If you are bi are you gay

The Bi Line: Why Some of Us Still Tell We&#;re "Gay AF"

A comrade who has always openly identified as gay recently opened up to me about his bisexuality. In our conversations, he wondered if he was proficient to still say he&#;s "gay AF". He was worried that by using this popular phrase he would erase his bisexuality.

I meet lots of bi people who vocalize their bisexuality to me when they find out I&#;m a bi activist. Many of those people outwardly identify as gay or lesbian in order to remain a part of the gay community. One way that many of these folks do this is to use well-known phrases and terms that identify them as homosexual, even if they are out as bi.

The more popular terms and sayings for queer people usually center on gayness. This is due, in part, to the fact that individuals in both the gay and straight communities don&#;t see bisexuality as really queer. Most don&#;t think bisexuality has a culture or a people. Saying something like I&#;m "gay AF" allows bi people to communicate to gay people "I&#;m part of the queer collective, I&#;m one of you" without fearing biphobia or the anxiety of having to come out as bi.

This has come up i

What Does It Mean to Be Bi or Bisexual?

So, does this information express that you’re “technically” double attraction — even though the term doesn’t call to you? Does it feel like you’re not actually bisexual, even though you’ve always identified that way?

You — and only you — can resolve your own sexual identity.

You may prefer to contact yourself bisexual, fluid, cross oriented, gay with some bisexual tendencies, multiple identities, or no identity label at all.

If you’re looking to answer what bisexual means to realize who you really are, then it’s time to look inward for your answers.

You’re on your own unique journey toward understanding yourself.

Maisha Z. Johnson is a writer and advocate for survivors of violence, people of tint, and LGBTQ+ communities. She lives with chronic illness and believes in honoring each person’s unique way to healing. Find Maisha on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

By Marj Ostani

mbg Contributor

Marj Ostani is a writer and artist producing feminist-centric works in BIPOC communities. Their works have been published in Next Shark, Bitch Media, Archer Magazine, Bobblehaus, The Scoop Asia, and more.

Expert review by

Chamin Ajjan, LCSW, A-CBT, CST

ASSECT-certified sex therapist

Chamin Ajjan, LCSW, A-CBT, CST, is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and AASECT-certified sex therapist based in Brooklyn, NY.

While society is arguably more accepting of diverse sexualities these days, figuring out how to define your own personal sexual persona can still be confusing—especially when you're still trying to make sense of what all these terms mean. Figuring out your sexual orientation might be difficult or take occasion, and that's OK.

If you think you might be bisexual, you might be experiencing a mix of feelings: perhaps confusion, a bit of fear, and maybe, just maybe, a bit of excitement as you're starting to detect this part of yourself. Ahead, we talk about how to know if you may be attracted to both genders and what to undertake next if that may be the case.

What does it mean to be bisexual?

A bisexual person is someone who is

Bisexual FAQ

What does bisexual mean?

In simplest terms, a bisexual person is someone who can be attracted to more than one gender; but adults and youth who spot as bisexual sometimes explain themselves differently. Many bisexual person adults have embraced the definition proposed by longtime bisexual leader, national speaker and award-winning activist Robyn Ochs:

"I call myself pansexual because I acknowledge that I have in myself the potential to be attracted - romantically and/or sexually - to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the matching time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree."

This broad definition of bisexuality includes people who identify as pansexual, queer, fluid and other labels that suggest potential attraction to more than one gender.

How many people are bisexual?

According to the Williams Institute and the HRC Foundation's own analyze, studies suggest that about 50 percent of people who identify as either gay, lesbian or attracted to both genders, identify as bisexual. This makes the bisexual population the single largest team within the LGBTQ+ community.