5 Most Common Misconceptions About Bisexuality Explained Through Adorable Kitten Illustrations

As humans, we want to feel seen, heard, validated and represented. Findings from the Center For Disease Control indicates that bisexual people may comprise the largest single group in the LGB community for both women and men. However, many people out there still believe that bisexuality does not really exist.

To combat the misconceptions about bisexuality, the Chinese artist behind the company Paws Of Pride collaborated LGBTQ activist influencer Jessie Page, to illustrate bisexuality erasure with adorable kittens. The sweet comic strip sends a message of inclusivity and explains why we "aren't labels," because who doesn't love some bisexual felines!

“Bisexuality isn’t more complicated than that – ‘attraction to more than one gender.’ It’s not incompatible with identifying as gay, either. Bisexuality is proof that sexuality isn’t “either/or,” it’s “and,” writes the Bisexuality Index, and without a clear cut definition, people often disregard bisexuality as delegitimate altogether.

Bisexuality has been a topic of contention and confusion, even among the LGTBQ community. Even polls attempting to measure how many people identify as bisexual have been re-examined for accuracy based on the language used. Sometimes there is a distinction in language between behavior and how people identify that leads to different results. Just because someone exhibits these behaviors does not always mean they self-identify as bisexual.

Arguments of whether or not bisexuality is as valid has led to bisexual erasure, the “existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright,” which has become more prominent according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). There are many myths that contribute to the erasure of bisexual people.

While the number of Americans who identify as bisexual is on the rise, according to 2018 data from the General Social Survey (GSS), this is due mainly to women. Bisexual men face a different kind of stigma due to toxic masculinity that assumes men who are bisexual are simply just gay. The result of this form of erasure has been a serious health crisis. A study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found bisexual men are disproportionately affected by HIV, because they are afraid to seek out medical care.

Some people believe that because bisexual people are likely to end up in a relationship with someone of a different gender, this means they are 'straighter' when in reality it's because biphobia and invisibility decrease dating options. LGBTQ people make up an estimated 4.1 percent of the population, and many of the LG people of the community refuse to date bi people due to biphobia, which as a result lessens their options.