What Is Bisexual?

It seems almost as if society cannot exist without anything being classified according to type, use, material, function or, for humans themselves, gender and sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age, job, environment. Everyone has their small pigeonhole, their place in society and our look at them, regardless of whether this is from a first impression or provided through information from a third party. In recent decades the pigeonholing of people according to their sexual preferences, resulting in, for some, a requirement, a commitment to Come Out and declare on which side of the fence they stand. If a person does not Come Out with a particular gender preference, it is assumed that they are heterosexual, since this is considered to be the social normality.

There are three basic terms for sexual orientation: Gay, including both male and female although gay mostly applied to men and lesbian to female female, for all those who either do not declare a preference or who concentrate exclusively on members of the opposite sex bisexual. These basic gender pigeonholes supplemented by a mass of further categories within each preference, such as asexual, pansexual, transsexual and so on.

They are clear and precise, as basic descriptions. Somebody that is bisexual, however, is more likely to fall outside of these categories and raise questions about their true sexual preferences because the term is not quite as clear-cut as it may seem.

A bisexual is a person, male or female, who has a sexual preference for members of both sexes. They are neither heterosexual nor homosexual but live in a sort of a gray area between the two. Some would say they enjoy the best of both worlds, being attracted to both male and female. Again, though, it is not quite so clear cut. A bisexual may be attracted to men more than women, but still feel the occasional attraction to the lesser interest, depending on the person they are faced with and the circumstances of their contact. It is not uncommon for younger women, for example, to feel an original drawing towards a young pop star of the same sex, without them considering the sexual act. It is also very common for younger women, especially of school age, to work intimately around those of their sex, holding hands and kissing, without there being any attraction beyond a close, platonic friendship.

Sexuality, whether it be homosexuality, is, for many, a taboo subject. It comes into general conversation predominantly when discussing the preferences of other people or on political and religious levels where people are either for or against. Within the homosexual community, a bisexual is considered someone who is neither one, a person who cannot make up their mind one way or the other, who has not yet come to terms with themselves and their nature. It is, however, an entirely healthy and natural state of affairs and presents in everyone, including those who claim strict heterosexuality.