Recently, in the park with a friend, we overheard a conversation along the lines of ‘if you date girls, you’re a lesbian and nothing else’. I remember instances of being asked, ‘are you attracted to anyone in this room?’ – the stereotype about bisexuality being that I am automatically attracted to everyone. In both moments, the event and the call out, I felt a depth of discomfort that I haven't felt in years, possibly ever. I ended up calling out my GSA, most of whom were friends. To them, it was just a joke, but to me, it was painful and upsetting, although I couldn't quite put my finger on why. At the time, I didn't realise that what had been said was an act of bisexual erasure – I knew nothing about it. At the time, I had a boyfriend, and my friends asked me: ‘So Tom, now that you have a boyfriend, does that mean you’re gay now?’.
I was part of a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), and many of my friends were members.
I was in college when I experienced bisexual erasure for the first time.
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