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// " bi / pan lesbian " discourse
hi ! so i heard that you call yourself a bi lesbian or a pan lesbian ! the experiences you go through and your sexual / romantic orientation is valid , but calling yourself a bi or pan lesbian is harmful !
hi ! so i heard that you call yourself a bi lesbian or a pan lesbian ! the experiences you go through and your sexual / romantic orientation is valid , but calling yourself a bi or pan lesbian is harmful !
" but historically , lesbian was an umbrella term ! "
historically , like pre 2000 , yes , it was . it isn't anymore though , and here's why .
bisexuals , both men and women , fought long and harm for decades just to have a label .
historically , like pre 2000 , yes , it was . it isn't anymore though , and here's why .
bisexuals , both men and women , fought long and harm for decades just to have a label .
they still fight today to be separated from lesbians and gay men , and to be seen for their entire identity , and not just for their same gender attraction or different gender attraction . therefore , lesbian has taken on a new meaning.
nowadays , to honor the different experiences that bi women (and enbys) have from lesbians , lesbian means strictly women / enbys who are only attracted to women / enbys . it no longer serves as an umbrella term in order to distinguish between
the two experiences , and many lesbians find it harmful when people try to say that lesbian is still an umbrella term , as bi women and lesbians fought long and hard to distinguish the two , and require separate spaces for their identities.
bi women / enbys and lesbians still do share a lot of similar experiences , such as our mutual attraction to women . bi / lesbian solidarity is important to celebrate . that doesnt mean we dont need separate spaces , however .
" then what can i call myself ? "
well , it depends on the individual ! everybody who identifies as a bi or pan lesbian that i've talked to has given a different reason as to why they call themselves such. there are many labels , however .
well , it depends on the individual ! everybody who identifies as a bi or pan lesbian that i've talked to has given a different reason as to why they call themselves such. there are many labels , however .
all of the experiences i have heard of have labels that can be applied to them . let me elaborate !
" i'm biromantic and homosexual / homoromantic and bisexual "
it's not a problem by any means to call yourself the full name , but shortened versions i've seen are " biro gay / homo " and " homoro bi " . these both have their respective flags !
it's not a problem by any means to call yourself the full name , but shortened versions i've seen are " biro gay / homo " and " homoro bi " . these both have their respective flags !
" i'm panromantic and homosexual / homoromantic and pansexual "
same as above , i've seen people call themselves " panro gay / homo " and " homoro pan " , with their respective flags
same as above , i've seen people call themselves " panro gay / homo " and " homoro pan " , with their respective flags
" why can ace / aro lesbians call themselves lesbians ? "
because ace lesbians lack attraction to men . we are only attracted to women / enbys , even if we lack another form of attraction . lesbians aren't attracted to men , but can be aspec .
because ace lesbians lack attraction to men . we are only attracted to women / enbys , even if we lack another form of attraction . lesbians aren't attracted to men , but can be aspec .
" i'm bi , but i would never date a man "
many bi people share this experience . if you want a label that only implies attraction to women , or that emphasizes it , there's several options for you that aren't harmful at all !
many bi people share this experience . if you want a label that only implies attraction to women , or that emphasizes it , there's several options for you that aren't harmful at all !
one of which is sapphic . no , sapphic is not a synonym for lesbian ; sapphos was actually most likely bi . sapphic is what lesbian used to be ; an umbrella term for all wlw / nblw . it doesnt imply any other attraction besides liking women
you can be a bi sapphic ( flag depicted here ) or a pan sapphic ( flag also depicted here ) or a lesbian sapphic , or just only using the label sapphic. it puts an emphasis on being wlw / nblw without invalidating anybody .
" i'm attracted to both men and women , but i prefer women "
bi people have described this for years as having a " lean " , and some of these leans even have gorgeous flags associated with them . you can call yourself bi with a fem lean ,
bi people have described this for years as having a " lean " , and some of these leans even have gorgeous flags associated with them . you can call yourself bi with a fem lean ,
or bi with a woman lean . you could also call yourself pan with a woman / fem lean , omni , etc . i found 2 beautiful flags for bi w/ a woman lean , here they are !
there 's infinite labels out there that can describe a specific experience without invalidating the experiences of pre-existing labels . if there isn't one already , which there most likely is , you can make a new one ! just so long as it
doesn't invalidate those who use labels similar or pre-existing in general . all lgbtqia+ experiences and identities are super valid , but labels are tricky , and you need to be careful . distinguishing differences means a lot for many people.
i may end up making this into a carrd , which i'll be adding links to info sources to . it'll take me a bit tho . if you have an experience that you still can't label , dm me ! so long as you're polite , i have no problems helping you
find a label that fits you , and doesn't encroach onto anybody else's .
" i'm attracted only to women and nonbinary people "
that's called being a lesbian . lesbianism already includes most nonbinary people . if you're only attracted to women and nonbinary people including men-aligned nonbinary ppl , there's still
that's called being a lesbian . lesbianism already includes most nonbinary people . if you're only attracted to women and nonbinary people including men-aligned nonbinary ppl , there's still
some labels for that , such as polysexual . don't call yourself a lesbian if you're into men-aligned people. (*masc-aligned and men-aligned are different)
flag depicted : poly flag
polysexual : attraction to some but not all genders
flag depicted : poly flag
polysexual : attraction to some but not all genders
if you're just attracted to women , wom-aligned nonbinary ppl , and un-aligned nonbinary ppl , then you're a lesbian . here's the lesbian flag . there's no need to add " bi " to it .
" i'm not sure of my sexuality , so i'm trying on both labels "
it takes time to figure out your sexuality . i called myself pan , bi , even poly for a bit before i realized im a lesbian . exploring is totally valid . however , try on
it takes time to figure out your sexuality . i called myself pan , bi , even poly for a bit before i realized im a lesbian . exploring is totally valid . however , try on
one label at a time . not only does it help you to find out who you are better , as it makes it easier to figure out if a label makes you uncomfy or not . it's also harmful to claim to be both bi and a lesbian for reasons already
stated . if you want a vague umbrella term label while you figure yourself out , again , sapphic is a wonderful term for that . you can also call yourself unlabelled for now .
1. sapphic flag again
2. unlabeled flag
1. sapphic flag again
2. unlabeled flag
