Most people think that bisexuality is a state of confusion, that it's a straight person on his or her way to being gay or vice versa. The truth is, bisexuality is a valid sexual orientation on its own.

Bisexuality is different from bi-curiosity. Bi-curious people are usually heterosexuals who are interested in "experimentation" with homosexuality. They are merely looking to try it and nothing more. Although some bi-curious people do end up bisexual, bi-curiosity doesn't exactly equate to bisexuality. There are also bi-permissive people. These people are generally heterosexual, but they claim to be open to pursuing a relationship with members of the same-sex.

Unlike homosexuality, bisexuality doesn't seem so disreputable in the eyes of society. There are even ancient cultures wherein bisexuality was the norm, and it wasn't seen as a problem as long as they eventually married someone of the opposite sex. Although bisexuality doesn't seem so disreputable in the eyes of most heterosexuals, the gay and lesbian community sees it differently. Most (not all) gays and lesbians view bisexuality as a stage of indecision. Sometimes, they even see bisexuals as people who are in denial of their own homosexuality. In fact, there's a joke that goes "Bi now, gay later." Even if some bisexuals do end up being homosexual, this isn't a common occurrence.

Usually, both homosexuals and heterosexuals have problems going out with bisexuals. They seem to fear that if they date a bisexual, they will be abandoned when the bisexual "switches sides". Because of prevalent biphobia, most bisexuals have problems or issues when dating. However, because of the invention of the internet, bisexuals

can go to online dating sites to find other bisexuals or people who wouldn't mind dating bisexuals.

According to Alfred Kinsey, a famous researcher on human sexual behavior, sexuality isn't exclusively homosexual or heterosexual. Kinsey said the sexuality was actually a continuum between these two extremes, and that it is only the human mind that labels human sexuality so rigidly. Most bisexuals definitely agree with this philosophy, saying that they fall in love with the person and not the gender.

Because of the studies of Kinsey and other researchers, there are usually two theories on the subject of bisexuality. Some people believe that there's no such thing as bisexuality, while others believe that everyone is bisexual in one way or another. Again, this is seen mostly in Alfred Kinsey's theroy of a "continuum" on which he created the following scale:

Rating Description
0 Exclusively heterosexual experience
1 Predominantly heterosexual experience, only incidentally homosexual
2 Predominantly heterosexual experience, but more than incidentally homosexual
3 Equally heterosexual and homosexual experience
4 Predominantly homosexual experience, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5 Predominantly homosexual experience, only incidentally heterosexual
6 Exclusively homosexual experience

Usually, bisexuals are said to be within the range of 2 - 4 rating on the Kinsey scale. A stricter definition would be that they belong to the 3rd rating.

Because of the social stigma that bisexuals face, they are hardly represented well in the media. However, there are several groups in which bisexuals can gain support such as The Bisexual Foundation.