CHALLENGE: Other terms for bi [Archive]

jasper

Mar 19, 2006, 9:48 AM

Hi Folks,

My partner and I were just discussing the dearth of more colorful or fun or expressive or.. anything... slang terms for bi.

Obviously there's queer as a catch-all, and the various ambi-sexual, metro sexual, hetero- or homo- flexible, etc. but all of this are descriptive analytic terms with only a little bit of fun colloquilism.

I've been doing some websearches, but there's almost nothing. The only terms I've found so far are:

ac/dc
switch-hitting.

The only other possibility I've run into is "two-spirit" which is a catch-all native american term for gender bending native peoples, with specific connotations in different settings. It's a great term, but just to be clear it is NOT intended for use by non-native peoples.

SO...

Here's my call to all you good folks: let's invent some new terms or share some existing ones!

All I have so far is:
Scarecrows
(in reference to the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, with the lovely statement (and accompanying hand-gestures) that "some people like to go this way, some people like to go that way, and some people like to go both ways!")

Any other suggestions?

Jasper

dfwbi-cyclist

Mar 19, 2006, 9:55 AM

The term I hear most from friends who know I am Bi is....Greedy :bigrin:

smokey

Mar 19, 2006, 9:57 AM

I refer to myself as ambidexterious even though I am not. Polymorphic perverse comes to mind...in an old (1600's) Chinese erotic novel called "The Carnel Prayermat" the hero was referred to as amphibious.

Tx46M

Mar 19, 2006, 10:50 AM

Or maybe for some "bi" is just normal and not excluding gender, or including both.
:male: :2cents:

codybear3

Mar 19, 2006, 11:16 AM

My sisters girlfriend refers to her lesbian friends as "funny" which also includes gays. So on occasion when I know that the word bisexual or bi is too strong for some folks, I use the term/phrase "a little bit funny"... :paw: :paw:

anne27

Mar 19, 2006, 12:17 PM

I consider myself 'versatile' :D .

CountryLover

Mar 19, 2006, 3:25 PM

*chuckling* Versatile - that's me too! ;)

jasper

Mar 19, 2006, 5:10 PM

Ah, here I found some others.

These are from a site that also has a huge range of other terms for gay men and lesbians:

http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2874/bilex.html

AC/DC adj., n. "alternating current/direct current" Sexual energy can be delivered in different forms.

acey-deucy n. A variant on AC/DC

ambidextrous adj. 20th century. Refereing to the ability to use both hands.

bicyle adj. Probably used because of the "bi" in the word. Also seen as bike.

bisexual n. Not slang. adj. 19th century. A standard word for a person attreacted to members of both sexes.

bi n. Informal abreviation of bisexual . A second meaning is gay man; 20th century usage.

convertible adj. 20th century. Automobile reference; a convertible car can be seen as two different forms.

flippy adj. 20th century. From the ability to sway in interests.

gate swinger n. North American origin. 20th century. Used because of the ability of this door to swing both ways.

Gillette blade n. 20th century. A female bisexual. Used because of this name brand blade's ability to cut both ways.

switch-hitter n. North American Origin. 20th century. From the baseball terminology for a player who is able to use either hand.

ddbmma

Mar 19, 2006, 5:18 PM

Usually I find saying, "I'm a neither or either or," tends to work.

"You straight?"

"No."

"Gay?"

"No."

"What are you?"

"I'm a neither or, either or."

"What's that?"

"Neither gay nor straight, but either one or the other depending on who asks, situation."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say you are bi?"

"You didn't ask that."

"Oh."

Of course selfish can always be used too. :D :))

Ocasio otoko

Mar 20, 2006, 11:01 PM

Well other languages have some terms, Spanish, Caribbean Spanish (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, some parts of Mexico and Central American countries, have a many terms some are nice and culture slang others are as degoratory and offensive as faggot.

"bugarrón" = bi male, very degoratory and offensive. Likes women but enjoys men more.
"pinta y raspa"= paints and scratches, meaning goes both ways. Originated from doing all kinds of house handy work.

There are many others but these are the most used amd more common here in PR. And the only ones I can really recall at the moment.

bigregory

Mar 21, 2006, 12:31 AM

Allsexual....

But im quite the laugh in the gay community.
They say i am gay or will be soon.
Ignoramuses..
I like the term BI.
Yup BI works for me

Mimi

Mar 21, 2006, 1:52 AM

*rolls up sleeves* here i go:

biamorous - loving both genders

fluid - this is what i called my bi group at UCLA. love this term! :)

flexual - a mixture of "flexible" and "sexual"

pansexual/polysexual/omnisexual/multisexual/pomosexual - someone who is attracted to people outside of binary gender distinctions (including transgender and intersexed). "pomosexual" is short for "post modern sexual"

anthrosexual - liking people

trisexual - a funny twist on "try-sexual" (I'll try anything)

queer - a word now used in political contexts as you all should know. kind of a fuzzy way of saying you might be gay or you might be bi.

equal opportunity lover - another favorite of mine - someone who doesn't discriminate based on gender

bicurious/heteroflexible/homoflexible - people who are on the verge of being bi

i've also seen blended labels like: bi dyke, gay bisexual, queer bisexual, bisexual lesbian

other terms i've heard that i'm not totally fans of: ambiguous, androgynous, fence-sitter, slutty.

this topic--bisexual identity politics--is really a great interest of mine (in case you couldn't tell). :rolleyes:

mimi :flag3:

csrakate

Mar 21, 2006, 2:17 AM

As someone who shuns labels...how about...sexually open-minded???

random_chrissi

Mar 21, 2006, 5:02 AM

i have a friend who calls being bi "dual-enrollment"...she just happens to work at the college i currently attend...lol :bigrin:

leredacteur

Mar 21, 2006, 8:49 AM

GYNANDROUS -- the term dates back to the early 20th century and reflects the era's refusal to deal openly with sexual matters.

FLEXIBLE -- seems to have first appeared in the late 80s.

DOUBLE-GAITED -- my favorite ! The term was in wide American use half a century ago (when "bi" was a little-known term) in the gay community but probably originated in Britain in the late 19th century. Used in its sexual sense, it was a "safe" phrase in that it had little meaning for non-gays. The term derives from a form of horse racing known as "harness racing," in which a horse pulled a "sulky," a small, light, two-wheeled carriage in which the driver sat. There were two main kinds of harness racing horses: "trotters," which moved front and rear legs on opposite sides in tandem, and "pacers," which moved front and rear legs on the same side in tandem. The differing types of perambulation were only rarely seen in the same race. At the height of its popularity, harness racing had separate competitive "leagues" and race tracks. As an old fan of "flats" horse racing, I always found harness racing exasperatingly slow; watching a harness race was as exciting as watching nailheads rust.

meteast chick

Mar 21, 2006, 12:14 PM

I'm married so no one has openly questioned my sexuality.

I've thought about it, and if someone asks if I'm gay or straight, I'd say...

"I'm good, thanks"

luv and kisses,
xoxoxox
meteast

huneypot

Mar 21, 2006, 4:37 PM

glantern954

Mar 21, 2006, 10:17 PM

sexually progressive

bigregory

Mar 21, 2006, 10:31 PM

Two handed

jasper

Mar 22, 2006, 9:13 PM

Thanks for all the responses. I have to say I'm particularly fond of "two-handed" so far.

I was thinking about this the other day and became enamored of using "palindrome" or "palindromic" as a description.

Then I started trying to think of actual palindromes that might apply. The simplest is just "I BI". I could see this just becoming ibi.

Palindrome sentences would fit many situations too:
boy loves girl loves girl loves boy
or
girl loves boy loves girl
for example.

Jasper

jasper

Mar 22, 2006, 9:23 PM

Oh wait -- somehow I'd missed some of the other responses that have come up int he past few days. Lots of goodies!

Thanks Mimi for the long list. Yes, I've been enjoying some others along the lines of some of yours too.

Pomosexual is certainly a term I'm fond of that fits some of the other categories you've got.

Also, the Puerto Rican terms are an exciting direction. It seems like getting terms from other languages would be a GREAT way to get some real goodies. Can anyone share any other non-english terms? How do you say "bi" in asian languages for example? Southern American idioms?

Here's simplified Chinese characters for Bi: 两性
and for traditional Chinese: 兩性
russian: бисексуал

- but this is from a free translator, so who knows how good a trans it is. And besides these just mean "bisexual" and not anything colloqial, which is where I'll bet we'd get some really great concepts.

Thanks everyone, I'm enjoying the responses.

Jasper

bigregory

Mar 22, 2006, 9:33 PM

Could the Chinese be related to 69 :yinyang:

bigregory

Mar 22, 2006, 9:37 PM

The term I hear most from friends who know I am Bi is....Greedy :bigrin:
or slut lol

grizzle45

Mar 30, 2006, 1:36 PM

Actually some of these terms are very nice. They make me laugh, which is good. I take myself far too seriously in every aspect of my life, and especially in my sexual identity.
Fer instance:
I question the need to come up with terms that are often vague (versatile) or even misleading (ambidexterous) when we have a word that is very clear and definite. I think I like the term bisexual best because it allows me the appearance (leaving room for debate) that I belong to a community, which is very important to me. Plus, it gives me a very definite sense of who I am. For the longest time I wasn't sure "how bi" I was. Could it be that I like me only aesthetically? Could it be only confusion? Could this be the result of a confusing and often traumatic sexual upbringing? etc. After a long, long struggle and all the ususal, I am very proud to Bisexual. I do prefer Queer for personal reason and i do adore some of the terms here (pomosexual and ibi spring to mind), but for reasons mentioned I think bisexual is best.
Also, least I forget, there's the issue of Invisibility. I think it is easy to see "me" represented if there is a more definite sense if who I am/we are. Not only for social and political reasons, but for others like me. I know I often internalize the invisibility and apply it to myself. If we are no longer invisible, I think that would happen to people less often. (I hope)

Anyway, I don't mean to spoil the fun, i just thought this was a great opportunity to bring these issues up.

Clive Barker once talked about people being Protean, which I like. Also, just plain old Post (as in Post Modern) is cute. And boy loves girl loves boy loves girl makes a great name for a band! :2cents:

Alaric

Mar 30, 2006, 3:50 PM

The love of my life told me that Sophie B. Hawkins refers to herself as "omnisexual" and I think that is a most appropriate term... What do you all think? :impleased

happyjoe68

Mar 30, 2006, 3:52 PM

Me

omnisexual

equal opportunities supporter

nubiwoman

Mar 30, 2006, 5:43 PM

....before i stumbled upon this site i referred to my sexuality as 'transcending gender'...

....before then, i dont think i believed there was such a thing as 'bi-sexual'?!

....but 'omni-sexual'? mmm nice :tong:

... not that my dearest friends and children will see me as anything other than....

....'a bit queer' :rolleyes:

.... Julie :female: xxx

DarkwaterUK

Mar 30, 2006, 6:14 PM

All of the above and any new ones that people care to throw our way.

Bicycle: Will let anyone ride me! :drool:

Doug

Mimi

Mar 31, 2006, 12:55 AM

Originally posted by grizzle45:
I question the need to come up with terms that are often vague (versatile) or even misleading (ambidexterous) when we have a word that is very clear and definite. I think I like the term bisexual best because it allows me the appearance (leaving room for debate) that I belong to a community, which is very important to me.

i agreed with you wholeheartedly, grizzle45! although i respect people wanting to be "individuals," i also think it's so tremendously important to call ourselves the same thing so that we are more visible. although one term may not be the end-all and be-all, at least politically it will make us stronger. it's like how the black community uses both "black" and "african american" to call themselves -- if black people individually came up with all different vague terms to call themselves, then it might hurt their cause because everyone is divided.

maybe we need one or two terms that are catchy and meaningful?

mimi :flag1:

DiamondDog

Mar 31, 2006, 3:27 AM

Heteroflexible is another term for 'bisexual'.
A friend and I talked about that when I told him (he's gay) that one of our favourite comedians Margaret Cho described herself as that.

I don't get the whole "curious" label though.

Bothbi_cpl813

Mar 31, 2006, 4:14 AM

One I have read yet and our "label" would be Pansexual.....having no decided sexual preference.

jasper

Apr 2, 2006, 2:21 PM

i agreed with you wholeheartedly, grizzle45! although i respect people wanting to be "individuals," i also think it's so tremendously important to call ourselves the same thing so that we are more visible. although one term may not be the end-all and be-all, at least politically it will make us stronger. it's like how the black community uses both "black" and "african american" to call themselves -- if black people individually came up with all different vague terms to call themselves, then it might hurt their cause because everyone is divided.

maybe we need one or two terms that are catchy and meaningful?

mimi :flag1:

This is an interesting question. And I totally support the moving out of invisibility range. However, I thought it might be useful for me to explain why I started this thread.

For one, many of us in bi-land are looking for more flexible definitions where it's not about "bi", which still clearly indicates two directions, but is about a more fluid understanding of sex and gender and that identifies with a wide range of sexualities. For example, is a Dyke who has one girlfriend who she primarily tribadates with and has a gay boyfriend with whom she straps-on, feels like a gay man, and fucks him, and has at other times had lovers who were men, with whom she had pretty wonderful, but also pretty vanilla straight sex with, and yet she's still identifies primarily as a dyke the whole time.... Well... how many kinds of orientations is that? Is it one, two three, more? etc.

But that's just tweaking. There's another reason that's more important for me, and it's not about trying to dilute the term bisexual, which I think is great. Rather, it's about trying to be playful and find a wider arrange of fun and meaningful ways to refer to bisexuality, sometimes with different flavors. I agree that a unified term of bisexual is often useful from a social/political standpoint. But that's not the only context in which I refer to bisexuality. And beyond that context, I want to have more variety and fun options. For me, this is largely a way of honoring the rich world of bisexuality.

That's all.

Jasper

glantern954

Apr 2, 2006, 4:34 PM

I really like Heteroflexible.

Heteroflexible is another term for 'bisexual'.
A friend and I talked about that when I told him (he's gay) that one of our favourite comedians Margaret Cho described herself as that.

I don't get the whole "curious" label though.

m.in.heels&hose

Apr 3, 2006, 7:29 PM

before i found this wonderful site (Thank you again Drew) i had always liked and perfered to use "gender neutral" but after finding this site, bi or bisexual sits just fine with me

i do still like the term gender neutral

thank you for my :2cents: here
m.in.heels&hose

bigregory

Apr 3, 2006, 9:20 PM

For example, is a Dyke who has one girlfriend who she primarily tribadates with and has a gay boyfriend with whom she straps-on, feels like a gay man, and fucks him, and has at other times had lovers who were men, with whom she had pretty wonderful, but also pretty vanilla straight sex with, and yet she's still identifies primarily as a dyke the whole time.... Well... how many kinds of orientations is that? Is it one, two three, more? etc.

So where is this party,I want an invite..

I guess im sticking with allsexual (Boring i know)

CherryBlossom74

Apr 4, 2006, 5:28 AM

The term that hurt me the most was being called

Half-Straight or Quasi-Gay.

We aren't half anything, we are all bisexual. :(

I was rebuffed by being told there was no such thing...we were straddlers...another term I suppose it means Fence Straddler.

Nara_lovely

Apr 4, 2006, 5:43 AM

I don't get the whole "curious" label though.[/QUOTE]

Someone said to me that they were 'bi-curious'
I said..."I'm Bi-Definite"

(Just thought I'd mention that bit)
There probably are threads already.

Driver 8

Apr 4, 2006, 6:32 AM

Carol Queen wrote a great article on "alternate" terms for bisexuality (http://www.black-rose.com/cuiru/archive/2-4/queen.html) - I'm tempted to include every word, but I'll just stick to:

"What I want to know is, why are there so many people who have sex with both women and men who aren't bisexual? ... For heaven's sake, what does "bisexual" mean -- in sexual terms, anyway -- if it doesn't describe what these people do?"

I wish there was a word that would do for "bisexual" what "gay" and "lesbian" did for "homosexual" - a short word that didn't have "sex" in it - even though I'm not convinced that changing words changes attitudes.

But it seems to me that a lot of people who don't like "bisexual" aren't looking for a new word for everyone - they announce "I'm not bisexual, I'm whatever my word is," as though there's something wrong with being bisexual, and they don't want to be associated with nasty bisexual people like, well, me.

Mimi

Apr 4, 2006, 8:52 PM

I wish there was a word that would do for "bisexual" what "gay" and "lesbian" did for "homosexual" - a short word that didn't have "sex" in it - even though I'm not convinced that changing words changes attitudes.

But it seems to me that a lot of people who don't like "bisexual" aren't looking for a new word for everyone - they announce "I'm not bisexual, I'm whatever my word is," as though there's something wrong with being bisexual, and they don't want to be associated with nasty bisexual people like, well, me.

i'm with you on this one, driver. and i have been on that same search for a new term that could be embraced. we definitely need something that doesn't include the word "sex" in it. and i think that we need to accept that one term isn't the end-all and be-all, but to live with it anyway. just like there are 2 terms for people from african descent -- "black" and "african american" -- some people identify more with one than the other, but at least there are 2 terms that EVERYBODY can understand and unite under (and please, nobody jump on me about comparing bis with african americans -- of course these are 2 very different groups, but my point is to look at how oppressed/underrepresented communities present themselves).

i think the word "bisexual" has so many bad meanings associated with it, like "promiscuous," "two-timer," "overlysexed," or "exactly 50-50," and so many people who are attracted to both genders want to stay away from using it. so they create individualized names and identities that they like better. but then having so many different labels that NOBODY knows about might also keep the bi community "in the closet."

maybe there needs to be a distinction between having issues with the WORD and having issues with the SEXUAL ORIENTATION.

mimi :flag1:

Driver 8

Apr 4, 2006, 9:34 PM

(and please, nobody jump on me about comparing bis with african americans
Face it, people are looking for any excuse to jump on you. :tongue:

grizzle45

Apr 5, 2006, 12:21 PM

:flag3: Thank you for responding to my post. This is very helpful to me and you've all given me something to think about.
Like I said, I like some of the palyful and creative terms that have been suggested. After giving it some thought, I think my issue is with invisibility more so with words. What I like about bisexual is that it has a history and people have an idea what it means. My problem with terms like "pansexual" or "omisexual" is that they are so broad I fear they create a nebulous identity and that can be the same as being invisible. What I want is a definite identity, one that conveys certainity. I want people to know that I am not curious, confused, uncertain, ambiguous, or in a transition between states. I don't want my identity to be an addendum to something else, sort of a part time role while my larger, more important role is soemthing else.
I do agree that a word without "sexual" might help to define identity without associating it with behavior. Being bisexual permates every aspect of my being and informs the way I interact with my self and the world on every level. Also, I admit that gender identity is fluid and there are more than two sexes. "Bi" is tied to a dualistic thinking, which is limited and exclusiary.
While I admit I often think in terms of two sexes (male and female) I'm not saying that I am only attracted to these two sexes or too only two genders (masculine and feminine). However, I'm not sure how to include all these subtleties without slipping into something so vague it defeats the purpose or without emphasising sexuality even more so than "bisexual" does.
Also, just as a side note, I don't think of myself as gender neutral since gender is very important to who I'm attracted to. The particular way in which masculinity and feminity are manifested in a persons sexuality has a central role in attraction for me.
Thanks again everyone for this incredibel discussion. It's very helpful to me.
I know I derailed a fun list into a rather serious bebate.

grizzle45

Apr 18, 2006, 12:36 PM

Mimi

Apr 18, 2006, 2:28 PM

In an attempt to keep this conversation going, how do I or we change the way that we are identified? Is this an individual choice that we hope enough people adopt until it premeates the culture at large? Is this something that normally takes a long time? Is is realistic to expect that "bisexuality" might be referred to with a word that doesn't have "sex" in it somewhere (which would exclude pan and omnisexual)? And what would such a word be?

i'm glad you revived the discussion. i think it's a very important one. and i think you pose a very important question. i think that we need to start with individuals who start using a new label, and then publicize it in different ways -- in academia, in books, magazines, etc. i think it will have a ripple effect. that's probably how the term "gay" or "lesbian" came into play to replace "homosexual." and look at how the term "queer" has become a political activist term -- it had to start somewhere. and this might be a good place to start. :)

as, for WHAT term, that's a whole another can of worms. :rolleyes: actually through my dissertation i'm trying to officially coin a new term. :bigrin: it's not a totally new word, and has actually floated around on this site, but it hasn't been published in any academic research yet, so perhaps this will be a good nudge.

mimi :flag1:

grizzle45

Apr 19, 2006, 11:36 AM

Since it hasn't been published, Mimi, does that mean you can't tell us what it is?
I've been giving this quite a bit of thought. I haven't come up with a truly brilliant word that doens't have too many sexual connotations the way gay and lesbian do (I mean "gay"!?! how did that get started?). I am leaning toward pan without the sexual. I think pansexual sounds pretentious and even more promiscious and permissive than bisexual, and it's problematic as well (can you truly be sexual about everything?) however, it does open up the notion of non-monosexuality beyond a binary system of sex and gender adn allows the individuals own seuxality to be multifaceted. One could say "pan" and use the word to include nonvanilla predelictions they might have as well as their relationship to other peoples sex and gender. And althought the average person probably doesn't think this way, our individual relationships to our own sex and gender is fluid, complex, dynamic and very unique.
In terms of a "sexually neutral" term, I'm sure there's a more suitable word out there (I also like "ziggy" but most people will think of that round bald guy with the big nose and never think of David Bowie).
The other term I like was pomo, short of postmodern, but I think it's more vague and pretentious than "pan". Pan has a mythic connotation that might help make it understandable to people. Pomo is very much like an in joke. :2cents:

Mimi

Apr 19, 2006, 12:46 PM

Since it hasn't been published, Mimi, does that mean you can't tell us what it is?

yes, that's why i haven't blurted it out yet. :) but come mid-may when i submit it to the school library, i will definitely "unveil." :bigrin:

I've been giving this quite a bit of thought. I haven't come up with a truly brilliant word that doens't have too many sexual connotations the way gay and lesbian do (I mean "gay"!?! how did that get started?). I am leaning toward pan without the sexual. I think pansexual sounds pretentious and even more promiscious and permissive than bisexual, and it's problematic as well (can you truly be sexual about everything?) however, it does open up the notion of non-monosexuality beyond a binary system of sex and gender adn allows the individuals own seuxality to be multifaceted. One could say "pan" and use the word to include nonvanilla predelictions they might have as well as their relationship to other peoples sex and gender. And althought the average person probably doesn't think this way, our individual relationships to our own sex and gender is fluid, complex, dynamic and very unique.
In terms of a "sexually neutral" term, I'm sure there's a more suitable word out there (I also like "ziggy" but most people will think of that round bald guy with the big nose and never think of David Bowie).
The other term I like was pomo, short of postmodern, but I think it's more vague and pretentious than "pan". Pan has a mythic connotation that might help make it understandable to people. Pomo is very much like an in joke. :2cents:

this is great what you're doing grizzle, really seriously trying to come up with something that is useful and catchy that the community can start to use. i like "pan" for the reasons you mention -- it is also short and reminds me of "pangeia", which is the land on earth before it separated into continents, which i think is fitting for our very broad spectrum. i don't really like "pomo" -- it does sound pretentious. i also have a fondness for "fluid", which i used for our UCLA bi group, and UC Berkeley had used this in the past too. it is sexually neutral and also brings in the notion of time -- that a person may have a monogamous relationship with a man, then a woman next, then maybe another woman, then a man, etc.

keep this going!!

mimi :flag1:

Driver 8

Apr 19, 2006, 1:41 PM

i also have a fondness for "fluid", which i used for our UCLA bi group, and UC Berkeley had used this in the past too. it is sexually neutral and also brings in the notion of time -- that a person may have a monogamous relationship with a man, then a woman next, then maybe another woman, then a man, etc.
I don't care for it - it's not that I'm trashing anyone who uses it, but it seems inapplicable to me; there's nothing fluid about my sexual orientation; it's been the same for more than twenty years.

For me, it sounds a little too much like all those conversations I've had over the years with monosexuals.

"You're not bisexual, you're ...

fluid
experimenting
oversexed
flexible
curious"

No, I'm not. I'm bisexual.

grizzle45

Apr 19, 2006, 1:41 PM

I'm looking forward to mid-may!!!
and thanks!

julie

Apr 19, 2006, 2:42 PM

i dont see myself as gay, straight or even bi...i just like people really.. x

APMountianMan

Apr 19, 2006, 10:28 PM

Human.

:cool:

Mimi

Apr 20, 2006, 1:25 AM

i think we should have this topic for one of peter's debate groups. not that it should necessarily be a debate per se, but a real discussion about words that we can use to empower the community. it would be more like a brainstorming session.

mimi :flag1:

jasper

Apr 24, 2006, 1:58 PM

One could say "pan" and use the word to include nonvanilla predelictions they might have as well as their relationship to other peoples sex and gender. And althought the average person probably doesn't think this way, our individual relationships to our own sex and gender is fluid, complex, dynamic and very unique. :2cents:

Yeah, Grizzle and Mimi! I haven't posted in a long time -- been offline working on other things.

I agree that "pan" has a nice ring, including the mythic connotation, though associations with an over-the-top horny male may not be the best route for other reasons.

Also, if looking for something that gets at nonvilla predelictions... many folks use Queer that way. I know, some folks use queer to just mean gay sometimes, but for others it catches some of that overall feel.

I'm excited to hear more about your work, Mimi. I don't think "fluid" is likely to become the best known code word for bi-open, but i think it's a great term, and I appreciate it on many levels. It's definitely a term that I use myself.

I'm still pretty interested in idioms or words from other languages that may have other connotations than "bisexual" and get at some of these larger issues. Anyone know where to look for them?

Jasper

grizzle45

Apr 24, 2006, 5:36 PM

Mimi

Apr 24, 2006, 9:33 PM

I have always like the term "Queer" and use it all the time. Although Queer is a great word that I can identify with, I'm seeking something that is more specific, as queer does include trans, gay, lesbian, and just about everyone else. I want to celebrate my nonmonosexuality and my identity as a nongay/nonlesbian etc. person.

i've used "queer" to mean "LGBTI" or to mean "gay or bisexual", but not to refer to myself. i have an issue with it because it still "hides" bisexuality. i've known of some women who use it and i feel like they are trying to keep from getting kicked out of the lesbian community. also, the younger trans community is now using it in the way of "gender-queer", so i don't want to get mixed up in the gender identity stuff.

mimi :flag1:

grizzle45

Apr 25, 2006, 9:30 AM

I actually like the word queer and the more I think of the fluidity of gender, my own included, I appreciate the word even more. I don't mind being included in the Queer Community, but I also want a specific term for the "nonmonosexual community".
I wish I were having more luck with this. So far "pan" is the best I've come up with and it is problematic.

jedinudist

May 1, 2006, 10:15 AM

my vote for the best term would be....

Normal :tongue:

grizzle45

May 17, 2006, 9:18 AM

In response to Marriedbimemphis: Need I point out that you found this site by using a word that told that this site was dedicated to people with a specific lifestyle and/or affectionate nature and that you sought it out based on the knowledge that word gave you. We all use a term to identify ourselves, and if not ourselves, then others we identify with. I'm merely suggesting we change that to a more accurate, less technical, and possible less stigmatizing term.

crysstaafur

Aug 18, 2006, 4:39 AM

some terms seen in use and used by me: ambisextrous nice neutral freeagent bi-convinced (to contrast) original terms i made up: dynamic qed (quantum electro dynamics) living paradox human chemistry kit trinary thorough lol....

Biroadie

Aug 18, 2006, 9:38 AM

i laughed for what must have been five minutes before I wrote back, this brings me back to something that happened a couple of years ago when I came out to one of my friends.

He's extremely humourous and very open-minded, does not have an ounce of phobia in him. Yet when I told him, he didn't really know what the hell bisexuals were, so I told him, "well, I want to do guys and girls..."

To which he responded, "so what the fuck is that? gay lite?'

Azrael

Aug 18, 2006, 12:46 PM