Hey, I'm new here and I'm excited about finding an online community for LGBTQ people to talk openly and safely. So,I'll just cut straight to my question...I'm a 19 male and I identify as bisexual. I'm not out yet but I am kinda confused about my sexuality. Sexually, I'm attracted to both men and women, however I only ever imagine myself romantically linked to another man. Does this mean that I'm still bisexual or is there something else I'm not understanding (it's just really confusing). Any and all help/advice is appreciated.
Well to be frank, same thing is happening to me now. But i think you should try chatting with the advisors on empty closets though threads are also a good place to find answers.
Hey! I'm a bit in the same situation however I can see myself with a woman, romantically speaking (even if it is at a really low level! ) I think you are still technically bi since you are sexually attracted to both women and men! However, have you imagined being with a guy since a long time? It's maybe because right now you'd like a relationship with a man.. Idk Feel free to ask me anything Lots of hugs! (*hug*) Book addict
Hi manglecat :icon_bigg Some people believe that romantic and sexual orientation are separate, I don't know if this has been proven to be true or not but you can identify as a homoromantic bisexual if you like or you can just continue to identify as bisexual. Whichever one you feel more comfortable with Hope I was able to help out!
Hi, and welcome to EC. Your confusion is understandable, and I think most everyone has been where you are at some point in his or her process. Given that there's no credible evidence to support a separation between romantic and sexual orientation, it's unlikely you are a homoromantic bisexual. What's a lot more likely, and a lot more common, is that, as you're still in the process of coming out, you're adjusting to what your attractions actually are. As we process any loss (in this case, loss of perception as straight), there are stages we go through: denial-anger-bargaining-grief-acceptance. Quite a few people, during the "bargaining" phase, feel some variation of "Well, OK, I like guys, but I might still end up with a girl." and construct a "bridge identity" as they go through the self-acceptance process. In past years, those people typically identified as bisexual; the label du jour these days is the (utterly unsupported) "homoromantic bisexual" or "heteroromantic homosexual" or some such. To be clear: there are absolutely people who are, and remain, bisexual, but there are also a lot who use the label as a bridge to self-acceptance as homosexual. So what also commonly happens is that as you come to accept yourself more fully, many people (but certainly not all) find their opposite-sex attraction fading,and their same-sex attraction increasing. It's entirely possible you'll end up attracted to both guys and girls, but it's also quite possible (and statistically perhaps more likely) that you will end up mostly attracted to guys. Either is perfectly normal, fine, and acceptable... what's important is that you find what's comfortable for you. And it may simply take a bit for you to work that out fully, and perhaps it won't be clear until you start to come out more.
I don't want to hijack the thread for this particular question but I am a little confused over this statement. Do you mean this topic (separation of sexual and romantic orientation) is little researched and hence there is no evidence as of yet or that it has been researched but the research has found no evidence to support this. The reason I'm asking because Wikipedia makes a distinction and cites a few studies in the references but I have not gone through the original articles. I think it's an important topic and any confusion over it is bad.
