Okay, I’m late. Bisexuality Day, also known as Bi Visibility Day, was on September 23rd. But do you ever need an excuse to celebrate being bi? I don’t think so. (I prefer to use “bi” in this article since I want to include biromantic asexuals as well, being one of them.) Here’s a little about what it’s been like to be bi for me, and how proud of it I’ve come to be.
The first time I came to identify as bi, I was thirteen. (Yeah, there was a first time. Not all bi people are confused, but thirteen-year-old me definitely was!) I liked a boy who was two and a half years older than me, lived across the country, and barely knew I existed. I confronted him when he insulted my best friend, then stopped talking to him for three years, during which I realized I really, really liked girls, changed the orientation I identified with several times (from aromantic, to lesbian, to bi again), came out to more people than I can remember in ways ranging from serious sit-down conversations to accidentally telling them I like girls because I couldn’t miss an opportunity to make a pun about it.
I currently have a loving boyfriend who respects my orientation for what it is. He and I both thought I was a lesbian the first time we met, so there’s that for meet-cute stories. I felt pretty bad when I changed my mind, because I didn’t want to fit into the stereotype of the confused bi person who just needs to “choose a side.” I was also really tired of never being able to figure out my sexuality—I hadn’t stuck to a single label for more than two years since I was eleven—but I started to make my peace with it.
And I’m not here to tell the bi people reading this that they have to choose a side, or stick to anything, or be confused. If you’re figuring things out, that’s fine. If you’re totally confident in your orientation, that’s fine, too. If you’re managing a balance of both, that’s also fine. Know that you’re far from alone, and don’t be scared to be visible!
Image: X
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