Halsey is one of the biggest stars in the world, and one of the few going out to be as GRSD-inclusive as possible. Halsey creates GRSD content, is bi and is pushing forward for progress and equality. Now, Halsey has also revealed one issue bi people constantly face.
Text: So if I’m dating a guy I’m straight, and if I date a woman, I’m a lesbian. The only way to be a #True bisexual is to date 2 people at once.
This isn’t anything new, and our language doesn’t help. We often talk about “straight relationships” or “gay relationships” but this completely erases bi, pan, non-binary, ace and aro people. Language matters and shapes how we think about bi people – and bi relationships just aren’t recognised.
The constant erasure is demeaning to bi people, but it also increases the idea that we are somehow a threat. By labelling us as gay or straight depending on who we are with, it presents the idea that we’re shape-shifters who can manipulate our identities to suit our needs – rather than acknowledging what is truly going on, which is erasure.
The result is that bi people never get to dictate their own identities, and the narrative spun about bi people being untrustworthy and not truly bi often comes from both the gay and straight communities.
Bi people should have control over their own identities and how they define their relationships. It’s what will end the continued bi-erasure in society.
