A few things to say about bisexuality for #WearItPurpleDay:

First, when I was growing up straight or gay were the only options. I was surrounded by a lot of gay adults so I've often wondered why I didn't realise my bisexuality when I was younger. It only recently occurred to me that while gayness was possible, bisexuality was not

Second, relatedly, bisexuals often come out "late". We have these very strong cultural narratives that you ought to "know" your sexuality early in life. This simply isn't the case for everyone. This narrative can intensify feelings of being fraudulent or "not queer enough"

Third, bisexuality can be a struggle because you can feel pressure (sometimes imagined) to "prove" it. You aren't bisexual because of who you sleep with (or don't). You can be single or have simultaneous relationships and neither of these things prove or disprove your bisexuality

Fourth, biphobia can be deeply internalised and it is damn hard to fight. There are many biphobic things that I have said and done in my life that have ultimately made less space for myself. It is a constant case of realising how biphobia works and challenging these ideas

Fifth, when you are bisexual you can feel like you are "between worlds" and there is little space for you. If you are an ally, you will work hard to make space, to make inclusion visible and active, and never just assumed

Sixth, I have spent many years reading queer theory and hoo boy is bisexuality marginalised in it. What should be a queer shelter has often involved a tacit assumption that "straightness" is the problem. Queer theory needs to do better with the hetero/homo binary in general

Lastly, bisexuality is just one way of expressing a sexual identity that does not map neatly onto the homo/hetero binary. It is fantastic that there are more ways that people can choose to express their sexuality and we should celebrate all of them

And a final point: I would also like to make bisexuality cool again, because we are cool