What your bisexual/pansexual students want you to know:

  • “We exist. We are valid.”

Bisexual Facts 101:

  • bisexual (adj) a person who feels attraction to two or more genders
  • pansexual (adj) a person who feels attraction to all genders
  • queer (adj) although this word can be used as a pejorative, young people are increasingly adopting this word as an identity

Unique Challenges:

The “B” in LGBT has one of the most unusual problems of the community: invisibility.

Known as “Bi-erasure,” bisexual or pansexual people can be misidentified. According to GLAAD, “Bisexual erasure or bisexual invisibility is a pervasive problem in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright.”

This prejudice can exist within as well as outside the LGBTQ community.

Myth: Bisexuality is a stage/bisexuals are confused

Truth: Bisexuality is a legitimate sexual orientation. In fact, the majority of LGBT youth identify as bisexual.

Further Reading: GLAAD’s 13 Things You Didn’t Know About Being Bisexual