The Inner-Workings of Bi-Erasure
Bisexuality, or the romantic and sexual attraction to two or more genders, and its members of the rainbow alphabet play a unique role in the LGBT community. But lately, Bisexuality has come under a special kind of scrutiny: erasure.
Bisexual erasure or bisexual invisibility is the tendency to ignore, remove, or falsify the legitimacy of bisexuality. In its most extreme form, one can believe that bisexuality simply does not exist. Furthermore, bi-erasure can also be considered a manifestation of biphobia 一 a strong aversion to bisexuality. Bi-erasure isn’t just exclusive to heterosexual people but is also present in LGBT communities. Bi-erasure is dangerous, in that it threatens bisexual individuals and the LGBT community as a whole.
Why Does Bi-Erasure Exist?
The reason many may invalidate bisexuality is that it may contradict the idea of being straight or gay. Bisexuality does not necessarily equate to an equal attraction to all sexes. Many people who dismiss bisexuality, see sexuality as a binary rather than a spectrum, and bisexuality disrupts the binary. Bisexuality could also perpetuate the belief that sexuality is a choice, so why couldn’t the people who identified as gay just settle for the opposite gender?
Bi-erasure was sort of inevitable, because of bisexaulity’s ties with gender. There are many legal arguments dependent on the gender binary, and bisexuality would simply complicate matters. It is why so many stereotypes and myths came about.
Graphic by Kesha Peterson
Myth: “It’s a Phase”
This myth comes from the idea that bisexual people just haven’t decided if they are gay or straight yet. Yes, there have been plenty of people who were once in heterosexual relationships to then later realize that they are instead attracted to the same sex. Yes, there have also been people who have gone through “a phase” to discover they’re still straight. But those facts should not invalidate the people who have attractions to two or more genders. When someone comes out as bisexual, typically, it is their final decision.
Myth: “You Just Want Attention”
This myth is probably the most harmful to the bisexual community in that it invalidates their identity and leads them to question whether they truly belong in the LGBT community. The idea that they just want to be included in homosexual spaces and that they just want to be victimized leads many bi people to constantly question themselves. The statement also suggests that bisexuals are vain individuals. It often contributes to another stereotype, that bisexuals are greedy.
Myth: “Bisexuals are Promiscuous”
There is this misconception that bisexuality is synonymous with polygamy. Bisexuality is separate from polygamy. Identifying as bisexual is different than identifying as polygamous. Someone who is in a monogamous relationship can still be bisexual despite their partner’s gender. They can still be attracted to multiple genders, and they recognize that they are in a monogamous relationship. Being bisexual does not mean they will cheat. Cheaters are just cheaters. Bisexuality has no factor in that.
Myth: “You Can Only Identify as Bisexual if You’ve Been in Both Opposite and Same-Sex Relationships”
If you are monogamous, you may be questioned if you truly are bisexual since you haven’t been with a specific gender. For example, a bisexual woman who has, at the time being, only been with men, may be asked, “Well how do you know if you like women if you haven’t been with one?” The answer is simple: Crushes.
People often forget that sexuality is often attached to attraction. When you were a kid, you probably didn’t date, but you may have had a crush on a fellow schoolmate. As a kid, if you had a crush on someone of the opposite gender, you were not questioned whether you were truly straight. No one asked, “Well, how do you know you like this person if you didn’t date them yet?” It’s because, at the end of the day, you just developed feelings.
So a bisexual person can know if they are bisexual simply because they’ll have crushes on two or more genders. The idea is that a bisexual person is open to having a relationship with either a man, a woman, or nonbinary person. You don’t need to date to identify as bisexual. You don’t need to be actively pursuing others to claim a certain sexual orientation.
Myth: “Bisexuals are Transphobic” - How Pansexuality Counters Bisexuality
LGBT or LGBTQIA+ acts as a metric system. And as stated before, bisexuality within this metric system is often used as an umbrella term. Because LGBT is like a metric system, you can assume that there’s another one out there. This other, new measurement system that I’m referring to is called MOGAI.
MOGAI is an acronym that stands for Marginalized Orientations Gender Alignments and Intersex. Born from the internet, a quick Google search can tell you that it’s an alternative to LGBT and its variants. However, MOGAI focuses on the differences of each individual identity, whereas LGBT focuses on the similarities. Many lesser-known identities are highlighted among MOGAI, but there is some controversy about this intense hyper-focusing.
But why am I talking about this online, somewhat obscure acronym? What does this have to do with pansexuality and bisexuality? Well, given how MOGAI focuses on the differences, I believe, it may have, unintentionally, caused many to pit pansexuality and bisexuality against each other.
Pansexuality, contrary to belief, is not very new. The term’s first documentation dates back to the early 20th century. At the time, it was a psychoanalytic term, but it slowly became the identity we know today. The word, “pansexual” was reclaimed and used to spread greater awareness of trans, nonbinary and genderqueer identities.
It was by the 1990s, that pansexuality was defined as being attracted to all genders; Furthermore, it was the early rise of the Internet that helped the pan community grow. But unfortunately, as the term gained prominence, it is often used to make bisexuals appear transphobic.
Pansexuality is just as valid as bisexuality; but recently there has been this idea that bisexuality promotes transphobia. Some have said because “bi” means “two” that bisexuality promotes the binary and does not include non-binary or trans people. This cannot be further from the truth.
Bisexuality is usually not interchangeable with pansexuality, but definitely can be. When meant with the “bi” means “two” argument, many people have stated bisexuality as feeling attraction towards their own gender (as one group) and people outside of their gender (another group). But it’s important to remember, that language constantly changes, and bisexuality is an example of adapting to the times.
It’s easy at face value, to make an assumption that bisexuality is only in support of the binary, but history tells us the bisexual individuals have always aligned themselves with trans individuals and the rest of the LGBT community. For example, Brenda Howard played a major role in organizing the first pride march in 1969, and Donny the Punk made the first on-campus LGBT+ student group in 1966. Bisexuals play a vital part in the LGBT community.
The concept of pansexuality, unfortunately, can be used to further hide bisexual people, separating them from the LGBT community. In fear of being transphobic, many bisexual people may feel inclined to say they are pansexual despite preferring to identify as bisexual. But a bisexual person is simply conscious of gender; and pansexuality is often defined as being attracted to someone regardless of gender. Pansexuality and bisexuality are simply different approaches or different terms for someone to define who they are and how they feel. The two terms should not be pitted against each other, invalidating the other. In fact, the two should celebrate their commonalities.
Ending Bi-Erasure
Bi-erasure can break up the bisexual community. And if the bi community loses its legs, so does the trans community, so does the gay community, and so on and so forth. It is important to be united and to respect all identities.
If you want to make a difference, first recognize if you have any biases towards the bi community. Recognize if you have believed any of the previous myths, and then work on validating bisexual people. Remember: Do not ever question someone’s sexuality. It is their own experience.
Written by Farah Sallam
