People Who Think Bisexuality Is Not Real Need To ‘Phase’ Out!
When I came out as bisexual, l realised that being a bisexual person isn’t easy, we have constantly been misunderstood and this often leads to self-doubt. This isn’t just true for me, many people who identify as bisexual have to face various stereotypes about their own sexuality. It starts with ‘oh, you’re just confused and indecisive’ and ‘this seems to be just a phase’ but, it doesn’t just stop there.
These stereotypes have been around for a long time. Alas, with passing time, these prejudices and stereotypes seem to have converted into literal beliefs and they are now, taking a massive toll on the bisexual community as a whole. But, what are these toxic beliefs?
What Are These Prejudiced Beliefs?
There are a lot of beliefs about bisexual people. I mean, straight people often view bisexuality as a state of confusion rather than sexuality and these beliefs are worse for bisexual women than bisexual men. Bisexual people are believed to be confused, promiscuous, non-monogamous, neurotic, extraverted, and less agreeable than straight or gay. It’s also believed that bisexual women are sex addicts and this is why they are so confused about whom to be with.
Furthermore, society also habitually ignores bisexuality. Whenever a person professes any bisexual tendencies, it is automatically believed that they are either gay, straight, or lying. Alas, this doesn’t stop here, bisexuality is often associated with immaturity as well as the inability to maintain a relationship too. I mean, this treatment makes us feel like there are no bisexual people in the history of LGBTQIA+ movements and uprisings. We need to understand that these awful beliefs and prejudices are the reasons why bisexual people have been mislabelled, ignored or just left out of the narrative even after having been there all along.
Being bisexual could also get you kicked out of your local queer space now. It’s like being a minority within a minority because the community doesn’t really value bisexual people. You see, bisexuality introduces a sort of gradation which has always made it easier to discard and way harder to accommodate and blend. This is perhaps why when queer people were fighting for their lives and for basic legal protections, some gay rights groups straight-forwardly decided to reject and sideline bisexual people.
I mean, it is believed that in the 1970s the Gay Liberation Front, which was one of the most popular queer-rights groups back then, declared that bisexual people were effectively straight, and thus they associated them with the regressive lot and well, directly edged them out of the organization. History is proof of the fact that we have been sidelined all through history with no rays of hope to support us. It’s time to spread awareness and battle these prejudices and beliefs.
So, What Can We Do About These Prejudices?
It’s a genuine fact that stereotypes about bisexuality are still common within both the queer and straight communities. It’s been happening for years now and there is still a long way to go in terms of social acceptance and understanding of bisexuality. As a bisexual woman, I believe that it’s crazy that we still pay daily for passing privilege i.e. the idea that bisexual people can pass as heterosexual because they are able to be in a romantic relationship with the other gender and this totally needs to stop.
You see, bisexual populations also deal with higher levels of distress and mental health difficulties than gay and lesbian groups just because of the fact that they haven’t been considered gay enough to belong in the community. But, it’s about time that we stop trying because it’s a fact that we do belong in the community irrespective of what some people might believe, nobody can change that.
As for not being straight people and their prejudices? We need to understand that don’t need anybody’s approval. We need to stop caring what they think and instead, spread awareness about bisexuality and of course, bust the awful myths that exist. We need to start celebrating all our desires and needs in all their glory because sexuality is beautiful and fluid.
Also Read: Embracing Heteroflexibility In All Its Glory, How Is It Different From Bisexuality?
This Bisexuality Visibility Month, let’s stop doubting ourselves and start appreciating ourselves for being strong enough to be our real selves. We also need to make sure we spread as much awareness as we can because if we won’t crush these stereotypes in the bud, nobody will do it for us.
Image Source: Netflix
