I've had a lot of discussions over the years as to what being bisexual actually amounts to. On the one hand, you could take "bisexual" to refer to attraction to two different sexes (presumably XX and XY--just to avoid the "male"/"female" language that gets bound up in gender identity as well as biological sex). Since virtually all humans are either XX or XY (the exceptions being some rare genetic abnormalities; even intersex individuals are generally XX or XY), "bisexual" in this sense would seem to include possible attraction to any sort of person, irrespective of gender identity. Admittedly, this seems closer to pansexuality than most modern conceptions of bisexuality; at the very least, if this were the true definition of bisexuality, then pansexuality would be obsolete as a category.
But most self-identified bisexuals that I've met seem to hold a more identity-focused definition of their sexuality: they are attracted to self-identified women and self-identified men. But in this case, if an individual falls outside the gender binary--say, someone who identifies as intersex or a third gender--then such a bisexual isn't going to be capable of being attracted to them.
Now far be it from me to say that it's wrong to be attracted to just two gender identities as opposed to all of them; after all, straight people are attracted to just one and I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings either. Personally, however, there's something about a bisexuality that ignores intersex and third-gendered individuals that just rubs me the wrong way.
So, what do you think? Does your personal bisexuality include attraction to individuals that fall outside the gender binary? Why or why not?
But most self-identified bisexuals that I've met seem to hold a more identity-focused definition of their sexuality: they are attracted to self-identified women and self-identified men. But in this case, if an individual falls outside the gender binary--say, someone who identifies as intersex or a third gender--then such a bisexual isn't going to be capable of being attracted to them.
Now far be it from me to say that it's wrong to be attracted to just two gender identities as opposed to all of them; after all, straight people are attracted to just one and I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings either. Personally, however, there's something about a bisexuality that ignores intersex and third-gendered individuals that just rubs me the wrong way.
So, what do you think? Does your personal bisexuality include attraction to individuals that fall outside the gender binary? Why or why not?