Bi the way

MANILA, Philippines - Sexualities beyond heterosexuality have always been the hub of ridicule. Every color in that rainbow flag has their unique spectrum of discrimination. But let’s be specific for last week was indeed special. Last week was Bisexual Awareness Week. Were you aware? Odds are no.

The openly bisexual actress and advocate, Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood, Across the Universe), summed it up perfectly on her Twitter last week. “Bisexual people are the largest single group within the LGBT+ community, yet we are hardly recognized,” she tweeted. And what do you do when you’re hardly familiar with something or anyone? Well, there are lots of things, and reading this can be one of them.

Deduction: It’s just a phase. They’ll either go full blown gay or go straight again.

Bi the way: What do you think the B in LGBTQ+ stood for? Bagels? This is one of the common misconceptions about bisexuals. They think being bi is a gateway to having a more specific sexual preference or just some experimental phase, like your high school’s emo phase. It’s not.

Though some people realize that they have a different sexuality all along after identifying themselves as a bisexual, it doesn’t make bisexuality less valid. People realize they prefer this rather than this. Bisexuals says why not both? There are people who identify with it throughout and people who don’t. Sexuality is all about exploration after all.

Deduction: They’re just greedy. They cheat on their partners with the opposite/same sex. Probably hoping for a threesome!

Bi the way: Drop the remote and step away from the Glee marathon please. That show may be over, sadly that trope is not. Remember when Britanny cheated on Artie with Santana? Okay, that’s not how being bi works. Being bi is to have an attraction for two genders, but it isn’t to date two people at the same time! They have the same opportunity to cheat like any other sexuality. Bisexuality doesn’t empower a person’s douche abilities. It’s not the sole reason of adultery and it’s different from polygamy.

Deduction: If you only have dated or married a person who’s of the opposite sex, your bisexuality card is revoked.

Bi the way: There is a difference between the fluorescent bulb above you and bisexuality. The first one has a switch while the latter doesn’t. Attraction isn’t something you simply turn on or off like a light switch. It just happens. Anna Paquin (Rogue in the X-Men franchise) dealt with this bull in Larry King’s 2014 interview. Since she’s married a man and is a bisexual, King implied the earlier misconception and asked: “Are you a non-practicing bisexual?” She responded that she’s married to her husband and are monogamously married.  He followed it with: “But you were bisexual?” She shut him down by saying: “… It’s not a past tense thing. Are you still straight if you’re with somebody?” You can’t shut down your sexuality, but you sure could shut down old ideals. No offense to Larry.

Deduction: You have to love both men and women equally or it doesn’t count.

Bi the way: Bisexuals might like both sexes equally, but there are who don’t and have a preference. This doesn’t invalidate their sexuality whatsoever. There are people who prefer certain qualities of another sex compared to the other, but that doesn’t completely cancel the attraction for either sex whatsoever. You don’t have to love them equally if you don’t. You’re bisexual, not Mother Theresa. It also doesn’t have to be limited to men and women, with gender not being a binary and all.  That’s hitting two false birds with one fact stone!

Deduction: Men can’t be bisexuals and are just afraid to be gay.

Bi the way: They exist. They’re not unicorns —they exist. If that’s not enough then this might be the perfect time to tell you that James Dean was probably bisexual and so is the Godfather, Marlon Brando supposedly. Aren’t those fun facts?

Deduction: They’re half straight. They’re more welcomed by straight people, unlike the rest of the LGBTQ+.

Bi the way: Bisexuals are like Hannah Montana. They have the best of worlds…or do they? It’s more like worst of both worlds. Because of assumptions by most straight and people in the LGBTQ+ community toward bisexuals, they deal with twice the hate. Straight people often think bisexuals are just secretly gay, while some people in the LGBTQ+ community think they’re just secretly straight. The judgment exists even in a space that should accept them. That’s why bisexual awareness is so vital. It’s so bad that this amount of hatred and judgment could affect their health in more ways than one.

The Human Rights Campaign released an article for Bi Awareness week entitled ‘Bisexual Adults Face Heightened Risk for Health Issues Including Cancer, STDs and Depression’. Pretty straight forward, right? They say that the hate bisexuals experience could discourage them from benefiting from the work of LGBT advocates are doing in terms of health. The shame they might feel could cause them to hide their sexuality which prevents doctors on giving them a clear picture on how they are, health wise.