We may be living in an era of wider sexual acceptance, but there is still a lot of stigma surrounding bisexuality.

Biphobia – an aversion to bisexual people – is mostly born of misinformation and fuelled by myths and biases perpetuated by people unfamiliar with bisexuality. As a result, many bisexuals choose to remain in the closet.

Among the common misconceptions about bisexuals is that they need to have relationships with both females and males in order to be truly bisexual; that they are promiscuous, which leads some to assume they cannot be monogamous and will stray “the other way”; and that bi people are sexual deviants who frequently engage in threesomes and orgies.

Some people deny bisexuality is a genuine sexual orientation, seeing it as just a phase; in their eyes, bi people are indecisive and are therefore using bisexuality as an excuse to explore their sexuality. Expressions such as “bi now, gay later” encourage this mindset.

Some detractors say bi women are not truly bi, as their ulterior motive is to get the attention of heterosexual men; some even go as far as to accuse bi people of flaunting their bisexual status to appear trendy.

Because of the stigma attached to bisexuality, bi people may feel misunderstood, judged, or sidelined, and can often be overwhelmed by fear, says Nathalie Sommer, a certified relationship and intimacy coach.

“There is also the process of coming into acceptance with what you are. It can be quite a process and can come with many questions like: Am I truly bisexual? Is it OK to prefer one gender more than the other? How do I explain this to my current/future partner? Will my partner even accept me for being bi, or will they assume that I am promiscuous?” says Sommer. Read more via South China Morning Post