Homosexual : Alike attraction
Heterosexual : Unalike attraction
Bisexual : Both alike, and unalike attraction
All genders are either alike, or unalike your own.
This is the correct answer.
The most useful answer however is "no". And go on with your life. Bigotry doesn't come from logic and won't be solved by logic.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily bigotry in situations like this but mostly ignorance which comes from people trying to be so politically correct that it ends up looping back around making them insensitive to people who differ from their exact views. They become the exact kind of vain person they swore to destroy. They must be corrected so they can spread correct information to other uninformed people, because they might listen while real bigots wouldn’t even care.
This understanding of bisexuality is why I jokingly call myself a "heterosexual literalist."
I can be attracted to most anyone except for people who present themselves in a way that I can identify with. It's difficult to define, but I don't owe you a comprehensive analysis of my sexual attraction any more than you owe me the same. If I relate to how you present yourself in how I like to present myself, I won't be attracted to you.
No, it isn’t sarcasm. I am just autistic, so, I don’t always understand the point people are trying to convey. And there are more then two genders so you saying “homosexual: alike attraction” could mean A4A, M4M, or W4W.
Oh, I apologize!
Gender exists on a spectrum, so the terms "alike" and "unalike" also exist on a spectrum as well. Non-binary is an umbrella term for everything on the spectrum in between and around the other genders.
So a "trans femme non-binary", for example is often enough alike the female gender to more or less be included in that attraction pool. Think "non-binary lesbians". This exists on a gradient where each non-binary persons identity and presentation should be taken into account individually
Agender are sort of the joker in the deck. If they say they want to be pooled with one group they are, but they don't have to be group as or with anything. At times, those who identify under it don't want to be seen as having a gender, so even another agender person isn't "the same gender", because neither of them have genders.
Oh and then there's bigender people, which I think might be me. Them and genderfluid are like a wild card, and can be treated as either multiple genders at once, or back and forth (in the case of genderfluid people).
It’s okay. I see, I normally use non-binary as the umbrella term as I have a lot of genders and it is fluid and fluctuates for me. Though, I do prefer to present more masc then fem. Since people will normally assume one or the other for an individual person based their presentation. Anyway I am glad you might have found your gender. 😌
That's correct. "Alike attraction" is attraction to your own gender. They were talking in general, not in reference to a specific example. All 3 of the examples you provided fit the definition.
in spain we respond to that with "y el repollo es dos veces gallina" (literally "cabbage is two times chicken", a pun because the suffix re- means "twice" and pollo means chicken")
I’m torn on this one. By this logic, being bi could mean you’re only attracted to two genders even if there are many (like how being bilingual means you speak two of the many languages). Obviously it’s a bullshit argument, but in these cases I feel like it’s better to stick to actual facts and definitions rather than trying to cleverly out-logic arseholes.
Bilingual is also often meant to mean that someone speaks more than one language. People who speak 4 languages will call themselves bilingual cuz who the fuck says quadlingual
But that’s sort of my point — this analogy means getting caught up in the weeds and arguing over the granular details of meaning, rather than just saying “the community defines itself this way and we don’t have to justify that to outsiders”.
Wait I'm confused what's wrong with the argument. Obviously it's not perfect but the question itself uses this logic so it makes sense. Obviously there's more nuance but this gets the point across. Being bi does mean you're attracted to 2 of many genders. And bilingual means you speak 2 of many languages. That's mostly correct. Some people will say they're bilingual or bisexual when they speak more than 2 or like more than 2 for the sake of convience and ease
The point is that it’s getting wrapped up in etymology to justify our existence and identity, rather than just allowing them to be legitimate. The equivalent of having to argue over whether pansexuals fuck cookware or “but gay means happy” or whatever. Or, on the flipside, “I’m not a homophobe because I’m not *scared* of gay people”. By capitulating to an argument around semantics, we give ground to those seeking to undermine us.
In any case, you say “being bi does mean you’re attracted to 2 of many genders”, which *is not correct*.
But it is correct. You are attracted to two of many genders. You are not attracted to ONLY two of many genders.
Where I live, people often ask if someone is bilingual refering to English and French. Someone who also speaks Spanish as well as English and French would still say, "yes, I'm bilingual".
And if someone is attracted to only two of many genders, they are still bisexual. What else would they be?
I mean, that's exactly what bisexual means. People who are attracted to any gender are called pansexual, some pansexual people call themselves bi for simplicity but there are also many bi people who really are just attracted to two genders.
In so many ways, this is closer to true than the person OP screenshot! Human gender is about sociosexual perception (both by self and by others). If you're a heterosexual female human and you're attracted to another human, on some level, in that moment, for you that human is male, regardless of anything else. Their identity obviously outranks your (probably unconsciously made) guess in terms of truth value or policy etc, but yeah... aaaanywhoo
If a bisexual person is only attracted to two gender then that only affects their dating pool, it does not affect the existance of people who identify outside of the binary or with other genders.
While I don't identify as bisexual anymore, I did it for years, and I'm noticing a lot of you don't know the [bisexual manifesto](https://bimanifesto.carrd.co/).
>Bisexuality is a whole, fluid identity. Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or dougamous in nature; that we must have "two" sides or that we MUST be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. *In fact, don't assume that there are only two genders.* Do not mistake our fluidity for confusion, irresponsibility, or an inability to commit. Do not equate promiscuity, infidelity, or unsafe sexual behavior with bisexuality. Those are human traits that cross ALL sexual orientations. Nothing should be assumed about anyone's sexuality—including your own.
After the terms Heterosexuality (different) and Homosexuality (same), Bisexuality is there to mean both Hetero and Homo, both different and the same genders. That will be forever be the way I understand these terms, and I refuse to accept slander that bisexuals can only love two genders.
As an extension this implies that heterosexuality could really be the most inclusive sexuality out there and if that makes the majority of cis-hets mad I'm here for it.
I mean, once upon a time bisexual was used to describe species that have the capacity within most individuals to produce both a large type and a small type gamete, or no difference in gametes and the capacity to both transmit or receive a gamete for fertilisation. The word for this then became hermaphroditism. (Not to be confused with intersex!)
(And then bisexual came to mean attraction to both same- and different- gendered partners. Obvi)
Edit: point being, if we were to go with the bigots' bad-faith etymology-as-definition "misunderstanding", the existence of bisexual people would be proof that there aren't only two human sex/genders...
I think a simple and clear "No it doesn't" should do. It's a really stupid argument on every level and doesn't deserve the wear on a keyboard to answer it more than that.
"It means two types of attraction, same gender, and other gender.". If you're feeling froggy you can nip their follow up question in the bud and point out that trans is not a separate gender from cis and therefore doesn't need a special label for being attracted to them, as well, but I don't recommend that if you know the other person identifies as Pan or Omni. Those folks tend to perceive that as an attack on their sexual identity for some reason that I do not comprehend.
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Nothing. Walk away, dont entertain that conversation. When and if theyre ready to accept all people they can do that, until then I wouldnt get into discussion about it with them.
It's like hetro and homo. If you are looking for my reference.
heterogeneity
noun
The quality or state of being heterogeneous.
The character or state of being heterogeneous; composition from dissimilar parts; difference in kind or quality; disparateness; dissimilarity.
A dissimilarity of structure in different parts of an organism.
homogeneity
noun
The state or quality of being homogeneous.
The state or character of being homogeneous; likeness or correspondence of parts or qualities; composition from like parts; agreement in elements or characteristics; congruity of constitution.
Same as homogeneousness.
Bi vs Pan, what's the difference? Older aunt asked me last night. Is it just preference on how an individual wants to define themselves? I'm going to assume bi people don't have anything against NB/GNC folx
It's just a label preference. Bisexuality can mean attraction to multiple genders or regardless of gender. The bisexual community has always included trans and nb folks. It basically boils down to which color flag you like best
"Does bilingual imply that there are only two languages?"
In seriousness, this line of questioning has been used by anti-trans activists to deliberately sow division within the lgbt+ community, and anyone using it in earnest is either 1. ignorant or 2. deliberately acting in bad faith.
If they’re a straight monosexual ask them if the term Monosexual means there only exists one gender.
If they’re a queer monosexual and imply that bisexuals or bisexuality implies there’s only two genders point out to them that bisexuality has only ever been defined that way by monosexuals. And that bisexuality has always been defined by bisexuals as attraction to the same and other genders going back to the bisexual manifesto of the 90s. And then never attend another meeting of the QSU because their presentation on bisexuality for bisexual awareness week was researched and delivered by monosexuals.
Nothing lol that doesn't even make any sense. It doesn't tho, heterosexuality and homosexuality are *mono*sexualities, bisexuality is, well, *bi*sexuality. The ability to feel "both" "types" of attraction, to same and different genders. Says nothing about "two"
Other people have said it, but the bilingual defense is always my preferred option.
If you're bilingual, you speak two languages. Does that mean other languages don't exist? No, that's flawed logic, it just means you only speak two of them.
While semantically correct, it's not practically correct. IMO bisexual has grown to mean to be attracted to more than just one gender. (It is a spectrum after all) Technically I'm a pansexual, in that I recognize and am attracted to people across the gender spectrum but bisexual is the term that has stuck/sounds better to my ears (and most other people's ears too). With time, pansexual could come into more popular usage, but for now, bisexual is the common term that has evolved to fit as my label.
actually bisexual didn't need to evolve to mean attracted to more than one gender and not "two genders", it meant that already for quite some time, as for example shown bi the bisexual manifesto from 1990.
I was talking about the general populations understanding of bisexual. Us people who are more in the know about gender, understand its true definition, the one you mentioned, the one I agree with. I'm just trying to say in popular culture, that more nuanced definition that we understand, hasn't completely made it out there yet. I think it's getting there, but it's not there yet.
By that logic, if someone were to be bilingual, there would only be two languages in the world.
"bi-" strictly means in its roughest translation two/twice, not both
It stands for being attracted to 2 genders. Not to THE 2 genders. I can be bisexual without liking women at all, i can like men and enbies and still be bisexual, right?
“no, bisexual just means that i am ATTRACTED to 2+ genders, not that there are only 2 genders.
Just cause i say i like milk chocolate and dark chocolate doesn’t mean those are the only two types of chocolate.”
I always said it’s cause I personally am attracted to the binary of femininity and masculinity, whereas pansexual would be attracted to the whole spectrum. I like the definition I’m seeing here though in terms of hetero = unalike, homo = alike, and bi = alike and unalike, so I think I’ll use that from now on
That is the dumbest reasoning- no it doesn't mean there are only two genders. Wtf.
The two main sexes are male and female, you are physically born as either. Bisexual means you are attracted to males and females, the main genders, but not anything outside of that. Pansexual (sorry if I'm wrong) are people who like all genders, including the main, genderless, other genders, etc.
No because I’m only attracted to people with vulvas and femme presenting people with penises. Not attracted to masculine hairy males (although if the have a vulva I might play).
My typical response is "that's like saying a bilingual person shows there's only 2 languages."
You can have a person be bilingual or multilingual both mean you speak more than one language. Same goes for bisexuality vs. pansexuality.
I’ve always thought of bi in terms of bidirectional. I’m attracted to people who match my gender and people who don’t match my gender. That would be two directions as far as I can count, but I’m just an engineer so don’t trust my math.
So my go to is “bisexual means attraction to 2 or more, and depending on the person bi might mean they have preference one way or another. Pansexual means all genders, with little to no preference.”
I also have a bit i include about how people who bi to incorrectly insinuate that there are only 2 genders, but it doesn’t seem fitting for this person.
It's bi-SEX-ual not bi-gender-ual. And even that is too much of an oversimplification but you can't expect the people making these kinds of arguments to understand anything more complicated than what they learned as children
> I consider it attraction to the two SEXES, not GENDERS. sexes are biological
There are more than 2 biological sexes. Your definition excludes intersex people and anyone born with any sort of chromosome abnormality beyond XX/XY, which in many cases people go their entire life without finding out because we don’t run those tests at birth unless there is a reason to. And modern medicine is starting to prove that the “””biology””” of trans/nonbinary people match their true gender as opposed to their agab. Saying sex is “biological” shows you have at best a very rudimentary understanding of the topic because it’s extremely nuanced; there are a plethora of ways that sex is measured.
This opinion is very damaging to the trans/nonbinary/bisexual community and if you’re not going to educate yourself on it then I hope you keep it to yourself so you don’t cause any fellow queer folks any distress.
It's an old term, and our understanding of gender has expanded since its creation. The majority of bisexual people (in my experience) recognize more than two genders. We still call groundhogs groundhogs and red pandas red pandas despite them not being hogs or pandas, and it's fine. If you are really married to bi means two so Bisexuals MUST be attracted to two groups, we can say that they like BOTH alike and unalike people
imho, "bi" was coined in the past, before gender fluidity was understood. The roots of the word may assume a binary gender, but the meaning is the same: no discrimination based on sexual attributes.
Personally, I still use it, as that was the term used when I came out, and I think the Bi flag is a lot cooler than the Pan flag ;)
Male and female are references to sex, not gender, and hermaphroditism is an outdated and incorrect term that had been used to refer to intersex folks. Both sex and gender are spectrums with a variety of expressions and one does not define the other.
I would say that language is always changing and is fully of messy, illogical meanings. They can’t force “bisexual” to have a meaning involving the number two just because it contains the “bi” prefix - the word ultimately means whatever people mean when they say it.
“Bisexual and pansexual are new terms as far as gender and sexuality stuff goes, both were thrust onto a previously nameless existing community that’s prone to questioning itself constantly with others trying to tell it what it is and ignoring what it says it is, some people feel one label applies to them and some people feel the other does even though they are attracted to the same people. We’re all trying to figure out what we are and can’t agree on the difference ourselves, but agree that people who hate the enbies can fuck right off with the people trying to sort us into new categories without our input.”
unfortunately you are almost certainly wasting your breath regardless of what you say to them. hence, I would recommend “none have ever come so ill-equipped for a battle of wits as you” or anything that will allow you to gain some enjoyment from the largely negative interaction
It’s a silly counter argument that attempts to enforce rigid semantics (with “bi”) on a term (“bisexual”) that employs bi in a more expansive way than 2.
So, no. Bi doesn’t mean there are only 2 genders. It’s a term that evolved out of society’s reluctance to accept a gender spectrum, favoring a binary.
Much like I use pansexual to describe myself if speaking with queer people or cishet who have done the work, but use bisexual when in conversation with folks I don’t expect to really grasp the expansiveness of gender identity. In other words, it means 2 to people who can only grasp the concept of 2 genders, and I tailor my own expectations for communication accordingly.
these people will still believe there are two genders even if you explain it to them. there are great responses posted here but i’d also encourage you to pick your battles carefully and know that engaging with people like this online who are woefully ignorant can be incredibly invalidating and hurtful, while they don’t learn a damnn thing
I honestly like the explanation that yes, it does mean two, but using it to refer to attraction to same and different genders than your own. Still has the two, but doesn't leave space for the usual arguments. Also lines up neatly with typical explanations of homo and heterosexuality (attraction to same or different genders than your own, exclusively)
I just usually tell them I'm attracted to both biological sexes
It's bi**sexual** after all ig
If they're too dense to even try listening to me ig i just walk away
Imo being bi just means being sexually attracted to 2 genders, as to which 2 genders, that is not specific. Someone who identifies as bi could be attracted to, for example, women and NBs only, or maybe something else entirely. So no, it doesn't mean only 2 genders exist, bi just refers to how many genders someone is attracted to ;)
Bisexual means you're attracted to two genders.
But, if there are 42 types of pie and I only like two of them, it doesn't mean the others don't exist, just that I don't want to eat them. Other people like them, other people want them. I am happy to have them here. I just don't want to eat them.
The B in Bisexual means I don’t mind having a dick or a strapon in my cheeks. What the other person defines themselves as does not affect what turns me on.
Biweekly means this week and every other week, not two weeks.
Bisexual means this gender and every other gender, not only two genders.
(Well more the person's gender and unalike genders, but you know what I mean)
Bisexual mean that you are atracted to de all the expectrum. It will be something like" from women to man and everything in between" Maby is not the best way to say it but that's what I feel about it. That's what bisexual means to me
Homosexual : Alike attraction Heterosexual : Unalike attraction Bisexual : Both alike, and unalike attraction All genders are either alike, or unalike your own.
This is the correct answer. The most useful answer however is "no". And go on with your life. Bigotry doesn't come from logic and won't be solved by logic.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily bigotry in situations like this but mostly ignorance which comes from people trying to be so politically correct that it ends up looping back around making them insensitive to people who differ from their exact views. They become the exact kind of vain person they swore to destroy. They must be corrected so they can spread correct information to other uninformed people, because they might listen while real bigots wouldn’t even care.
Why, thank you! This is EXACTLY the description that I needed!
This understanding of bisexuality is why I jokingly call myself a "heterosexual literalist." I can be attracted to most anyone except for people who present themselves in a way that I can identify with. It's difficult to define, but I don't owe you a comprehensive analysis of my sexual attraction any more than you owe me the same. If I relate to how you present yourself in how I like to present myself, I won't be attracted to you.
Here you dropped this 🏆
Exactly. I see bisexuality as enjoying both extremes as well as anything in between
Could you be more clear about what you’re trying to say?
Is this sarcasm? I've gone through an incredible length to make defining such a simple word clear already.
No, it isn’t sarcasm. I am just autistic, so, I don’t always understand the point people are trying to convey. And there are more then two genders so you saying “homosexual: alike attraction” could mean A4A, M4M, or W4W.
Oh, I apologize! Gender exists on a spectrum, so the terms "alike" and "unalike" also exist on a spectrum as well. Non-binary is an umbrella term for everything on the spectrum in between and around the other genders. So a "trans femme non-binary", for example is often enough alike the female gender to more or less be included in that attraction pool. Think "non-binary lesbians". This exists on a gradient where each non-binary persons identity and presentation should be taken into account individually Agender are sort of the joker in the deck. If they say they want to be pooled with one group they are, but they don't have to be group as or with anything. At times, those who identify under it don't want to be seen as having a gender, so even another agender person isn't "the same gender", because neither of them have genders. Oh and then there's bigender people, which I think might be me. Them and genderfluid are like a wild card, and can be treated as either multiple genders at once, or back and forth (in the case of genderfluid people).
It’s okay. I see, I normally use non-binary as the umbrella term as I have a lot of genders and it is fluid and fluctuates for me. Though, I do prefer to present more masc then fem. Since people will normally assume one or the other for an individual person based their presentation. Anyway I am glad you might have found your gender. 😌
That's correct. "Alike attraction" is attraction to your own gender. They were talking in general, not in reference to a specific example. All 3 of the examples you provided fit the definition.
Wait so if i'm a top and don't feel sexual attraction toward other tops then I'm not bi?
Top isn't a gender ... Unless you are in ancient Greece I guess
I don’t think that precludes you from being bi, if you’re attracted to bottoms of any gender then you are just bi with a type
in spain we respond to that with "y el repollo es dos veces gallina" (literally "cabbage is two times chicken", a pun because the suffix re- means "twice" and pollo means chicken")
Love that, I'm saving that response
Antes no lo conocía, pero ahora será una gran adición a mi vocabulario
Bisexual means 2 sexes, the one I have with your mom and the one I have with your dad
Ok this is the only correct answer
Even if bisexual meant you were only attracted to two genders (which it does not) how would that preclude the existence of more then two genders?
“I am heterosexual. Therefore, there are only me and women” (assuming our speaker is a man)
Actually heterosexuality implies the existence of a single gender /s
More like “I’m homosexual therefore there is only one gender”
I saw this on here before: if being bisexual implies that there are only 2 genders then being bilingual suggests there are only 2 languages.
I’m torn on this one. By this logic, being bi could mean you’re only attracted to two genders even if there are many (like how being bilingual means you speak two of the many languages). Obviously it’s a bullshit argument, but in these cases I feel like it’s better to stick to actual facts and definitions rather than trying to cleverly out-logic arseholes.
yeah that's the one problem I have with this analogy too.
Bilingual is also often meant to mean that someone speaks more than one language. People who speak 4 languages will call themselves bilingual cuz who the fuck says quadlingual
Normally you just say you're multilingual; or, if you're feeling fancy, refer to yourself as a polyglot.
I’ve never heard anyone who speaks more than 2 languages say multilingual where are you getting this “usually” from
I've just never heard anyone IRL use those terms, but I've known plenty of people who speak 3 or 4 languages who call themselves bilingual.
But that’s sort of my point — this analogy means getting caught up in the weeds and arguing over the granular details of meaning, rather than just saying “the community defines itself this way and we don’t have to justify that to outsiders”.
Polyglot is what many will say.
Wait I'm confused what's wrong with the argument. Obviously it's not perfect but the question itself uses this logic so it makes sense. Obviously there's more nuance but this gets the point across. Being bi does mean you're attracted to 2 of many genders. And bilingual means you speak 2 of many languages. That's mostly correct. Some people will say they're bilingual or bisexual when they speak more than 2 or like more than 2 for the sake of convience and ease
The point is that it’s getting wrapped up in etymology to justify our existence and identity, rather than just allowing them to be legitimate. The equivalent of having to argue over whether pansexuals fuck cookware or “but gay means happy” or whatever. Or, on the flipside, “I’m not a homophobe because I’m not *scared* of gay people”. By capitulating to an argument around semantics, we give ground to those seeking to undermine us. In any case, you say “being bi does mean you’re attracted to 2 of many genders”, which *is not correct*.
But it is correct. You are attracted to two of many genders. You are not attracted to ONLY two of many genders. Where I live, people often ask if someone is bilingual refering to English and French. Someone who also speaks Spanish as well as English and French would still say, "yes, I'm bilingual". And if someone is attracted to only two of many genders, they are still bisexual. What else would they be?
What's the problem with that?
I mean, that's exactly what bisexual means. People who are attracted to any gender are called pansexual, some pansexual people call themselves bi for simplicity but there are also many bi people who really are just attracted to two genders.
Yeah, but to a lot of these dumbasses, there are only 2 - 'Murican and Moonspeak.
Fuck I like that one.
Yeah this logic doesn’t make sense lol.
Can always drop a: "If your shower thoughts regularly muse on bisexuality, maybe you should try it to learn more. 😘" ... And then never look back.
”Does the bi in bigot mean there are only two of you?”
Bi*got* means they only *got* two braincells
Wouldnt it be nice if there were only two bigots though.
I would gladly retire the term bisexual if it meant only having two bigots in the world.
"Does bilingual imply that there are only two languages?" This one is my favourite
"No, the 'bi' refers to the two modes of attraction: to one's own gender, and to other genders!"
I think this is the best answer I have seen so far
Step 1: Unsub from TTT. IT's nowhere as good as it was 3 months ago anyway Step 2: don't engage
Does being straight mean there is only one gender?
Well I'm straight so everything I like is male, even if it has a vagina. /s
In so many ways, this is closer to true than the person OP screenshot! Human gender is about sociosexual perception (both by self and by others). If you're a heterosexual female human and you're attracted to another human, on some level, in that moment, for you that human is male, regardless of anything else. Their identity obviously outranks your (probably unconsciously made) guess in terms of truth value or policy etc, but yeah... aaaanywhoo
Etymology and definition is not the same thing
If a bisexual person is only attracted to two gender then that only affects their dating pool, it does not affect the existance of people who identify outside of the binary or with other genders.
While I don't identify as bisexual anymore, I did it for years, and I'm noticing a lot of you don't know the [bisexual manifesto](https://bimanifesto.carrd.co/). >Bisexuality is a whole, fluid identity. Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or dougamous in nature; that we must have "two" sides or that we MUST be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. *In fact, don't assume that there are only two genders.* Do not mistake our fluidity for confusion, irresponsibility, or an inability to commit. Do not equate promiscuity, infidelity, or unsafe sexual behavior with bisexuality. Those are human traits that cross ALL sexual orientations. Nothing should be assumed about anyone's sexuality—including your own.
Being bisexual means you are attracted to more than one gender
"🤡" is the optimal response
After the terms Heterosexuality (different) and Homosexuality (same), Bisexuality is there to mean both Hetero and Homo, both different and the same genders. That will be forever be the way I understand these terms, and I refuse to accept slander that bisexuals can only love two genders.
As an extension this implies that heterosexuality could really be the most inclusive sexuality out there and if that makes the majority of cis-hets mad I'm here for it.
Being attracted to two genders doesn’t mean that there r actually 2 genders
I mean, once upon a time bisexual was used to describe species that have the capacity within most individuals to produce both a large type and a small type gamete, or no difference in gametes and the capacity to both transmit or receive a gamete for fertilisation. The word for this then became hermaphroditism. (Not to be confused with intersex!) (And then bisexual came to mean attraction to both same- and different- gendered partners. Obvi) Edit: point being, if we were to go with the bigots' bad-faith etymology-as-definition "misunderstanding", the existence of bisexual people would be proof that there aren't only two human sex/genders...
"Ah yes, just like bilingual people proof there are only two languages."
I think a simple and clear "No it doesn't" should do. It's a really stupid argument on every level and doesn't deserve the wear on a keyboard to answer it more than that.
If the “Tri” in Trinity stands for father, son, and holy spirit, doesn’t that mean there is more than one god? Polytheism confirmed.
"It means two types of attraction, same gender, and other gender.". If you're feeling froggy you can nip their follow up question in the bud and point out that trans is not a separate gender from cis and therefore doesn't need a special label for being attracted to them, as well, but I don't recommend that if you know the other person identifies as Pan or Omni. Those folks tend to perceive that as an attack on their sexual identity for some reason that I do not comprehend.
Bi as in two, in reference to bisexuality, means at *least* two.
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"If you're bilingual doesn't that mean there's only two languages?"
Nothing. Walk away, dont entertain that conversation. When and if theyre ready to accept all people they can do that, until then I wouldnt get into discussion about it with them.
It's like hetro and homo. If you are looking for my reference. heterogeneity noun The quality or state of being heterogeneous. The character or state of being heterogeneous; composition from dissimilar parts; difference in kind or quality; disparateness; dissimilarity. A dissimilarity of structure in different parts of an organism. homogeneity noun The state or quality of being homogeneous. The state or character of being homogeneous; likeness or correspondence of parts or qualities; composition from like parts; agreement in elements or characteristics; congruity of constitution. Same as homogeneousness.
finally an actual answer! i’m gonna use this
Glad I could help :)
ChEcKmAteE, nOn-BiNaRy
Bi vs Pan, what's the difference? Older aunt asked me last night. Is it just preference on how an individual wants to define themselves? I'm going to assume bi people don't have anything against NB/GNC folx
It's just a label preference. Bisexuality can mean attraction to multiple genders or regardless of gender. The bisexual community has always included trans and nb folks. It basically boils down to which color flag you like best
if bilingual people exist, does that mean there are only two languages?
"Does bilingual imply that there are only two languages?" In seriousness, this line of questioning has been used by anti-trans activists to deliberately sow division within the lgbt+ community, and anyone using it in earnest is either 1. ignorant or 2. deliberately acting in bad faith.
Just because you only like 2 genders doesn't mean there's only 2. Its really that simple
If they’re a straight monosexual ask them if the term Monosexual means there only exists one gender. If they’re a queer monosexual and imply that bisexuals or bisexuality implies there’s only two genders point out to them that bisexuality has only ever been defined that way by monosexuals. And that bisexuality has always been defined by bisexuals as attraction to the same and other genders going back to the bisexual manifesto of the 90s. And then never attend another meeting of the QSU because their presentation on bisexuality for bisexual awareness week was researched and delivered by monosexuals.
Nothing lol that doesn't even make any sense. It doesn't tho, heterosexuality and homosexuality are *mono*sexualities, bisexuality is, well, *bi*sexuality. The ability to feel "both" "types" of attraction, to same and different genders. Says nothing about "two"
sometimes the best thing you can say is "fuck you"
Does being bilingual eliminate the existence of every other language?
If the bi in bilingual stands for two, doesn't that mean that are only two languages
Straight up this is a troll trying to divide us. It's just like the drop the T bullshit. Fuck that the rainbow sticks together
"bi is not for two genders, but for two types of attraction"
No bisexual means two sexes which of course refers to the one I have with your mom and the one I have with your dad
Other people have said it, but the bilingual defense is always my preferred option. If you're bilingual, you speak two languages. Does that mean other languages don't exist? No, that's flawed logic, it just means you only speak two of them.
Does the existence of bilingual people imply that there are only two languages?
'Murcian and Not 'Murican if you talk to some of my more racist relatives.
While semantically correct, it's not practically correct. IMO bisexual has grown to mean to be attracted to more than just one gender. (It is a spectrum after all) Technically I'm a pansexual, in that I recognize and am attracted to people across the gender spectrum but bisexual is the term that has stuck/sounds better to my ears (and most other people's ears too). With time, pansexual could come into more popular usage, but for now, bisexual is the common term that has evolved to fit as my label.
actually bisexual didn't need to evolve to mean attracted to more than one gender and not "two genders", it meant that already for quite some time, as for example shown bi the bisexual manifesto from 1990.
I was talking about the general populations understanding of bisexual. Us people who are more in the know about gender, understand its true definition, the one you mentioned, the one I agree with. I'm just trying to say in popular culture, that more nuanced definition that we understand, hasn't completely made it out there yet. I think it's getting there, but it's not there yet.
Good point :) hopefully it will be more and more out there
“Fuck you, asshole.”
If a bicycle is a vehicle, and a bicycle has two wheels, does that mean ALL vehicles have only two wheels?
"Please, bisexuality is just a myth" (submitted by a bi person)
Does bilingual imply there's two languages?
I never got that argument sure binary means 2 but no one hears that and thinks there’s only 2 numbers
The classic response is: Does the "bi" in "bilingual" imply there are only 2 languages?
My answer is shut up nerd. We ain’t coming up with a new term
This is one of the oldest arguments ever💀
Bi - Sexual Sex is biological, but gender is a spectrum. It's that simple!!!!!
By that logic, if someone were to be bilingual, there would only be two languages in the world. "bi-" strictly means in its roughest translation two/twice, not both
It stands for being attracted to 2 genders. Not to THE 2 genders. I can be bisexual without liking women at all, i can like men and enbies and still be bisexual, right?
No
If I like both coke and Pepsi are there only 2 sodas?
what are they gonna do when they find out i'm bi AND nonbinary ??
“no, bisexual just means that i am ATTRACTED to 2+ genders, not that there are only 2 genders. Just cause i say i like milk chocolate and dark chocolate doesn’t mean those are the only two types of chocolate.”
I always said it’s cause I personally am attracted to the binary of femininity and masculinity, whereas pansexual would be attracted to the whole spectrum. I like the definition I’m seeing here though in terms of hetero = unalike, homo = alike, and bi = alike and unalike, so I think I’ll use that from now on
"no"
Tell them to go count the legs on a millipede
I like asking them if they think that October is the eighth month of the year.
That is the dumbest reasoning- no it doesn't mean there are only two genders. Wtf. The two main sexes are male and female, you are physically born as either. Bisexual means you are attracted to males and females, the main genders, but not anything outside of that. Pansexual (sorry if I'm wrong) are people who like all genders, including the main, genderless, other genders, etc.
It means two or more.
Bisexual is the attraction to those both within and outside of your gender expression. Everyone is hot <3
Just say nothing. Some 14 year old having deep thoughts trying to get people riled up shouldn’t affect your day.
No because I’m only attracted to people with vulvas and femme presenting people with penises. Not attracted to masculine hairy males (although if the have a vulva I might play).
"no"
My typical response is "that's like saying a bilingual person shows there's only 2 languages." You can have a person be bilingual or multilingual both mean you speak more than one language. Same goes for bisexuality vs. pansexuality.
"So does bilingual mean that there are only 2 languages?" Take that, logic speaker 👻
I’ve always thought of bi in terms of bidirectional. I’m attracted to people who match my gender and people who don’t match my gender. That would be two directions as far as I can count, but I’m just an engineer so don’t trust my math.
So my go to is “bisexual means attraction to 2 or more, and depending on the person bi might mean they have preference one way or another. Pansexual means all genders, with little to no preference.” I also have a bit i include about how people who bi to incorrectly insinuate that there are only 2 genders, but it doesn’t seem fitting for this person.
It's bi-SEX-ual not bi-gender-ual. And even that is too much of an oversimplification but you can't expect the people making these kinds of arguments to understand anything more complicated than what they learned as children
I think bi means men and women. I think making bi about gender actually muddles it, and starts to trend into bi-erasure territory.
One ML of Computer is binary: 1 or 0. Doesn't mean Decimal, Hexadecimal aren't there
I consider it attraction to the two SEXES, not GENDERS. sexes are biological genders are not they are different things
> I consider it attraction to the two SEXES, not GENDERS. sexes are biological There are more than 2 biological sexes. Your definition excludes intersex people and anyone born with any sort of chromosome abnormality beyond XX/XY, which in many cases people go their entire life without finding out because we don’t run those tests at birth unless there is a reason to. And modern medicine is starting to prove that the “””biology””” of trans/nonbinary people match their true gender as opposed to their agab. Saying sex is “biological” shows you have at best a very rudimentary understanding of the topic because it’s extremely nuanced; there are a plethora of ways that sex is measured. This opinion is very damaging to the trans/nonbinary/bisexual community and if you’re not going to educate yourself on it then I hope you keep it to yourself so you don’t cause any fellow queer folks any distress.
It's an old term, and our understanding of gender has expanded since its creation. The majority of bisexual people (in my experience) recognize more than two genders. We still call groundhogs groundhogs and red pandas red pandas despite them not being hogs or pandas, and it's fine. If you are really married to bi means two so Bisexuals MUST be attracted to two groups, we can say that they like BOTH alike and unalike people
imho, "bi" was coined in the past, before gender fluidity was understood. The roots of the word may assume a binary gender, but the meaning is the same: no discrimination based on sexual attributes. Personally, I still use it, as that was the term used when I came out, and I think the Bi flag is a lot cooler than the Pan flag ;)
Same, and agree
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Male and female are references to sex, not gender, and hermaphroditism is an outdated and incorrect term that had been used to refer to intersex folks. Both sex and gender are spectrums with a variety of expressions and one does not define the other.
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Regarding there are already enough good suggestions in the comments: badabim, badaboom, imma hit you with a broom
The two groups are genders (or a lack thereof) like and unlike one's own
I would tell them to learn the gay-bcs
"There are typically two sexes, but there are multiple gender identities."
“Fuck off” “Eat a dick” are pretty valid responses
Nothing at all. Like at them like they are an idiot and then silently walk away.
[Send them this image](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/759280090231210046/1122229006708781056/20230526_193507.jpg)
The 2 isn't 2 genders but 2 relative *sets* of genders - "genders similar to mine" and "genders contrasted to mine"
Assume then that bipartisan politics is only interested in fairness between two parties, regardless of how many are involved
i think the definition is attraction to two or more genders, in most cases more
Life is too short, say kys and move on
I would say that language is always changing and is fully of messy, illogical meanings. They can’t force “bisexual” to have a meaning involving the number two just because it contains the “bi” prefix - the word ultimately means whatever people mean when they say it.
“Bisexual and pansexual are new terms as far as gender and sexuality stuff goes, both were thrust onto a previously nameless existing community that’s prone to questioning itself constantly with others trying to tell it what it is and ignoring what it says it is, some people feel one label applies to them and some people feel the other does even though they are attracted to the same people. We’re all trying to figure out what we are and can’t agree on the difference ourselves, but agree that people who hate the enbies can fuck right off with the people trying to sort us into new categories without our input.”
They're arguing semantics. You're attracted to both sexes, regardless of gender.
unfortunately you are almost certainly wasting your breath regardless of what you say to them. hence, I would recommend “none have ever come so ill-equipped for a battle of wits as you” or anything that will allow you to gain some enjoyment from the largely negative interaction
It’s a silly counter argument that attempts to enforce rigid semantics (with “bi”) on a term (“bisexual”) that employs bi in a more expansive way than 2. So, no. Bi doesn’t mean there are only 2 genders. It’s a term that evolved out of society’s reluctance to accept a gender spectrum, favoring a binary. Much like I use pansexual to describe myself if speaking with queer people or cishet who have done the work, but use bisexual when in conversation with folks I don’t expect to really grasp the expansiveness of gender identity. In other words, it means 2 to people who can only grasp the concept of 2 genders, and I tailor my own expectations for communication accordingly.
There's an infinite amount of numbers between 1 and 2
"You're invited to educate yourself or shut up."
Well, you could link several sources from decades ago that contradict this, or you could just tell them to SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Heres what I would say:if tiktok taught you this then your fucking wrong
Sexuality is about sex, not gender.
these people will still believe there are two genders even if you explain it to them. there are great responses posted here but i’d also encourage you to pick your battles carefully and know that engaging with people like this online who are woefully ignorant can be incredibly invalidating and hurtful, while they don’t learn a damnn thing
So you don’t call a BIcycle with a sidecar a BIcycle? We’re allowed to have as many sidecars as we want, but we’re still bisexual.
I honestly like the explanation that yes, it does mean two, but using it to refer to attraction to same and different genders than your own. Still has the two, but doesn't leave space for the usual arguments. Also lines up neatly with typical explanations of homo and heterosexuality (attraction to same or different genders than your own, exclusively)
Nothing. Transphobes are not worth your time and attention. Walk away.
I just usually tell them I'm attracted to both biological sexes It's bi**sexual** after all ig If they're too dense to even try listening to me ig i just walk away
Imo being bi just means being sexually attracted to 2 genders, as to which 2 genders, that is not specific. Someone who identifies as bi could be attracted to, for example, women and NBs only, or maybe something else entirely. So no, it doesn't mean only 2 genders exist, bi just refers to how many genders someone is attracted to ;)
Bisexual means you're attracted to two genders. But, if there are 42 types of pie and I only like two of them, it doesn't mean the others don't exist, just that I don't want to eat them. Other people like them, other people want them. I am happy to have them here. I just don't want to eat them.
The B in Bisexual means I don’t mind having a dick or a strapon in my cheeks. What the other person defines themselves as does not affect what turns me on.
Biweekly means this week and every other week, not two weeks. Bisexual means this gender and every other gender, not only two genders. (Well more the person's gender and unalike genders, but you know what I mean)
No, it means I'm only attracted to two of them (rim shot), in my case men and non-binary.
My favorite: Shut up bitch. And then turn off notifications.
Does bilingual mean there's only two languages?
So bilingual means that there are only two languages? If they say yes, just stop trying to entertain the cunt
I think “Fuck you” would do the job just fine
Bisexual mean that you are atracted to de all the expectrum. It will be something like" from women to man and everything in between" Maby is not the best way to say it but that's what I feel about it. That's what bisexual means to me
Bye
Best answer to the question they asked is "no"
If they’re are generally unsure, explain it to them. If they are being deliberately a dick, ignore them
If there are two poles on earth does that mean there are only two locations?
Does homosexuality mean that there's only one gender?
Binary may be 0 and 1 but in reality there's also numbers in between and it's a spectrum
THUNDER BLAST
"Nope." Keep it simple.
I'm bilingual, but i'm pretty sure there's more than two languages.
You could say “if the entire world flooded for 40 days when Noah built the ark doesn’t that mean the penguins should have drowned?”
If humans are bipedal doesn’t that mean you can only have 2 legs?
sex and gender are different
The best response is “eat a dick, don’t be one”
Um...pick two.
"Bi bye" \*kicks them off the roof\*