Bisexuality Stigma

[scoobykenzer]

I am seeing lots more people come out as Bisexual these days. No, it’s not a phase. No, it’s not for attention. No, there not gay and too scared to admit it. This makes me so angry. When girls come out as Bi, they “just want attention” and boys are “fully gay but don’t want to come out”. This disgusts me. Biphobia is real and it is an issue. LGBTQ+ people (speaking as one myself), all deserve to be treated equal to each other and everyone else. They have it hard enough. I don’t know- just wanted to get this off my chest!

please leave any comment, good or bad, just want to see people’s opinions and if they would like to add

No real comment, but I fully agree with you.

I agree with you. I recently heard Joe Lycett talking about being bisexual, he was quite blunt about it! (Wish I could remember exactly where, it could have been in his act).

I remember saying that to my parents and I got "it's just a phase". The older I got the more I realised I just liked "" anyone ""gender wasn't an issue for me! So little more broad than bisexual (so pansexual) but again the older I got the less I cared about labeling it cause I found that was an issue for people. I find a lot of people think it's important to have that sexual identity but for me I feel a lot less pressure that I just say I like people xxx

To be fair OP, I'm in my 30's now, and I grew up surrounded by Gay and bi-sexual people of both sex, so for me there has never been any stigma as it has always been 'the norm' for me. I think it's more about raising children not to discriminate. My DM used to always say to me as a teenager ''What people do with what's between their legs is no-ones business''.

I think although we still have far to go in terms of discrimination, children and teens are coming out as bi and pan more as they care less about gender and like people for who they are. we live in such a hetero-normative world and hate isn’t acceptable.

It annoys me when Entertainers come out as 'bi' who are gay but don't want to alienate their female/male fanbase and keep some 'hope' going.Having said that, I'm sure some of them are as 'bi' as they say. My DD hates the word and always uses 'pan' or 'gender fluid'. Hate isn't acceptable but unless a change happens at Primary age (at my youngest' DD's Primary, gay is still a negative term used for something 'lame' or 'weird'), it's still going to be tough for teenagers to admit to being much else but straight. I can't understand why this isn't taken more seriously - the racist language I remember from Primary school is a lot (I believe but could be wrong!) rarer these days and schools come down hard on it & instances of racism. They just don't want to to address homphobic language in the same way - perhaps because they'd prefer not to address issues concerning sexuality.

My 15 y/o has just come out as bisexual. My exh laughed when he told him as he thought it was a joke

People's reactions are often stupid gingergenius - just ignore it. My Mum's reaction on my eldest DD coming out at 15 was 'Oh no. Yuck'. More recently her reaction to being told while my eldest does have a long term girlfriend, she also sees other men and women was 'Maybe you'll be lucky and one of these men will 'stick' and she won't be a lesbian after all'. Having said that - people deal with things in different ways, it can be a bit of a shock and parents don't always deal with news about their childrens sexuality in a way they'd like to have done. If he keeps on being a dick though, don't give excuses for him!

I've told him that DS's sexuality does not define him and that he is to be supported and not ridiculed. I think I got the message across!!!

SJane45S why does your dd have a problem with the term bisexual? Being bisexual should be as accepted as being homosexual or heterosexual. It's not synonymous with gender fluidity. Someone who is bi finds same and opposite sex people attractive. Someone who is gender fluid is talking about their own identity, not their sexual desire for others. It sounds as if she has been influenced by the trans movement which has some significant issues with homophobia and the denial of biology.

Nooka, quite a few of her friends don't gender identify and she prefers the term 'Pan' on the basis that 'Bi' classifies people into just male and female rather than 'all'. So yes, influenced by the trans movement & I would imagine she would have an issue with your 'denial of biology' comment! That's not to say I agree - although I find the argument an interesting one!

I only screwed up the courage to come out as bi in my 30s. Tbh I didn't get any negative comments bar from my (male) ex. Only thing I've found is it can be hard trying to find a woman to date, a lot of lesbians only want to date other lesbians and not bisexuals.

I find the need to “come out” slightly odd.

I am introduced to someone’s girlfriend or boyfriend and i say nice to meet you, and carry on as normal.

I have never commented on the gender of either partner. Whether people are gay, straigt, bi, pan, whatever, that’s their business.