~ waves at people who inspired this post ~
I use "I'm bisexual" to mean vaguely "The people I am attracted to can be, but are not necessarily, of the canonical binary gender opposite the one I was assigned at birth". I think that my meaning for it is in response to my presenting as female, being long-term partnered with a cis dude, and therefore being presumed straight most of the time. "Bi" merely means to me that nope, I don't fit in that box.
Not to mention I'm approximately as female as a doorknob or a window or a lampshade. (Also approximately as male as all those things.) The "my own gender and something else" definitions of "bi" get weird when mine is sort of... undefined.
I have found a variety of genders and physical presentations attractive, including nonbinary folk. Maybe if I were figuring myself out anew today I'd say pan, but I grew up with "bi" and am likely to keep it.
I use "I'm bisexual" to mean vaguely "The people I am attracted to can be, but are not necessarily, of the canonical binary gender opposite the one I was assigned at birth". I think that my meaning for it is in response to my presenting as female, being long-term partnered with a cis dude, and therefore being presumed straight most of the time. "Bi" merely means to me that nope, I don't fit in that box.
Not to mention I'm approximately as female as a doorknob or a window or a lampshade. (Also approximately as male as all those things.) The "my own gender and something else" definitions of "bi" get weird when mine is sort of... undefined.
I have found a variety of genders and physical presentations attractive, including nonbinary folk. Maybe if I were figuring myself out anew today I'd say pan, but I grew up with "bi" and am likely to keep it.