Bisexual visibility gained momentum from the mid-90s to the early 2000s, marked by creations like . However, this didn’t equate to mainstream acceptance. A simultaneous moral panic painted bisexuality as a stepping stone to homosexuality, an attention-seeking tactic, or simply a false orientation.
This panic is illustrated in a 2000 episode of Sex and the City titled “Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl…”, where Carrie Bradshaw grapples with dating a bisexual man. She questions the implications for her own identity and her comfort level with her partner’s attraction to both women and men. In this episode, proclaimed that “the new millennium won’t be about sexual labels. It’ll be about sexual expression. It won’t matter if you’re sleeping with men or women. It’ll be about sleeping with individuals.”
Jones’s statement proved insightful. Two and a half decades later, young daters are increasingly open to dating individuals based on attraction, irrespective of gender identity.
New data reveals that a third (33%) of LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual daters surveyed have experienced attraction to someone outside their preferred gender expression, largely driven by the person’s confidence and energy. Furthermore, a indicates that 28% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQIA+, significantly higher than the 7% across all Americans. According to , this data signals a resurgence in bi and pansexual (bi+) visibility.
Bisexuality and pansexuality have often been , even within the queer community. The desire to date and have sex with people of various genders can be met with skepticism from peers and loved ones. Coming out as bi+ can trigger disbelief and demands to “pick a side”. While bisexuality can sometimes bridge heterosexual and homosexual identities (or vice versa), this isn’t always the case. Contrary to the “chaotic” label, bisexuality can be a stable, lifelong sexual identity.
Today, this growing acceptance of dating based on attraction is more commonplace, partially due to increased bisexual representation in mainstream media. In the 90s, there were few “bi icons” to normalize dating across the gender spectrum. Now, figures like Frank Ocean, Cardi B, Doechii, Hannah Einbinder, Lil Nas X, Janelle Monae, and many others have publicly embraced sexual identities ranging from bi to pan to defying categorization. They offer younger generations diverse models of bisexuality, presented unapologetically, without caveats, and without pressure to diminish this aspect of themselves for others’ comfort.
Although stereotypes about bisexuals being indecisive or noncommittal persist, there’s also a movement to as part of the identity. Bi+ individuals can embody all traits, both positive and negative, and that’s the essence. Instead of conforming to a singular type of queerness, bi+ individuals have challenged simplistic characterizations. We’ve observed the 21-year-old reality TV star, , navigating her evolving sexuality, transitioning from lesbian to queer. (Siwa, currently dating a man, has faced backlash after previously identifying as a lesbian. She recently stated, “I realize for myself that I just like humans.”) Similarly, singer , whose work previously focused on relationships with women, revealed her relationship with a man. Fletcher, a Millennial-Gen Z cusp, uses her new album to explore the evolving realities of attraction to and relationships with people of different genders.
Significant efforts are underway to share the bi+ stories of historical figures whose sexualities have been altered or erased. Social media has been crucial in disseminating these histories to a broad audience. Accounts like and reveal the complex sexual lives of both famous and ordinary people. Highlighting these identities validates the enduring historical presence of sexual attraction across the gender spectrum.
In the 90s, many feared the potential implications of increased bisexual visibility. For a sexuality frequently misunderstood and maligned, it has demonstrated that sexuality can transcend gender constraints. This new wave of bi+ visibility reveals the everyday realities people face, their anxieties about self-definition, and the potential for messiness when allowing sexuality to evolve. Gen Z recognizes that orientation isn’t always fixed, granting young people greater freedom to pursue their desires, regardless of where they lead.
Therefore, as always, Samantha Jones was correct: Gen Z is closer to universal pansexuality than ever before. Or perhaps they are simply the first generation with the courage to admit it.
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