... and pansexual. So I've been reading more about different orientations, and I know that bisexuality is when a male or female is attracted to both genders, but what is bicurious? Isn't that a precursor to being bisexual? Because surely if a male or female was only attracted to one sex, then they wouldn't be 'curious' to try it with their own sex because they wouldn't feel any attraction/arousal? And with pansexual, isn't that pretty much bisexual? Sorry if am being ignorant.
Bicurious is a much shorter way of saying "I think I'm straight, but I wouldn't mind trying things with the same sex." There were actually studies done that showed very few people are actually completely heterosexual or homosexual, instead, if you plot it on a line, there's a large clustering near, but not at, the ends, indicating that most people can be attracted to the same or the opposite sex, but there is a very very strong innate preference. Bisexual is also a label used by those that are questioning their orientation, especially if they want to experiment to figure it out. Pansexual and bisexual are similar, yet quite different. Bisexual implies that you are only attracted to those who are male or female. Bisexual also tends to carry the stereotype of wanting to be with a guy and a girl at the same time. Pansexual means you are attracted to people regardless of gender, and often indicates you are attracted to people with non-binary genders.
Ah okay, I see. But surely people can only be bicurious if they're attracted/aroused etc by either the opposite sex; if they're gay, they become aroused by the opposite sex, straight, they become aroused by the same sex? So isn't that just touching on bisexual? Also, gay people know from a young age, or at least puberty, that they're gay. They're attracted/aroused by the same sex. Straight people know they're straight. So is that the same with bisexual and bicurious people? i.e. they always 'know' from at least adolescence?
Bicurious: Straight (Or sometimes gay) people curious about trying something with the sex they are not attracted to. It doesn't have to lead to actual bisexuality. It could just be an act to do to said you do it, or you may not enjoy it. In the past I was curious about doing things with men to say that I did them, but I am not attracted to them. Bisexual: Romantically and sexually attracted to both sexes. You do NOT have to experiment to know this. A vast majority of straight girls are also bicurious, not because of legit attraction, but because they think female/female sexual activity is "cool" and will impress a guy. Usually they will experiment, and then 80% of the time only end up with a guy from now on. They need to be separated IMO. If a gay person falls for someone identifying as "bisexual" but it turns out they were just "bi-curious" it can hurt them when they end up being used as an experiment. Not separating the two is dangerous for real bisexuals as well because it causes bad stereotypes and hostility toward dating them.
Exactly. Most people using the label bicurious will be teens or young adults, who can be aroused by virtually anything.
I don't think bi curious always mean attracted / aroused some people could just want to try something they never tried before .
I myself have never been curious about the opposite sex, so I guess I'm not bi curious. I do however have an opposite sex relationship, so maybe I'm biromantic. So I guess you can be bi curious but never act on it, or bisexual without being bi curious, or you can be both or neither.
From what I've learned, bicurious is just that, a wonder about what it must be like to be with the sex you're normally not attracted to. It doesn't have to be just for the sake of bragging rights or something like that though. One of my best girl buds is/was bicurious, and she's never done anything with another girl, only dating guys. She's guy crazy in fact. I think it depends on the person, some people wonder about the romantic relationship they could have, others think of it sexually. Such as my friend, who usually talked about her curiosity about what it would be like to love a girl like she would a husband, and then another day told me she's curious as to what lesbian sex is like. There's obviously a huge difference between bicurious and bisexual. Bicurious is mainly speculation or questioning, whereas bisexuals know for a fact they are sexually attracted to both genders. As for bisexual and pansexual, I separate the two with a need for gender. Bisexuals need to distinguish between "he" and "she" while pansexuals basically say "No gender? No problem!"
