bisexuality and other mspec labels — an informative thread made by a bisexual who’s tired of being invalidated and erased by ignorant and uneducated people

first off, let’s clear some things up: this thread is not meant to invalidate anyone’s identity, if you identify with any of the labels mentioned here i love you and you’re valid ! im just making this bc im tired of the misconceptions that are thrown around on the internet.

so let’s start:
bisexuality is a spectrum, a whole fluid sexuality that includes all kinds of multisexual attraction. the prefix “bi-“ doesn’t imply “binary”, we reclaimed the term “bisexual” and redefined it, which means that stupid ass prefix doesn’t define us.

see how bisexuality has always included all genders, and the bisexual flag represents it clearly.

as stated before, it includes ALL kinds of multisexual attraction, which means there isn’t only one definition of bisexuality. as it is said, “there are as many ways to be bisexual as there are bi people”.

^ so don’t tell bi people their definition of bisexuality is wrong or that they’re actually something else, it is not your place. you don’t get to tell people what their identity is. (more info about the definition later on the thread).

now let’s talk about other mspec labels:
omnisexuality, pansexuality and polysexuality are all valid, but they fall under the bisexual spectrum, so they can’t be fully separated from bisexuality. if you disagree with this im BEGGING you to educate yourself on bisexual history.

^ this doesn’t mean they’re not valid though, they are. everyone is able to identify as whatever makes them feel comfortable and it needs to be respected! but we need to make this clear because otherwise it can be really harmful to the bisexual community.

now as i said before, bisexuality is a fluid identity, and it already includes the attraction omnis pans and plys experience

this is biphobic. its limiting us to “seeing gender”. its also kinda off to emphasize the “may not be attracted to all genders” when “attraction to all genders” it’s the most common way we define our attraction. plus all those definitions are already included in bisexuality

^ for what i’ve seen, it explains pansexuality, omnisexuality and polysexuality pretty well, but it still is erasing a HUGE part of bisexuality, so we really should stop spreading it around.

these are the most common definitions bisexuality has been defined BY BISEXUALS (bc non-bisexuals love to define it wrong) throughout our whole history. you can clearly see how the definitions of pansexuality, omnisexuality and polysexuality are included (click in the image pls).

i found this pic and i think it explains how bisexuality encompasses many different labels very well. i only would like to add that bi-curiosity would be included here too.

if you still don’t get how these labels are NOT inherently separated from bisexuality, think about this:
- pansexuality: gender-blind / regardless of gender
- omnisexuality: “sees gender”, gender is a factor in one’s attraction
- polysexuality: many genders but not all
+

+
bisexuality has always included every single one of those definitions, even before the terms pan/omni/ply appeared. so, what’s there in these identities that isn’t included in bisexuality already? there you have it, none of the terms refer to an attraction that’s not included +

+ in bisexuality, they’re just more specific, so they fall under the bisexual spectrum and are used to define one’s attraction more precisely. all the people who use any of those labels can identify as bi, but not all bi people can identify as pan/omni/ply.

some people use these labels interchangeably, some others are only okay using one of them, and that’s completely valid and needs to be respected! do not refer to a pan/omni/ply person as bi if they’re not okay with it and vice versa. respect people’s labels.

again, this is not meant to invalidate anyone. pansexuality, omnisexuality and polysexuality aren’t any less valid than bisexuality, all four identities are beautiful and can coexist! we just need to be aware that one of them is more fluid and already includes the other three.

and i think that’s all. this thread is v messy and im sorry about that! i was angry and just wanted to make the most important points. if you read the whole thread, thank you! i hope it helped you understand how mspec labels work and you’re now willing to listen to bisexual ppl!

now if you disagree with anything i said or still have any questions just tell me in the replies and i’ll kindly try to explain! just try to keep it respectful please.

sources:
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bisexuality
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisexuality#History
- http://ozenlgtb.org/index.php/red-de-cuidados/
- https://bi.org/en/101 

here’s also a thread of carrds that i think are really informative! they explain bisexuality and misconceptions pretty well and all the info that’s provided is backed up with historical resources! https://twitter.com/bts_bisexual/status/1300469098766307330

here’s another thread about bisexuality that i think y’all should check too in case you’re still confused! https://twitter.com/sapphicbisexual/status/1318954530755743751