same way, or to the same degree.

Definition

Emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to more than one gender - not necessarily equally, simultaneously, in the same way, or to the same degree. Bisexuality does not reinforce a gender binary and explicitly includes non-binary people as potential partners.

Flag

Proportions 2:1:2. Inspired by Liz Nania's biangles symbol. Unveiled at BiCafe's first anniversary party. Page described the purple as representing how "bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities."

Etymology

Latin bi- (two) + sexualis. Appeared in Kertbeny's 1869 pamphlet as Doppelsexualität; in its modern English sense in 1892 (Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis).

History

Ancient Greece and Rome treated multi-gender attraction as normative for many people
1868–1869 - Karl-Maria Kertbeny coined Doppelsexualität while arguing against anti-sodomy laws
1948 - Kinsey's scale demonstrated statistically that most people fall between exclusively heterosexual and homosexual
1970 - Brenda Howard, a bisexual activist, organized the first Gay Pride march; coined the word "Pride" for the annual event - called the "Mother of Pride"
1976 - San Francisco Bisexual Center founded
1990 - Lani Ka'ahumanu and Naomi Tucker led a highly visible bisexual contingent at the National March on Washington, demanding inclusion in LGBT organizations
1998 - Michael Page designs the bisexual pride flag
1999 - International Bisexuality Visibility Day established (September 23)
Bi erasure - the persistent tendency to consider bisexual people "really gay" or "really straight" depending on their current partner - has been a defining community challenge

Common myths

"Bisexuality is just a phase." Bisexuality is a valid, stable orientation for most bisexual people.
"Bisexual people are greedy or can't be monogamous." Orientation describes attraction, not behavior. Bisexual people are no more likely to cheat than anyone else.
"Bisexual people are 50/50." Bisexuality means attraction to more than one gender - the proportion varies enormously and can shift.
"Being in a relationship changes your orientation." It does not.
"Bisexuality excludes non-binary people." The bisexual community has explicitly stated that bisexuality includes all genders.