Bisexual- what does that mean?

I'm not bisexual myself but I think I can help based on what I've picked up from people here!

Have you ever heard of the Kinsey scale? It basically assigns you a number between 0 and 6, with 0 being heterosexual and 6 being homosexual. Everywhere in between those is technically a spectrum of bisexuality, with 3 being equal attraction to both sexes, so yes it's perfectly possible for people to be bisexual with a preference for one sex.

Also, sexuality is very often fluid, and your attractions can shift slightly over time, or more unusually change on a day to day basis. All of that's absolutely fine! But it's great that you're trying to come to terms with your sexuality. (*hug*)

 

Many bisexuals feel more attracted to one gender. Most, probably. You most certainly can still be considered bisexual if you're more attracted to one gender than the other. Me, I haven't noticed a difference in my attraction.

Bisexual means that you're attracted to people of two genders, as suggested by the prefix 'bi'. It doesn't specify to what degree.

@Link, the kinsey scale is dubious.

 

being bisexual doesn't mean you have to be attracted to both male and female fifty fifty
some girls are bisexual and like men more some are bisexual and like women more .
In my case i'm more attracted to women but get attracted to men also just not as much as i do with women . Also I've heard some bisexuals say that they are only sexually attracted to one gender and emotionally attracted to another .

 

^ That would normally be biromantic rather than bisexual.

 

This is considered one of the "best" definitions of bisexual. I didn't make it, but I definitely like it:
"the potential to be attracted—romantically and/or sexually—to people of more than one sex, and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree"

 

Since people insist bisexual = dual attraction, it can mean attraction to two gender groups, same and different. As in, all genders.

@Hexagon, the etymological fallacy is dubious.

 

Sorry only just noticed your last point

It certainly isn't an exact science but it helped me a lot when I was trying to come to terms with things!

 

I think they mean heteroromantic homosexual, or homoromantic heterosexual, etc.

 

Yeah I did think there would be other terms fitting the description, I just couldn't be bothered to list them all. My point really was that sexual attraction to one gender isn't bisexual, even if there are emotional attachments to the other gender.

---------- Post added 13th Jul 2013 at 01:53 AM ----------

"Monoromantic monosexual" I guess is the appropriate way of putting it.

 

You don't have to be equally attracted to either gender to be considered Bisexual For example, even though I'm bi, I definitely lean more towards guys than girls It's actually quite common lol

 

My definition:
To me, bisexual, is someone who reckons in himself the ability to engage sexually with both female and male genders, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily on the same level, not necessarily on the same way. But that's just me.

Also, as far as I know, very few bisexuals like both genders equally, so don't worry if you don't, you're still bi

This definition is fine, until you start to compare it to pansexual. Technically (and I'm gonna get much hate for this, but it's my opinion) bisexuals are only potentially capable to be attracted to only females and males.

 

@Martjain You bet you are. It's binary supremism, for one. Perhaps you haven't come across them but there are people who ID as bisexual but those two genders aren't male & female. One I came across was attracted to women & nonbinaries (not to say nonbinary is one gender; they were nonbinary themselves). A common definition is same + different genders, which can mean all genders.

Second, it's an emytological fallacy. "What it used to mean = what it means now." Therefore 'bisexual' means what intersexed does now and anyone identifying as bisexual is saying they are intersexed.

Lastly, people have been redefining bisexuality in favor of pansexuality in really biphobic and transphobic ways. "Bisexuals are only attracted to males and females," "Bisexuals are only attracted to cis males and females," "Pansexuals are attracted to males, females, and transgenders," "Bisexuals are fixated on gender," "Pansexuals care about the person, not the gender," etc. And then bisexuals accuse pansexuals of special snowflaking themselves.

The politics of multisexual identity are fucked up. Let people define their own sexualities.

---------- Post added 12th Jul 2013 at 09:11 PM ----------

Edit: I see you said it's your definition. Perhaps you did not mean it to be the definition.

---------- Post added 12th Jul 2013 at 09:12 PM ----------

If that's the case, then did I write all that for nothing??

 

Haha, of course you didn't! I see your point and I agree it's very complicated to define sexuality and particularly when you are defining other people's. I guess you are right, bisexuality isn't constrained to only female and male. But we could say that bisexuality might have some limitations compared to pansexuality, right?

 

Yeah. Pansexual is more specific. Bisexual may be more restrictive. Or may not.

 

Have you seen the Kinsey scale?