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Bisexuality

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Bisexual flag of three solid horizontal bars two fifths pink, one fifth purple, and two fifths blue.
Bisexual flag, designed by Michael Page in 1998

Bisexuality is defined as having romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior towards more than one gender or attraction that is not limited by sex or gender.[1][2][3]

The term bisexuality originated in early sexology as a descriptor for those with both homosexual and heterosexual attraction and was coined in the 19th century in German by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his Psychopathia Sexualis, then introduced to English by Charles Gilbert Chaddock in his 1892 translation.[4][5][6][7]

Bisexual (or bi) was reclaimed as a sexual orientation label in the 1960s and has been defined in a variety of ways by the bisexual community, including as attraction regardless of gender[8][9][10] or sex,[6] attraction existing beyond the gender and sexual orientation binary,[11][12] attraction to men and women,[13] attraction to more than one gender or sex, attraction to people of similar/same and different/other genders, and attraction with gender being an irrelevant factor.[14]

Scientists do not know the exact determinants of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences,[15][16][17] and do not view it as a choice.[15][16][18] Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biologically based theories.[15] There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males.[19][20][21]

Bisexuality has been observed in various human societies,[22] as well as elsewhere in the animal kingdom,[23][24][25] throughout recorded history.

Definitions

Sexual orientation, identity, and behavior

According to the American Institute of Bisexuality, "Bisexuality is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of identities, terms, attractions, and behaviors that all fit the scientific definition of bisexuality... it is a general and inclusive term that encompasses everyone; all sexes and all genders. That does not mean that bi people are attracted to everyone, merely that bi people's attractions aren't limited by sex or gender."[6]

The bisexual activist Robyn Ochs defines bisexuality as "the potential to be attracted—romantically and/or sexually—to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree."[26]

The American Psychological Association states that "sexual orientation falls along a continuum. In other words, someone does not have to be exclusively homosexual or heterosexual, but can feel varying degrees of both. Sexual orientation develops across a person's lifetime–different people realize at different points in their lives that they are heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual."[27][28] Attraction can take numerous forms for bisexuals, such as sexual, romantic, emotional, or physical.[29]