The ABCs Of LGBTQ+🏳️‍🌈(and other sexualities)

All about the LG(B)TQ+ 🏳️‍🌈

Here comes the chapter dedicated to all my valid bisexuals! Bisexual people are people who are sexually attracted to their opposite gender and their same genders. For example, just like me, I am interested in both male and females!

We are also known as biromantic, being romantically attracted to both of those 2 genders!

Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females, or romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity; this latter aspect is sometimes alternatively termed pansexuality.

The term bisexuality is mainly used in the context of human attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings toward both men and women, and the concept is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation along with heterosexuality and homosexuality, all of which exist on the heterosexual–homosexual continuum. A bisexual identity does not necessarily equate to equal sexual attraction to both sexes; commonly, people who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other also identify themselves as bisexual.

Bisexuality has been observed in various human societies and elsewhere in the animal kingdom  throughout recorded history. The term bisexuality, however, like the terms hetero- and homosexuality, was coined in the 19th century.

But bisexuality has long been a controversial concept for many. Some authorities have argued that it doesn't exist—that people are straight, homosexual, or lying. Others have dismissed bisexuality as youthful experimentation along the road to embracing one's "real" sexual orientation.

However, the weight of the research shows that bisexuality is real—not a passing fancy but quite often a lifelong orientation. Just as some heterosexuals still believe (incorrectly) that homosexuality is "abnormal," some heterosexuals and homosexuals feel the same way about bisexuality (also incorrectly).

Does Bisexuality Exist?

Researchers first described bisexuality during the 19th century. Their observations culminated in the early 1950s when Alfred Kinsey of the University of Indiana, America's first scientific sex researcher, argued in favor of a "sexual continuum." Kinsey's huge survey of Americans' sexuality showed that most people are exclusively heterosexual or homosexual, but that some fall in between in various degrees of bisexuality. (Kinsey himself was bisexual—married and mostly heterosexual, but with some homosexual interest and many gay experiences.)

But as soon as scientists first described bisexuality, other investigators insisted that it didn't exist. Their dismissals rested on three arguments:

-Bisexuals were heterosexuals who were "just experimenting."
-Bisexuals were people confined in single-gender institutions (prisons, monasteries) who reluctantly made due with the only available gender.
-Bisexuals were homosexuals who did not want to be stigmatized as such, and so they feigned attraction to the opposite sex.

Ironically, as bisexuality gained more media notice, some homosexuals stepped up their attacks, calling it a "cop out" or a "betrayal" of bisexuals' presumed "true nature" as homosexuals.

Bisexuals have a bad reputation for being known as people who are just going through a "phase". A "phase" where they are just on the road to being lesbians/gays. Many people say bisexuality is not a valid sexuality because of that. It really saddens me to hear that.

Many people are mistaken for feigning being bisexual as they end up marrying the opposite gender. I have to say that bisexuals are STILL valid despite marrying someone of the opposite gender.

Luckily, awareness about a multitude of LGBT issues has been growing, and it seems that people are slowly coming to terms with the idea that sexuality and gender are fluid. Although there's still a long way to go before LGBT and other minorities reach true equality (marriage equity was a great step!), I have hope that someday even the Kim Davises of the world will ~see the light~ and stop the bigotry.

According to Pew research published in 2013, only 28 percent of bi people are open about their bisexual identity with those closest to them, while over 70 percent of both gay men and women were "out." Possibly because of the awful trope "bi now, gay later," people who identify as bisexual are more afraid of the stigma of coming out of the closet. Because they're such a minority, it can be overwhelming to come out to a world that still doesn't fully understand the legitimacy of their sexuality.

According to recent data from Add Health, women were more likely to report bisexuality, and were three times as likely as men to report changes in their sexuality between ages 22 and 28 — the early adult years often associated with sexual exploration. Women were more likely to have some fluidity when self-identifying, rather than stating that they're "100 percent homosexual" or "100 percent heterosexual." Researchers hypothesized that women with "less favorable romantic opportunities" might choose to experiment rather than sticking with the limited pool of options they'd previously experienced. However, it's important to distinguish the idea of women having more sexual flexibility from the misconception that women are often bisexual because they're "sluttier."

Well, this chapter sums up what it means to be a bisexual-oriented person!

Swipe/scroll ahead!