Bi Visibility Week: Beyond Gay or Straight

If you have been searching “am I gay or bisexual?”, you may be hoping for a clear answer that makes everything fall into place. Perhaps a new crush surprised you. Perhaps the word you have used for years no longer describes everything you feel. You do not have to settle that question before you can learn more about yourself.

September 16–23 marks the annual Bisexual+ Awareness Week, often called BiWeek, leading up to Celebrate Bisexuality Day on September 23. The Bisexual Resource Center describes the observance as a time to recognize bi+ experiences and build acceptance. Its linked announcement is from 2021 and documents the recurring dates; the events listed there are historical.

For this year's observance, we are looking at a question behind many searches: what if “gay or straight” does not describe all of your experience?

What does bisexual mean?

Bisexuality generally describes attraction to more than one gender. The Trevor Project's Allyship in Action guide explains that you do not need sexual experience with people of different genders—or any sexual experience—to identify as bisexual. The term can include attraction to nonbinary people.

That definition is a starting point, not an instruction to adopt a label. “Questioning” is also a word people use while exploring their orientation. You can read about an identity, recognize parts of your experience in it, and still take time to decide whether the word feels useful.

Think of the difference between asking, “Which category must I fit into?” and “What language would help me describe what I already notice?” The second question leaves room for an answer in your own words.

Attraction does not need to be a 50–50 split

Someone might notice attraction to one gender more often than another. Another person might experience romantic and sexual attraction differently. Neither situation needs to be reduced to a percentage.

The Trevor Project's guide to supporting bisexual young people describes bisexual attraction as something that need not happen in the same way, at the same time, or to the same degree across genders. It also explains why assuming someone's orientation from their current partner can erase their identity.

A useful everyday example: if a friend says they are bisexual, a new relationship is not a reason to rename their orientation. Their description of themselves still matters. The same consideration applies when you think about your own history; a list of past partners does not have to function as an application for a label.

A few questions to explore without scoring yourself

If you want somewhere to begin, try writing about one of these prompts. These are editorial reflection questions, not a validated assessment, and there is no answer key.

• When have I noticed a crush or an interest in dating someone?
• What do I want to understand: my feelings, a word for them, or how to discuss them with someone else?
• Which descriptions feel familiar, and which parts do not fit?
• What would I like to explore without making an announcement or a final decision?

You might write, “I know who I have liked, but I do not know which word I prefer.” That is a complete response. You could also leave a question blank. A journal entry does not need to produce a conclusion to be worth keeping.

Our sexuality FAQ offers a place to continue reading if unfamiliar terms are getting in the way.

Where does a gay test fit in?

An online quiz can give you questions to consider, but its result should not decide your identity for you. This applies to our gay test, too: use it for personal reflection, not as a diagnosis or proof that you belong to a particular group.

Even familiar research terms need context. The Kinsey Institute explains that there is no official Kinsey Scale test. The original researchers used interviews about participants' histories rather than an online questionnaire. A website using the name “Kinsey” does not, by itself, have the Institute's endorsement.

If a result clashes with how you understand yourself, you do not have to keep retaking the quiz until it gives you permission to use a word. You can put the score aside and focus on the particular questions that interested you.

Visibility can include learning privately

In its reflection on Bi Awareness Week, The Trevor Project discusses both the value of seeing bi lives represented and the complexity of being publicly visible. An awareness week can be an invitation to learn, find stories, and recognize experiences that receive less attention.

That invitation does not create a deadline to share your identity. The organization's support guide explicitly affirms that people can choose whether and when to come out.

Your next step could be small: read an account by a bisexual writer, ask a trusted person to listen, or bookmark a resource for later. If you are supporting a friend, let them set the terms of the conversation instead of trying to solve their identity for them.

You can find further reading through our LGBTQ+ resources page. Whether you choose a label today, revisit one later, or keep exploring, you can make space for what you actually feel.

Sources and further reading

• Bisexual Resource Center: BiWeek kickoff announcement — September 16, 2021; background on the annual observance.
• The Trevor Project: Allyship in Action — February 23, 2024; identity terminology.
• The Trevor Project: How to Support Bisexual Young People — attraction, assumptions, and support.
• The Trevor Project: Commemorating Bi Awareness Week — September 10, 2024; visibility and representation.
• Kinsey Institute: The Kinsey Scale — research history and the distinction from online quizzes.

Sources checked September 18, 2026. This article is an educational feature for the annual observance, not a report of a new study.