Can I be bi, but get by in life with only guys?

Yes, you most certainly could identify as bi but only go out with guys. The important thing here is to aknowledge your attractions and see what it means to you. You could very well get away with identifying as straight, but really that's up to you.

To be bisexual does not mean you must act on your attractions. I'm sure you have heard of people who "just know" with no prior experience. Don't think of the label as a way to define who you are as a whole. For me, telling others that I'm gay means that I have attractions to the same sex. That's it. It doesn't mean that I have to act feminine or whatnot.

 

Your situation sounds similar to mine, I dated a female friend briefly years ago while in college (my family wasn't aware though they prob suspected) and I come from Christian background in my family but don't follow it as closely as my sister whose my age and a conservative Christian. Difference is that my sister has known where I stand on LGBTQ issues, I've never been anti-gay, I've been to pride parades and have very close gay and bi friends so I think they're aware that I'm okay with the LGBTQ community. I def get the impression my sister isn't too thrilled with me being as pro-gay as I am so yeah I also have the fear of being rejected and ridiculed by friends and family if I was out as bi. Even me being pro-gay I have definitely suppressed my attraction to women and only considered dating men for a long time because of how religious I was growing. I found a church home (not very gay friendly one at that) and made friends and was growing spiritually but recently something in me disengaged. I had to kinda evaluate my feelings about God and relationships now that I'm getting older. I finally realized I didn't really like that feeling of suppression because it felt almost like self-loathing. I started thinking I could seriously fall hard for a girl again and I've considered maybe I'd be okay with that. I'm trying to undo some of my religious mindset and I've thought about leaving the church I'm attending because of the new direction.

So anyway, to answer your question yes you can still call yourself bisexual if you're dating guys you'd be a bisexual woman in a heterosexual relationship. The attraction to the same sex will probably still there but you can still prefer dating men. That said, to me it seems like you're considering only dating men because you want the acceptance and not for your own happiness. I mean maybe I'm wrong but if that is the case there may be some consequences that come with putting others before yourself. I definitely know it can be difficult especially with religion involved to be accepting of that part of yourself. For me, EC has been helpful in just allowing me to become comfortable with my identity before I even begin to tell others.

 

You can certainly try.

I warn you, however, to be extremely careful about committing to a man, if you have genuine attraction to women...at least be open with him about your interest in women. Because it can grow as you get older, and what you really *don't* want to do is end up married with children at some point, having hidden your sexuality for 20 years, and then reach a point where you just can't stand it anymore and feel a real need to explore that interest in women, *not* because you don't love him anymore, but because your interest in women is a constant distraction...but because you've not told him, it's nigh on impossible to open that discussion after 20 years.

Read around...lots of people (many who thought they were straight, but later found they were gay...but some who are bisexual) are in that very position.

 

I agree with what biAnnika said.

I'd like to add that, while it is possible, it may not make you happy. I realize not everyone is in a position where they can come out, but can you really remain closeted your entire life? What will you do if you fall in love with a woman, resist it? Is that really what you want to do?

If so, then yes, go ahead and do it. You'll still be bisexual. Your attractions determine your orientation, not whom you date. A lesbian could date a man without being straight or bi; a straight person can be single and not be asexual. Plenty of bisexuals date mostly the opposite gender because it's easier to get a date with the opposite gender. They're still bi, too.

 

I'm going to "me too" the ladies above. I'm happy to give you more details, but short version is that now that I've got the perfect life according to my life goals (set as a teen), my brain keeps wanting to have sexual relations with women (one in particular). I wish I would have set up our relationship differently. The good news is that my husband knew going into our marriage, so although we are staying monogamous at least right now, he and I can talk about it a little bit. There is a bit of 'I trust you not to cheat, and I don't think I could handle non-monogamy' from him. It's at least sort of working, but I don't know how much longer it will work for. I have no desire to leave him or our family, but I do desire women.

 

I think your sexuality is between you and God. And if people do not accept your sexuality they are hypocrites.

In the book of John, Jesus states "let him who is without sin cast the first stone". In Matthew, he says " You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

"Thou shalt not judge" is also one of the 10 Commandments.

I would recommend reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That's what I did. And it opened my eyes. What I do is between me and God. A Priest is MAN. The bible was revised BY MAN. Who I am is bwtween me and God. No one else.

And it should be the same for you. This specific verse REALLY helped me a lot.

"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (John 4:11-12)