{"id":1451056,"date":"2025-09-16T14:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=1451056"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:30:58","slug":"it-took-me-years-to-embrace-my-bisexual-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/community\/it-took-me-years-to-embrace-my-bisexual-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It took me years to embrace my bisexual identity \u2013 I don\u2019t want that for the next generation’"},"content":{"rendered":"

To mark Bisexual Awareness Week, Just Like Us ambassador Enrica Casu reflects on the media\u2019s harmful bisexual tropes and the rise of increasingly authentic representation.<\/p>\n

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WORDS BY ENRICA CASU, JUST LIKE US AMBASSADOR<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It has been almost 10 years since I first came out as bisexual, but just four years have passed since I fully accepted and embraced my identity.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I forget that it took me so long to get to this version of myself, the one that volunteers as a Just Like Us ambassador to share her story in schools to teach about the LGBTQIA+ community; the one that will bring her long-term girlfriend to Christmas with her Catholic relatives. The reason my journey of self-discovery was so long was that for so many years, I couldn\u2019t find a definition of bisexuality I could truly relate to. Instead, I bumped against harmful stereotypes and ridiculous misrepresentations. And while nowadays we are moving in the right direction, there is still a long road to cover.<\/p>\n

What is bisexuality? Broadly, it means experiencing emotional and\/or sexual attraction towards two or more genders. This definition includes not only cisgender men and women, but also any identity under the transgender umbrella. I believe that its most important point is that it is different for everyone.<\/p>\n

For many of us, bisexuality is not a fixed concept. It can be a fluid identity that changes depending on the individual. Some people are attracted to men and women, some to women and non-men, while others, like me, are attracted to all genders with a preference for a specific one. And since it can be a fluid sexuality, these feelings can change throughout a person\u2019s life. The attraction towards a gender can increase, dim, or even disappear. This does not mean that person is not bisexual anymore, if they choose to identify as such. There are no boundaries or rules to how you can live out your sexuality.<\/p>\n

It took time for me to reach this understanding, but sadly, my identity is still contested. Bisexuality, like many other sexualities that exist on a spectrum, has been constricted into a box in the shape of stereotypes and misconceptions.<\/p>\n

Since I first came out in the mid-2010s, I have heard a frightening amount of these, both in person and online: bisexuality is just a phase, or a means to attract attention; 50% of you must like men and 50% of you must like girls, excluding other gender identities; bisexual people are unreliable in a relationship and prone to cheating.<\/p>\n

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@gaytimes<\/a> Here are five heartwarming, funny and moving bi coming out moments from the world of TV \ud83e\ude77\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc99 #heartstopper<\/a> #deadendparanormalpark<\/a> #crazyexgirlfriend<\/a> #bigmouth<\/a> #brooklynninenine<\/a> #nicknelson<\/a> #normakhan<\/a> #jaybilzerian<\/a> #rosadiaz<\/a> #bisexual<\/a> #bi<\/a> #biweek<\/a> #bivisibility<\/a> \u266c Relaxing Japanese-style piano song inviting nostalgia – Akiko Akiyama<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n