GiannaBraga

MsGardner
English/Period4
18November2015

Biphobia,MoreLikeBiNObia
Any member of the LGBT+ community, from asexual to pansexual,fromtransgenderto
genderfluid
, potentially faces hate. Sadly, its a war that hasn't been won yet
.
There are some
people who, for whatever reason, just aren't accepting. While these issues are becoming more
talked about, there are still groups of people who are being ignored. One of those groups are
bisexuals. Not only do they face hate from peopleforsimplybeingattractedtothesamegender,
they can alsogethateforbeingattractedtomultiplegenderstoo.Polysexuals,peopleattractedto
some, but not all genders, and pansexuals, people attracted to all genders, have to face this
problemtoo.
Anyone attracted to multiple genders are treated badly simply because of that.Thereare
people who will accept and love a lesbianorgayperson,butassoonastheyfindoutsomeoneis
bisexual, all that acceptance goes out the window. Bisexuals are told they're "confused", that
they needto"makeuptheirmind",thatthey're"greedy",thatthey're"lookingfor attention".And
maybe, in some cases it's true. There are also a lot of cases where people really are attracted
more than just one gender. Do you really want to cause many people pain because you assume
theyarealllikeasmallamountofpeople?

As a proud, pansexual person who cares deeply about the LGBT+ community, I want
everyone to feel accepted for who thereare.Abisexualfriendofminehasbeentoldthatcoming
out as bisexual is not real. She has also been told by someone that they would never date a
bisexual because you can't trust them. I have heard, first hand, people saying that anyone
claiming to be bisexual is looking for attention or confused. Imagine being told that someone
thinks you're pretending to be yourself for attention. Its mind blowing that people not only
believe that you can only be attracted to one gender, but also would goandtellpeople that they
areinvalidandfaking.
Whats even worse about biphobia is the fact that it can come from within the LGBT
community too. Some lesbian and gay people are opposed to bisexuals for the same reasons
straight people are. People who already are discriminated against are further discriminating.
Some believe that bisexuals have less commitment to the community (Ochs) because they
could potentially beinaheterosexualrelationship.However,beinginastraightrelationshipdoes
not take away the potential attraction to the same sex, nor does it take away someones
bisexuality.
There are so many reasons why people dislike bisexuals. One is that dont think it's
possible to be bisexual. Bisexuality is not abnormal, it's been around all throughout history,
from the ancient Greeks and Japanese to Native Americans (Thorpe). Another huge reason
people dont accept bisexuals is that there are so many rumorsaboutthemthatmakethemseem
worse. Its been said that bisexuals are untrustworthy and more likely to cheat. Just because
someone is attracted to more genders,itdoesntmakethemanylesscommittedtoarelationship.
Another rumor is that bisexuals are promiscuous and want whatever they can get however,

identity has nothing to do with sexual behavior or experience (What Does Biophobia Look
Like).Sexualitydoesnotdefineapersonality,nordoespersonalitydefineasexuality.
As a society, we need to become more accepting of all sexualities. The LGBT+
community must be normalized. People need to stop telling hurtful rumors about groups of
people. Bisexuals are not greedy, nor confused, nor looking for attention, nor selfish, nor
uncommitted, nor faking it
. So it's timetosaybitothehaters,educatetheuneducated,andteach
people that everyone, no matter who they are, deserves equality. At the very least, dont go
telling someone their identity is not valid.
The worst thing you can do toapersonismakethem
feelbadaboutthemselvesforsomethingthattheycannotchange.

WorksCited
Ochs,Robyn."Biphobia."
RobynOchs
.N.p.,23Feb.2014.Web.12Nov.2015.
Thorpe, JR. "A Brief History Of Bisexuality, From Ancient Greece and The Kinsey Scale To
LindseyLohan."
Bustle
.N.p.,23Sept.2014.Web.17Nov.2015.
"What Does Biphobia Look Like?"
LGBT Resource Center. UC San Diego, n.d. Web. 12 Nov.
2015.