It’s #biawarenessweek and here’s an important reminder for all you beautiful chickpeas! 😌💖💜💙 It took me a couple of years after I came out to myself and my friends to feel like I truly belonged in the queer community because of internalised biphobia. I felt like I wasn’t queer enough, that I’d be taking up space that I didn’t deserve to exist within because, back then, I was dating a cishet man. Even now that I’m secure in my queer identity, I still experience discrimination and gate-keeping from other people in the community, ranging from being labelled “greedy” to lesbians telling me that they don’t date bi/pan people because: “they’ll probably just cheat on me with a man.” Bi-erasure inherently stems from misogyny and the centring of male pleasure in relationships. When you assume that bi/pan women are just straight women who are ‘experimenting’ and that bi/pan men are just gay men who are too scared to ‘properly come out’, you are upholding the very binaries and power dynamics that are at the root of your oppression. Sexuality is fluid for many people and it’s ok to come out at a later stage in life. It’s ok to keep exploring your identity and labels and change how you describe yourself depending on what best suits you at the time. We’re subjected to enough oppression from society to have to experience gate-keeping from within the community as well. Your bisexuality is valid no matter what your sexual history looks like; no matter who you’ve dated in the past or who you’re currently in a relationship with! And while I have you: Bisexuality is an attraction to multiple genders. Pansexuality is described as an attraction to people regardless of gender. However, some people who describe their attraction this way may identify as bisexual. And guess what? That’s ok. Neither bisexuality nor pansexuality are transphobic. Neither erase the other. There are many overlaps between the two, but it’s also ok if you feel more comfortable just claiming one. Ultimately, there’s no pressure to put any labels on yourself, but if you choose to, remember that no one gets to decide how you describe your identity apart from yourself! 🌈 #biweek #bivisiblityday