Happy Pride Month 2016! What better way to kick things off than with a little awareness and breaking of stereotypes? Let’s dig in.
(NOTE: When we say ‘attracted’ throughout this post, the ‘romantically and/or sexually’ is always implied, acknowledging that these are two separate concepts, and a person’s orientation does not have to be the same for both)
A quick intro to the concept of sex vs. gender can be found here and here.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BI? A bi person has the capacity for romantic and/or sexual attraction to more than one gender. This is sometimes worded as ‘same and other genders’. Bi is a non-monosexual/romantic orientation, and is sometimes considered to be an umbrella term for non-mono identities. The Bisexual Resource Center “uses bisexual as an umbrella term for people who recognize and honor their potential for sexual and emotional attraction to more than one gender (pansexual, fluid, omnisexual, queer, and all other free-identifiers). We celebrate and affirm the diversity of identity and expression regardless of labels.” (x)
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BI AND PAN? There are many definitions of ‘bi’ and ‘pan’ out there, and individually-identifying people may choose to use different definitions. Broadly, however, the difference is generally agreed to be: — Bi people are attracted to more than one gender — Pan people are attracted to many or all genders This is understandably confusing, since by these definitions ‘pan’ would be a form of bisexuality/romanticism. Each person has final say on how they choose to identify, though. ‘Bi’ is not a better or worse term than any other non-mono label. There is no inherent value judgment in identifying with any particular term. They are all valid!
WHY MIGHT A PERSON IDENTIFY AS BI INSTEAD OF PAN, OR VICE VERSA? A person may choose to identify as bi if they are attracted to more than one gender, but not necessarily all genders. For instance, someone might be attracted to feminine-presenting and non-binary folks, but not men. Someone who identifies as pan may wish to place particular emphasis on their openness to all people regardless of gender.
DOES ‘BI’ REINFORCE THE GENDER BINARY? IS IT TRANSPHOBIC? No, ‘Bi’ does not reinforce the gender binary because the ‘bi’ refers to ‘same and other genders’, not ‘men and women’. Bi is not an inherently transphobic term, and identifying as bisexual does not make one transphobic any more than identifying as homosexual or heterosexual does. Being bi does not automatically mean that a person is not attracted to trans or nonbinary folks. Being bi also does not imply that one is cisgender.
WHY USE THE TERM BISEXUAL IF THERE’S SO MUCH MISUNDERSTANDING? Bisexual is a historical term, a term reclaimed from the medical community, and one with connections to early non-mono rights movements. (x) Many people feel tied to the political history of the term and wish to be linked to previous generations of people who have identified that way. Others simply fit the definition of bi better than pan: they are attracted to two or more genders, but not necessarily all genders.
WHAT IS BIPHOBIA? BI ERASURE? While bi/pan folks can certainly experience homophobia, they also experience hatred, discrimination, and fear that originates specifically from being non-monosexual/romantic. This includes attitudes such as refusing to date bi/pan folks because they’ve been touched by other genders, or out of fear that they will leave the relationship for someone of another gender. This discrimination can come from both inside and outside the queer community. Some queer spaces are not welcoming to bi/pan people, or are even actively antagonistic toward them. Bi erasure is a huge part of biphobia, wherein the experiences and very existence of bi/pan people are denied. For more information, read Robyn Ochs’ article on biphobia.
WHAT ABOUT BI HEALTH? Bi and pan people face significant health risks compared to lesbians, gays, and heterosexuals. In addition to higher instances of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders:
45% of bisexual women have considered or attempted suicide, followed by bisexual men (35%), lesbians (30%), gay men (25%), and much lower rates for heterosexual women and men.
Bisexual women are twice as likely to have an eating disorder than lesbians.
Bisexual women report the highest rates of alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems when compared to heterosexual and lesbian women.
Bisexual men and women report the highest rates of smoking of all orientations. (x)
WHAT ARE THE HARMFUL STEREOTYPES OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS THAT AFFECT BI/PAN FOLKS?
We’re always promiscuous or greedy, because we want it all
We can’t commit, because we’re always missing what we don’t have
We’re actually just gay/straight and in denial, or identifying as bi/pan is a transition to coming out as gay or lesbian.
We’re just confused, or can’t decide; we’re flaky
We’re only doing it for the attention
It was only a phase, often said after a bi/pan person enters a committed monogamous relationship (bi erasure)
We’re transphobic because we’re only attracted to men and women who conform to the gender binary
We’re just “drunk straight girls/boys”
We don’t experience homophobia or discrimination
We aren’t trustworthy
We’re not “queer enough” or have to “prove our queerness” through a certain amount of experience.
We’re oversexualized, addicted to sex, driven by sex.
We’re equally attracted to all the genders we feel attraction to, or our levels of attraction to various genders is static over time.
If you are a writer interested in writing bi/pan characters, please read theseguides and consult with a bi/pan beta reader.
FURTHER READING
The writings of bidyke (Shiri Eisner), author of Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution:
Why I Identify as Bisexual and not Pansexual — provides a good overview of the difference between the terms, the biphobia that occasionally results, and the reclaiming of the term bisexual.
Disclosure: Because we all have our own inherent biases, we feel it’s important to disclose that the author of this article (librarylock) is genderqueer and bisexual.
