Why These #BiVisibilityDay Tweets Are So Important

modeled by Dai Quan Franklin; produced by Julie Borowsky; photographed by Stephanie Gonot; produced by Yuki Mizuma.
Today is #BiVisibilityDay, a celebration of the bisexual community that's been held on the 23rd of September every year since 1999. As its name suggests, the day's purpose is to improve awareness of a section of the LGBTQ community that's too often been dismissed and misunderstood.
Bi-erasure and biphobia exist both inside and outside of the LGBTQ community. Over the years I've heard plenty of gay people recycle the tired old "bi today, gay tomorrow" line, which perpetuates the damaging and inaccurate trope that bisexuality is "just a phase".
And let's not forget one of Sex and the City's most cringe-inducing lines: Carrie's ignorant quip that being bi is a "layover on the way to Gaytown". Eugh – thankfully Woke Charlotte has corrected that one.
In an insightful blog post for #BiVisibility Day, Stonewall's George Alabaster writes that "the assumptions about bi people are also gendered".
He explains: "Bi women are more likely to be viewed as ‘actually straight’, their sexual orientation merely a performance to attract straight men, whereas bi men are frequently seen as going through a ‘phase’ on the way to coming out as gay."
In the spirit of increasing understanding of what it actually means to be bisexual, many bi folks are busting myths about their sexuality on Twitter today.
Singer Kehlani, who identifies as bi, tweeted: "sexuality has never seemed black & white, it’s a spectrum, often times finding what u feel you most identify with takes patience and in the case of our society, a lot of confidence. happy bi-visibility day, i hope you feel seen today and everyday."
Others are tweeting using the #BiVisibilityDay hashtag. Check out a selection of their empowering and enlightening messages below.
Happy #BiVisibilityDay to everyone who identifies as bisexual. Let's hope you too are feeling seen today, and indeed, every other day.