The statement that all people are “a bit bisexual” is harmful. And why? Because fluidity of sexuality and bisexuality are two separate concepts and are not interchangeable. By saying that all people are bisexual to one degree or another only erases the identity of people who do identify as bisexual. This creates the culture in which “We’re all told bisexuality is a phase that everyone goes through and grows out of, and no one’s a ‘proper’ bisexual, even though everyone’s bisexual really,” as Marcus Morgan puts it.
Sarah O’Rourke, “I think everyone’s a bit bisexual”: identity erasure and biphobia (via owlswearglasses)
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I was at a party last night and I was talking to this woman and somehow pretty girls came up.
She got all excited and was like, “wait, you’re into girls?”
And I was like, “…yeah.”
She was all, “well? What are you?”
I thought it was a super weird way to phrase it. Because, you know, what I am is a person. But I humored her. “I’m bisexual.”
“Like 50/50?” she asked.
“Uh,” I thought about it and approximated, “like 70 girls, 30 guys?”
She laughed, “how old are you?” I figured she was about to be like oh yeah all girls your age claim they’re bisexual, blah blah blah.
“22,” I replied.
“Oh, yeah, that’s what I thought when I was 22, too,” she winked. “And now I’m just a lesbian.”
I was kind of relieved that she wasn’t trying to tell me I was just some straight girl. But, I realize her trying to tell me I was just a confused lesbian was just kind of just as harmful.