Several commenters have questioned my inclusion of the “B” in GLBTQ, suggesting that bisexual persons don’t fit under the monogamy that I endorse. But PSUdain clarifies on my behalf:
There seems to be a running confusion here about the nature of
bisexuality. I have seen it so far in two comments and it is likely in
more. It generally seems to be along the lines of, “Bisexuals want
multiple partners.”This is not the case! A bisexual person may fall in love with a
person of either the same or the opposite gender. But this relationship
is just as monogamous as one between two heterosexuals. However, when
dating and pre-marriage, a bisexual person may end up dating both men
and women over time before settling down with one person in the end,
just like a homosexual/heterosexual person may date several people of
the same/opposite gender over time before finding one with whom s/he
wishes to continue in a closer relationship.There is a word for a person who enters into a mutual relationship
with more than two participants (who may be of any gender) total. This
word is “polyamorous”. We could discuss that separately, but we should
take care not to confuse it with bisexuality. (Also, I do believe that
we would be mostly in agreement on polyamory, so it would be a pretty
uninteresting discussion.)This is, alas, a common misconception, and I hope that I can help to clear it up.
While it may seem ridiculous or foolish to make and maintain these
distinctions, they are vital to a good discussion. Because if we have
different views as to what a word means, then we cannot properly
communicate when we use that word. Also, to discuss something we must
be able to either name or describe that ‘something’ during the
discussion.