Thread by @MandaLeonJoyce

Hi! Happy #BiVisibilityDay! Every year for the last 5 years I have said a version of the same thing. This year is no exception. Let's talk bisexuality! (short thread👇)

1) I am #bisexual. To me, this means I can be attracted to people who *are not* of my gender identity, as well as being attracted to people who *are* of my gender identity

2) it does not mean I erase non binary gender identities. The '2' implied by my use of 'bi' is 'like me' & 'not like me'

3) 'like me' is cis female & kinda femme. 'Not like me' could be masculine cis men, butch cis women, femme men, androgynous folk, trans men, trans women, non-binary people, gender non conforming, gender queer &/or agender folk - and more!

4) there is another word that might be used to convey this: #pansexual. It might also be implied by the word #queer. Terms are highly personal, individual's exact descriptions vary, and you should always respect and seek to understand the identity label an individual chooses.

5) My #bisexual identity doesn't change when my relationships do. Much like being single doesn't suddenly make a straight person asexual, being in a relationship with a woman can't make me a lesbian and being married to a man cann't make me straight! I am *bisexual*.

6) Monogamous bisexual people exist. Non-mono / polyamorous bisexual people exist. Single bisexual people exist. Bisexuality isn't linked to relationship status, it's linked to *capacity for and experience of* attraction, not who you are currently acting on that attraction with.

7) I don't need to like/date everyone equally (averaged over time, or at any given snapshot) to be bisexual. It's not something that can be revoked by my behaviour, only my internal sense of my own sexuality.

8) Casual erasure of bisexuality in day to day life and in the media is real, and a massive problem. Media portrayal of bisexuality often reflects the pervasive erasure and active prejudice that exists in straight and gay spaces alike.

9) When we talk about #bisexualinvisibility we expose this issue: If you see 2 men kissing you may assume they're gay, 2 women = lesbian, man & woman = straight but (aside from the fact you can't tell gender from appearance) any one in any of these couples could be #bisexual!

10) so it's important to remember what is meant by #bisexual and #bisexualinvisibility and to make space to think about bi folks of all kinds, all genders, and in all shapes of relationships, including single and ace/aro bisexuals! ❤. [end thread! x]