So how do you know if you are bisexual? Is there an ‘Am I bisexual quiz or bisexual test ? Yes, there are several. There’s even the Unicorn Scale which ranks how accurately bi people are portrayed in the media. But box ticking aside, how do you really know if you are bisexual? Is there a sign? When you are trying to work this out, it is no joke, so let’s take a look at a couple of perspectives on the matter.
According to prominent bisexual activist, Robyn Ochs, when asked “what is bisexual?”:
“I call myself bisexual because I acknowledge in myself the potential to be attracted, romantically and/or sexually to people of more than one sex, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.”
When asked “what does bisexual mean?”, Bisexual UK define bisexual as:
“This is how we define it: A bisexual is someone who is attracted to more than one gender. You might care about the gender of your partner a lot, a little, or not at all –but their gender doesn’t prevent you from being attracted to them.”
Basically, if you feel the same intensity of attraction to members of your own sex as well opposite sex, you may very well be bi or bi-curious (open to the idea). It’s a different feeling than simply thinking your best friend looks amazing in her bikini. That falls more into the ‘admiration’ category.
Fun fact: If you are bisexual, you get your own flag
In 1998, sexual activist Michael Page designed the bisexual flag in order to give the bisexual community its own symbol.
Pansexual vs Bisexual:
Knowing the difference between bisexual and pansexual can trip people up a bit.
Pansexual are gender-blind people. Unlike bisexuals who see people as male or female.
Pansexuals simply see others as human beings. They’re attracted to people regardless of gender. This opens the field up to Transgender people.
RELATED: Sexual Orientation List - All Types of Sexualities
Famous Celebrities and Bisexuality:
Bisexual celebrities are pretty common these days, and depending on your image, it’s not such a career limiting move for the bisexual men and bisexual women in pop culture to openly admit or imply it.
Here’s just a few of them:
Harry Styles
Harry recently released a song titled 'Medicine 'with the lyrics "The boys and the girls are here / I mess around with them / And I'm okay with it / I'm coming down / I figured out I kinda like it / And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you tasted."
He has never confirmed his sexuality nor denied it.
Channing Tatum
Rumours have been surfacing that Magic Mike actor Channing Tatum could be bisexual. On Twitter, he reportedly posted a tweet that says “Sometimes while I’m on set I wonder how big my co-workers d**ks are. I love women but I can’t deny I like men too strong and sweaty.”
Is it a joke or a serious tweet? Who knows? Does it matter?
Tom Hardy
He gets irritated when asked about his sexuality, but he admitted to being bisexual in the past. During a round of press promoting Legend, a reporter from an LGBT publication asked what shouldn’t been asked—he asked Hardy if he found it difficult for celebrities to discuss their sexuality, obliquely referencing a 2008 interview in which Hardy said he had been intimate with men.
"What on earth are you on about?" Hardy snapped. "I don't find it difficult for celebrities to talk about their sexuality. Are you asking about my sexuality? ... Why?"
Katy Perry
"Truth be told, I did more than that!" she said in reference to her 2008 hit single 'I Kissed a Girl'. "But how was I going to reconcile that with the gospel-singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro conversion camps? What I did know was that I was curious, and even then, I knew that sexuality was not as black and white as this dress.
"But in 2008, when that song came out, I knew that it started a conversation that a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to it."
Miley Cyrus
The Pop Star and LGBT activist is Pansexual. In a recent interview she explained that she didn’t like to be placed in a box.
“My whole life, I didn’t understand my own gender and my own sexuality. I always hated the word ‘bisexual,’ because that’s even putting me in a box,” she told Variety. “I don’t ever think about someone being a boy or someone being a girl,” she added.
Vin Diesel
Is Vin Diesel Bi? That’s one of the most common searches on the net. But there’s nothing official that confirms it, only speculation.
Bisexual Movies
If you want to learn more about this bisexuality–or how it is portrayed in movies-there are a few movies on the topic.
1. Les Biches (1968)
2. Theorem (1968)
3. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
4. Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
5. The Comedian (2012)
6. Appropriate Behavior (2014)
If you are still in doubt, or need help understanding your feelings, seeing a counsellor or getting in touch with Reach Out or Pride Counselling are positive ways of being supported.