Celebrating Bisexuality and its right for visibility

Here at RCREW, we want to highlight each group and member of the LGBT rainbow family by acknowledging their importance in our community. We're approaching the end of Bisexual+ Awareness Week, and with Celebrate Bisexuality Day taking place on September 23rd, we wanted to honour and share our love for the bisexual community.

While Bisexuality has reportedly been around as early as the Ancient Egyptians, historically, the group has been mispresented within the queer and heteronormative spaces. So here's a quick breakdown of what it means to be bisexual and why visibility is so important to the community. 

Bisexual meaning and its misconceptions 

By definition, Bisexuality is a romantic and/or sexual attraction to more than one gender. For many people within the bisexual community, sexual orientation can often work on a spectrum. This means some may be equally attracted to all genders, while others may feel more attracted to one gender identity over another. 

Bisexuality can sometimes be misunderstood as just a steppingstone for gay men and lesbians who haven't fully come to terms with their sexual orientation. While this may be the case for gay people coming out, bisexual people will maintain an attraction to multiple genders.

Another common misconception bisexuality often has is that they are only attracted to just those who identify as men and women. People often confuse this idea with Pansexuality, which is an attraction to allgenders or an attraction to an individual regardless of gender. Bisexual people can also be attracted to other gender identities (or agenders), such as non-binary and other trans identifying individuals. 

What is the Bisexual flag and colours? 

The bisexual flag consists of three colours: magenta, lavender and blue. The magenta (the top colour of the flag) represents an attraction to the same sex, while the blue colour (the bottom colour) represents an attraction to the opposite sex. The lavender colour in the middle represents an overlap between an attraction to both (or more) genders.

The importance of bi visibility 

On top of the prejudice, violence and discrimination bi people receive just for being queer, they are often a target of biphobia from fellow LGBTQ+ groups. Bisexuals are often stigmatised for their attraction to multiple genders, usually because many believe their orientation is 'greedy' and their identity is not genuine. Some may even fear being excluded from the group just for being in a straight relationship. 

For bi people, the importance of their visibility within queer groups can go even deeper, as many feel rejected and neglected by the community they rightly belong to. However, thanks to celebrations like #biweek and an increase of positive bi representation in the media recently, bi visibility has become more prominent. While there is still some way to go we can at least celebrate the progress made when it comes to validating the existence and experiences of bisexuals. 

Part of our mission as an LGBTQ-owned small business is to increase visibility and the sense of community for all LGBTQIA+ members. To celebrate #BiWeek we’re offering a 25% discount to all buyers – just add  BIAWARENESS at check out.  

We are currently working towards creating signalling bracelets for every identity within the LGBT family, but for now, you can shop our bisexual signalling bracelets, here and browse our current full collection, click here.