{"id":18070,"date":"2018-09-20T08:05:23","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T08:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=18070"},"modified":"2024-07-22T06:18:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T04:18:45","slug":"10-myths-bisexuality-need-to-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/10-myths-bisexuality-need-to-end\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Popular Myths About Bisexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"

September is Bi-Visibility Month, culminating in a September 23rd celebration where all the good bisexual men and women eagerly await a Freddy Mercury-filled dream\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, not exactly. This day of recognition is actually more about seeking to combat the lack of visibility that bisexual people experience in both the LGBTQ and hetereosexual communities, as well as the biphobia they experience when they are recognized. <\/span><\/p>\n

To do our part for Bi-Visibility Day, here are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about bisexualty, and why they\u2019re harmful. <\/span><\/p>\n

1.They\u2019re Doing it For Attention<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the most common myths about bisexuality<\/a> is that those who come out as bi (especially women) are doing it for attention. This perpetuates the idea that female sexuality is reserved strictly for the enjoyment of men – instead of something that\u2019s been observed to be a spectrum since even before the Kinsey scale was published in 1948. <\/span><\/p>\n

2.They\u2019re Actually Gay but Afraid to Come Out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The idea that being bi is \u2018<\/span>just a layover on the way to <\/span>Gay Town\u2019 (as a very cringe-inducing episode of Sex and the City<\/em> put it) again suggests that no one could ever really be interested in more than one gender. <\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, this misconception is more commonly applied to bisexual guys, which, when paired with myth #1, makes it seem like society as a whole just assumes that everyone really loves men. Hm\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

3.They Can\u2019t Make Up Their Mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to being gay or straight, most people agree that sexuality isn\u2019t a choice, so why do people assume bisexual people are somehow struggling with a choice between men or women? <\/span><\/p>\n

4.They Are Equally Attracted to Men and Women<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We get it; with the root \u2018bi\u2019 it is easy to think of bisexual attraction as being evenly split in half, but in reality it isn\u2019t always so simply. Some folks identify as bisexual while only dating women, and some may know they are bisexual without having had a sexual experience as one. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you figure, \u2018Well hey, then how can they know?\u2019 then consider how you \u2018knew\u2019 what your sexual orientation was before you ever lost your virginity!<\/span><\/p>\n

5.Bisexual People are Greedy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Look, if the only reason you <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/i> consider yourself bisexual is because you don\u2019t want to be greedy, we officially give you permission to be as greedy as you like. As to why people think that bisexual people are inherently greedy…well, we struggle to understand it too. <\/span><\/p>\n

6.They\u2019re Promiscuous and\/or Can\u2019t Be Monogamous<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While there are certainly non-monogamous<\/a> bisexual people (just as there are non-monogamous gay and straight people), the inclination toward or away from monogamy<\/a> has nothing to do with \u2018not being satisfied with one partner.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

This assumption also tends to go hand in hand with the \u2018promiscuous bisexual\u2019 trope which is unfortunately one of the most common depictions of bisexual people in media (think Sharon Stone in <\/span>Basic Instinct). <\/span><\/i>Again, there is nothing wrong with being \u201cpromiscuous\u201d (whatever that really means) but whether someone is or is not has little to do with their orientation. <\/span><\/p>\n

7.Bisexual People are Always Interested in Threesomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re interested in having a MFF threesom<\/a>e and you already have the M and the F\u2026 then yes, you\u2019re probably going to find that a bisexual woman is more receptive to the proposal then a straight one, however that does <\/span>not<\/b> mean that every bisexual person likes group sex or wants to have it with you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, they\u2019re called unicorns for a reason. <\/span><\/p>\n

8.They Become Straight When They\u2019re in a Relationship with Someone of the Opposite Gender <\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is no magic wand that gets waved when a bisexual man is in a relationship with a woman to make him straight, nor one to make him gay if he\u2019s in a relationship with a man; you can maintain your attraction even if you aren\u2019t currently acting on it!<\/span><\/p>\n

9.Everyone is a Little Bisexual<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is one of those myths that <\/span>seems<\/span><\/i> like it\u2019s the right thing to say when someone comes out to you as bi, but is actually still just a bit of the ol\u2019 biphobia. <\/span><\/p>\n

A recent survey<\/span><\/a> found 29% of Americans between 18-29 describe themselves as somewhere on the bisexuality spectrum. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While that certainly seems like a big number (particularly compared to how older segments of the population identify) it definitely isn\u2019t everyone, and when you claim that everyone is \u2018a bit bi\u2019 you are erasing their identity as something discrete from those who are completely straight or gay, and often ignores the unique issues they face compared to their peers.<\/span><\/p>\n

10.Bisexual People Don\u2019t Experience Discrimination<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the reasons why we have Bisexual Visibility month is because of the assumption that bisexual individuals do not face their own unique set of issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from dealing with the above myths and misconceptions from people in both communities, here are some stats about issues facing bisexual people from <\/span>the “<\/span>2014 Movement Advancement Project” report<\/span> and “<\/span>Rainbow Health Ontario”<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The percentage of bisexual women struggling with PTSD is 26.6% compared with 6.6% of straight women.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Bisexual men are 6.3 times more likely than straight men to consider suicide, while gay men are 4.1 times more likely.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Bisexual people have reported higher rates of substance abuse than gay and lesbian people.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Bisexual people report higher rates of anxiety, depression, and mental illness than gay and lesbian people.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Programs created to help bisexual people receive only 0.3% of funds given to gay and lesbian support programs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The next time you hear that someone is bisexual (say, Mara Wilson, Billie Joe Armstrong, Alan Cumming, Drew Barrymore, Evan Rachel Wood or <\/span>Carrie Brownstein, to name a few) and assume one of the above about them, remember that not only is it not true, there\u2019s a one-in-three chance your misconceptions negatively impact someone you know.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    September is Bi-Visibility Month, culminating in a September 23rd celebration where all the good bisexual men and women eagerly await a Freddy Mercury-filled dream\u2026 Well, not exactly. This day of recognition is actually more about seeking to combat the lack of visibility that bisexual people experience in both the LGBTQ and hetereosexual communities, as well as the biphobia they experience when they are recognized. To do our part for Bi-Visibility Day, here are some of the most common myths and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":20651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,929],"tags":[47,764,301],"coauthors":[950],"class_list":["post-18070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexual-health","category-sexual-wellness","tag-holidays","tag-lgbtq","tag-myths"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDebunking 10 Myths About Bi People for Bisexual Visibility Month<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wonder why bisexual people should get their own holiday? 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