Bisexualality News, Documents, Fact Sheets

Updated/Revised Date: 13th Sep 2022
Author: Sexual Diversity | Contact: SexualDiversity.org
Additional References: Bisexualality Publications

Synopsis: News and information regarding bisexuality, defined as a romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females.

Definition

Bisexualality

Bisexuality is a romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward males and females - or to more than one gender. It may also encompass romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender identity or a person irrespective of their biological sex or gender, sometimes called pansexuality. The term bisexuality is mainly used in the context of human attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings toward both men and women. 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. Bisexuality is often confused with pansexuality, when someone is attracted to all genders, including cisgender, transgender, agender, non-binary, and other gender non-conforming individuals.

Main Section

Pansexuality, or omnisexuality, is sexual attraction, sexual desire, romantic love, or emotional attraction toward people of any sex or gender identity. Self-identified pansexuals may consider pansexuality a sexual orientation and refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are insignificant or irrelevant in determining whether they will be sexually attracted to others.

Pansexuality rejects the gender binary, the "notion of two genders and indeed of specific sexual orientations," as pansexual people are open to relationships with people who do not identify as strictly men or women

Pansexuality may or may not be subsumed under bisexuality, with some sources stating that bisexuality encompasses romantic or sexual attraction to all gender identities or that it is romantic or sexual attraction to a person irrespective of that person's biological sex or gender. In this sense, the term pansexuality is used interchangeably with bisexuality. The concept of pansexuality deliberately rejects the gender binary, the "notion of two genders and indeed of specific sexual orientations," as pansexual people are open to relationships with people who do not identify as strictly men or women.

Like people of other LGBT sexualities, bisexuals often face discrimination. In addition to the discrimination associated with homophobia, bisexuals must frequently contend with discrimination from gays, lesbians, and straight society around the word bisexual and bisexual identity itself.

The belief that bisexuality does not exist is common and stems from two views. In the heterosexist view, people are presumed to be attracted to the opposite sex, and it is sometimes reasoned that only heterosexuality truly exists. In the monosexist view, it is believed that people cannot be bisexual unless they are equally sexually attracted to both sexes. In this view, people are either exclusively homosexual (gay/lesbian) or exclusively heterosexual (straight), closeted homosexual people who wish to appear heterosexual, or heterosexuals who are experimenting with their sexuality. The belief that one cannot be bisexual unless equally sexually attracted to both sexes is disputed by researchers, who have reported bisexuality to fall on a continuum, like sexuality in general.