Are you bisexual?

Many people are 100% gay and are drawn sexually and emotionally only to partners of the same sex.

Others are completely heterosexual, bonding in sexual and intimate relationships only with people of the opposite sex. But what about everybody else?

A significant percentage of people do not fit neatly into either of the categories, because they experience sexual and emotional attraction for people of both genders at some point during their lives.

For lack of a better term, they are called bisexuals, although many people prefer to call themselves “pansexual”, “non-preferential”, “sexually fluid”, “ambisexual” or “omni-sexual”.

Sexual orientation: a continuum

The Kinsey scale of 0 to 6 was developed by sex researchers to describe sexual orientation as a continuum. Heterosexual people are at 0 on the scale, homosexual people are at 6, and everyone in between, from 1 to 5, is bisexual.

People who fall at 1 or 2 on the scale have primarily heterosexual sexual and affectional relationships and desires, but have some attraction and experiences with same-sex partners as well.

People at 3 are approximately equally attracted to both men and women. People at 4 and 5 choose primarily same-sex partners, but are not completely homosexual and have some heterosexual tendencies and relationships as well.

As you can see, there is no simple definition of bisexuality, and bisexual people are a very diverse group. 

Some bisexual people are committed to monogamous, long-term relationships, others have more than one partner concurrently in a variety of arrangements. 

J.R. Little identifies at least 13 types of bisexuality, as defined by sexual desires and experiences. See what they are. 

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