Myths About Bisexuality - What Are They?

Jeniffer Baumgardner’s article, “What is Bisexuality?” was an interesting one for me to read, as a bisexual woman. One part of her article addresses the negative connotations with the word, “bisexual.” She wrote, “As a label, ‘bisexual,’ sounds pathological, academic, and a little embarrassed.” She goes on to describe some of the horrible synonymous slang terms for bisexual (Heartbreaker? Disease vector? Really?). I think her article could have gone a little more in depth on what bisexuality isn't - that is, describing some of these horrible stereotypes that come from both straight and gay communities. This would help clear up, perhaps, why bisexuality is an “embarrassing" label.

From what I can tell, the straight people's stereotyping has ties to the purity myth we’ve discussed in class, especially for women. If promiscuity is everything a woman isn’t supposed to be, bisexual people are the very illustration of that, through the eyes of heterosexual people. It is assumed that, because we are attracted to “both” genders (to cisgender, heterosexual people, that tends to mean everyone), we must be having sex with every person we see. Straight people have also been known to consider bisexual people as greedy - we’re out there stealing potential partners from everyone else, according to this line of thinking. These stereotypes may also stem from the misunderstanding the bisexuality is synonymous with polyamory. Though there are polyamorous bisexual people out there, the majority of bisexual people are monogamous.

From gay people, the stereotypes can often be quite hypocritical and seem to come from a place of spite. "Bisexuals can pass as straight,” is one of the biggest ones I hear. It is important for bisexual people to be critical of the fact that those of us in hetero-passing relationships do have privilege to the everyday person - I’m not denying this. However, gay and lesbian people are the biggest perpetrators of the notion that bisexuality is a choice, which in of itself goes against the very thing gay and lesbian movements fight for - the fact that who we love is not a choice. It seems to me that the gay and lesbian people perpetrating this idea about bisexual people are discrediting their own values when they imply that some people can choose who they want to be in love with.