bisexual
Last updatedDefinition
Bisexuality is a term used to describe a sexuality in which a person is attracted to more than one gender physically, romantically, and/or emotionally. While bisexuality was originally framed as an identity in which someone is attracted to “both “men and women,” use has changed to reflect the evolving understanding of gender as a spectrum rather than a binary.
Someone who is bisexual may be attracted to all genders equally, may have a preference for one or more genders over others, or can have different forms and degrees of attraction to people of various genders. Bisexuality does not necessarily mean that a person is attracted to all or even many genders.
Some argue the term bisexual only applies to cisgender men and cisgender women, which could be seen as reinforcing a gender binary, though not everyone who identifies as bisexual ascribes to this view. Some people prefer to use terms like “pansexual,” “polysexual,” “omnisexual,” or “queer,” which can all refer to people who are attracted to more than one gender. Per the Human Rights Campaign, “Pansexual describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree. Queer is a term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Note that these identities all include attraction to transgender, cisgender (non-transgender) and non-binary people.”
Some instead use the term bi+ to encompass all those ideas. Not everyone defines or uses these terms in the same way, even to self-identify. For accuracy, it’s important to take into account an individual’s preference whenever possible; some explanation of the term(s) being used in specific contexts is helpful for clarity.
Members of bi+ communities may face what is referred to as “bisexual erasure” or “bi erasure.” This may look like, for instance, someone describing a bisexual person’s sexuality based on the perception of their current relationship (e.g., referring to a bisexual man as “straight” if he is in a relationship with a woman). If relevant to coverage to describe a romantic and/or sexual relationship, it’s important for accuracy to take into account how each member of that relationship identifies (e.g., “He is bisexual and his primary partner is a straight woman”).
Bisexual people can also be on the receiving end of “biphobia,” which may present bisexuality as just a “phase” that one goes through on their way to a different identity; treat bisexual people as uncertain about their own identity; or delegitimize a bisexual person’s sexuality if that person has not been in romantic or sexual relationships with people of more than one particular gender.
Additional resources
- What is pansexual? (GLAAD)
- Understanding Bisexuality (American Psychological Association)
- What People Get Wrong About the History of Bisexuality (Time)
Summary
Bisexuality is a term used to describe a sexuality in which a person is attracted to more than one gender physically, romantically, and/or emotionally. Someone who is bisexual may be attracted to all genders equally, may have a preference for one or more genders over others, or can have different forms and degrees of attraction to people of various genders. Some people prefer to use terms like “pansexual,” “polysexual,” “omnisexual,” or “queer,” which can all refer to people who are attracted to more than one gender. Some instead use the term bi+ to encompass all those ideas. Not everyone defines or uses these terms in the same way, even to self-identify. For accuracy, it’s important to take into account an individual’s preference whenever possible; some explanation of the term(s) being used in specific contexts is helpful for clarity. If relevant to coverage to describe a romantic and/or sexual relationship, it’s important for accuracy to take into account how each member of that relationship identifies (e.g., “He is bisexual and his primary partner is a straight woman”).