Embracing Bisexuality: A journey of awareness and allyship by Nic Marlor
Welcome to my latest LGBTQ+ awareness blog, this time with a focus on Bisexuality Awareness Week (16th-23rd September) which incorporates Bisexuality Awareness Day (23rd September). This blog will provide an opportunity to understand more about what it means to be bisexual, how we can continue to be an ally to our LGBTQ+ communities and colleagues and where to get support.
The word "bisexual" was first used to refer to a sexual attraction to both men and women by Charles Gilbert Chaddock in 1892. However, bisexuality was rarely openly discussed until the second half of the twentieth century due to the pervasive cultural stigma surrounding being gay.
Bisexual is a term for people who experience attraction to more than one gender. This doesn't always mean men and women but can incorporate those who have other gender identities too, such as non-binary.
In a worldwide survey, 4% of people identified as bisexual. A Gallup poll estimated that approximately 5.6 percent of the population identified as LGBTQ, with over 50 percent of them being bisexual. So, bisexual individuals actually make up the largest portion of the LGBTQ+ community!
You might hear other terms to describe attraction to more than one gender used, such as pansexual, omnisexual and polysexual – some view bisexual as an umbrella term for these sexualities, some argue that bisexuality is different. Ultimately, people use the label that feels most comfortable for them, and some people may use more than one label to describe themselves.
On a personal level, I describe my own sexuality as both bisexual and/or pansexual, and this changes on any given day! I realised my attraction to both men and women quite early on in life, but as mentioned in previous blogs, spent most of my life in heterosexual relationships for a number of reasons. In these cases, it can sometimes be viewed that the "other" side of someone's sexuality was "just a phase" (whether that's a heterosexual phase or a gay phase!) and this can be really dismissive of that part of a person's identity.
An example…Say you're a straight woman, and you're in a committed relationship, you might still find other men attractive. It's the same for someone who is bisexual; regardless of who they are currently in a relationship with, they may still be attracted to other people. For bisexual people, their attraction might not always be toward someone of the same gender as the person they are with.
People around me regularly refer to my "coming out" or "becoming gay" when I entered into a same sexual relationship in my early 30's – despite the fact I identified my sexuality as bisexual in my teens. I think the learning here is to never make assumptions!
How can continue to be an ally to our LGBTQ+ communities and colleagues?
- Continue to develop your understanding (hopefully this blog should help with that!). More information about bisexuality can also be found here
- Be conscious of your language - some of this might cause offense LGBTQ+ people, even if you don't mean to. This doesn't mean saying nothing just in-case you offend someone, its just about raising self-awareness
You can learn more about unconscious bias, micro aggressions and the difference between ‘banter’ and ‘incivility’ on one of the new NECS EDI Training sessions
Getting support
If you want to talk to someone or need support, please reach out to one of our Health & Wellbeing Champions, our NECS EDI Lead or you can contact the one-stop listening service for LGBTQ+ individuals Switchboard