Do Bisexuals Have Access To Straight Privilege?
As I stepped off the stage after giving my keynote message to modest applause, I glanced over my notes to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. It was the first time I had spoken to an audience that was primarily other 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and I wanted it to go perfectly. These were the people I identified with and it was a dream to have had the chance to address them.
A few people came over to thank me and ask questions, including a young gay man I recognized as a workshop facilitator for the weekend. We made small talk for a while, but then he paused, nodding to himself. “So, you’re bisexual?” he asked. Yes, I said uncertainly, not sure about why he would ask as being a bisexual man married to a straight woman featured centrally in my talk. He nodded to himself again, then said casually and not unkindly: “I don’t really think bisexuality is a thing. You just have to get to the place where you can accept yourself for the gay man you are.” We were interrupted by others before I could respond and we never had the chance to speak again, but that experience has stayed with me ever since.
Over the years of working as an advocate for the wider 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and the bisexual community in particular, I have seen time and again this kind of misinformation, disinformation, and outright ignorance about what it means to be bisexual. And sadly…