How I Overcame LGBTQ+ Stereotypes

I came out as bisexual when I was 19, about a year ago. It was outside of this Chinese restaurant, that my family and I went to for years. Now that I think about it, it was a bad choice because now I can’t go back to that restaurant. I didn’t really think about it, I just did it, which was also a bad choice.

I was so worried that my family would think of me differently, especially my mom. She once told me she didn’t believe bisexuality was real, which scarred me, making me think I wasn’t valid.

I’m glad I did it though, it had to happen at some point or another. It ended in tears and confusion, but I’m still glad I did it because it hurt for years to hold it in. The result was love and acceptance from my family, which not a lot of people have the pleasure of having.

I guess I’ve always known I wasn’t straight. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew there was something.

As a kid, you think you’re normal. So, I guess I realized I wasn’t normal until middle school. I was ashamed, and I felt like something was wrong with me.

I figured that I liked men, so I’ll just ignore my feelings toward women. This proved to be a self-torturous and harmful tactic, and it was a factor in my depression.

You never know how someone will react when you tell them. I try not to tell people, I only tell the people I want to tell.

Sometimes you are met with stereotypes, sometimes acceptance.

It seems that lesbians tend not to like bisexual women, because of stereotypes and insecurities. They’re afraid you’ll leave them for a man, or they think you’re just confused, etc. I feel like I constantly have to defend myself, so that’s why I don’t really tell people what I am unless I want to and I feel like they won’t judge me.

Coming out is definitely still an issue for people, but I think it’s easier than it was in the past. There’s more acceptance now, and more education. I think homophobia will always be there, just like racism, etc. I think this is partly due to a lack of representation in the media.

There’s definitely little representation of bisexual individuals, and if there is, we’re shown as these sex maniacs who can’t commit, which is untrue. I hope someday all sexualities will be accepted, acknowledged, and represented in a true light.