Everytime I see people (typically BABs and general mspecphobes (more often panphobes)) say that bi means, always has meant, and always WILL mean "attraction to all genders"
I think about the bi people that this saying erases
The bi people who are only attracted to two genders, or who are only attracted to three, four, or more genders - but never all.
What about the bi people who are only attracted to women and non-binary people? Or men and women? Men and non-binary people? Or men, women, and only SOME non-binary genders (because, as is a friendly reminder, non-binary is typically just meant to be an umbrella term for genders and people that go outside the gender binary of man/woman, even if they are, say, bigender between man/woman - it is not a monolithic secret third gender)?
To claim bi will only ever mean attraction to all genders is to be biphobic. You are actively erasing, silencing, and discarding COUNTLESS bi voices and lives. For what? To feel better about your unfounded exclusionism?
And to say "bi means attraction to all genders", you are putting yourself in a place where you cannot backpedal. You cannot say this, and then try to turn around and say "well bi people can still be only attracted to some genders, not all!"
Because, five minutes ago, weren't you just saying the one and only definition and way to be bi is to be attracted to all genders? To say that bi people don't have to be attracted to all genders in order to be bi is to contradict yourself.
If bi is attraction to all genders is true and the only truth, then how is it also true for there to be bi people who aren't attracted to all genders?
Because the proclaimation of bi being attraction to all genders is only one of many, many ways to be bi. There is no one way to be bi, there is no one way to define being bi.
Person a: Bi ONLY means attraction to all genders! It always has!
Person b: What about bi people who aren't attracted to all genders? Are they bi too?
Person a: Well, yeah, of course!
Person b: But you just said bi only means being attracted to all genders. Does that mean these bi people are being bi wrong?
Person a: No! They aren't! But bi still means being attracted to all genders!!!
Do you see the big, big, BIG contradiction here??
Trying to define a fluid identity such as bisexuality is never going to work. It will always result in erasure and harm to many, many communities. That is why the definition of "two or more" is the best one we have. It leaves room for that fluidity, for adding in a person's own personal touches and preferences, and it just allows people to live how they want with no stress on whether they are Bi Enough to call themself bi.
Trying to put a concrete, singular definition on bi is biphobic. Even if you, yourself, are bi. Full stop.
[BABs and other exclusionists don't bother responding to this post you WILL just be blocked]
