Coming Out at Thanksgiving?

Tomorrow’s Turkey Day. Families all across these United States are gathering over family dinner. Many family members are gathering with other family members they haven’t seen all year.

Some of you will be going home for the holiday.

Some of you will be hosting the holiday at your home.

Others will be visiting a variety of family and friends, aka house hopping.

Some of you don’t celebrate this ‘holiday’.

For those of you who don’t, this article is not for you. 

This article is for those of you who do attend family gatherings this week.

I’ve heard so many Coming Out horror stories surrounding Thanksgiving.

“This year I told my family at Thanksgiving I’m bi.” Every time I hear that statement I always think the same thing, how did that even sound like a good idea? Then the inevitable horror story follows. I’ve also heard absolutely hilarious and awesomely supportive stories. There’s a few ways Coming Out to family and friends can go no matter what time of year.

Here’s 10 questions I encourage anyone to consider and ask themselves before Coming Out at Thanksgiving Dinner.

  1. Why Thanksgiving Dinner? Folks are about to eat, eating, or just ate. Is Thanksgiving really an appropriate place and time for your family to discuss your sexuality?
  2. Am I being self centered by subjecting everyone to my sexual life at a family gathering?
  3. Will this be a difficult or easy going conversation?
  4. Will my spouse/partner be there? How will my husband/wife/partner feel sitting by my side as I Come Out?
  5. Do I really want to shift the focus off of family togetherness and gratuity for our blessings to my sexuality and sexual preference through the holiday?
  6. Why the reveal in the first place?  Is this burning desire to tell your family going to change your life in any meaningful way if you do tell everyone in attendance what you do in your private life?
  7. Why everyone at once? Does Grandma & extended family really need to know what you do at home behind closed doors? Is your sexuality really relevant to everyone at the dinner table? Can you tell those who you feel need to know individually?
  8. How will my sexuality reveal effect every single person? Seriously, consider how will folks take the news. How can/will the reveal of your reality affect others lives if at all?
  9. Will my reveal make me feel any better once done?
  10. Will children be in attendance and if so do I want them to  hear adult conversation?

I personally don’t celebrate this holiday in the traditional manner-my immediate family does not do yearly family gatherings for this holiday. I also do not have family/relatives that do not know about my sexuality. Those relatives who do not know about my sexuality are folks I don’t gather with and don’t know me personally.

If one has broke bread with me & is someone I consider family-they know about my sexuality already.

I encourage those of you who do not have family that is aware of your sexuality to  really ponder Thanksgiving as a time to Come Out.

One sentence can change your life, for the better or for worse.

-Jay Dee, Founder

Your Boyfriend or Husband Thinks He’s Bi…

Your husband says “Honey, I think I’m bisexual.” or “Honey, I think I’m bi curious.”

What do you do? Would you flip out?

Would you ask questions?

What would you say to him?

How do you think you’d react?

I decided to write this article because I’ve heard many stories from bisexual men and the challenges they face with dating women, as well the issues they face in along-term relationships and marriages to women when it comes to disclosing to their sexual identity or homoerotic thoughts and feelings.

Maybe only a few times, literally a few, I’ve heard supportive stories.

They all say the same thing.

Women are very judgmental, harsh and quick to devalue a man who identifies as anything other than heterosexual. Especially women of color. 

According to the many men I’ve heard from women question a man’s manhood and his strength as a man if he sleeps with other men. Women are quick to assume, accuse and degrade men who disclose that they are bisexual.

Bi guys go through a lot in the process of  telling their girlfriend or spouse about homoerotic feelings because of the fear of fierce judgement from the person they love the most.

It’s so disheartening to hear so many men would rather live a lie, lie to their loved ones or suffer because of fear. I truly and sincerely wish women would open their minds. Guys need and deserve to be heard, loved and supported just as women do. 

It’s okay to experience whatever negative emotions the statement may invoke. It really is.

The one thing I hear the most is women seem to forget is that males are humans with feelings too.

Somewhere in there it’s lost on women that the words that they say and their actions may cut men deeper than they realize.

He is divulging something that was probably very hard to talk about for him.

He probably thought about how he was going to tell you long and hard before even approaching you.

Approaching you in itself may have been the hardest part for him.

He probably was very nervous about your reaction to what he had to say.

He thinks enough of you and your relationship to come to you being truthful and honest truth about his feelings and he is trusting you with something that’s not always easy to deal with for some.

Homoerotic feelings can be very difficult for some men to deal with.

Especially men who live in a world that is constructed for them along with guidelines of who they should be, what they should be like and who they should sleep with, courtesy of heterosexual society.

Why would  you be harsh to someone in such a vulnerable state?

If for no other reason than to be kind to your fellow human, ladies I implore you to not react in a way that makes him hurt or feel bad about himself.

He may already be hurting over his realization.

He may already feel bad about himself and his sexual identity.

He doesn’t need your help increasing those feelings.

Screaming, yelling, crying, accusing, assuming are among the worst things to do at that moment, which is another common reaction according to the many bi men I’ve heard speak on the topic.

Asking questions, remaining calm, discussing  his thoughts, feelings and actions if he’s taken any makes much more sense than an emotional reaction.

Supposing you say to yourself Jay Dee’s crazy, if my husband ever tells me something like that I’m definitely flipping out.

So let’s take a look at that.

He discloses he’s bisexual or thinks he may be. You decide to scream, yell, cry, accuse him of sleeping with men, assuming he’s having unprotected sex and he just sits listening to you rant.

Now it’s his turn to speak and he tells you more.

He thinks he may be bi because he saw a guy he thought was cute in passing. Nothing more.

Maybe he tells you he’s watched bi or gay porn and some things turned him on. Nothing more.

Maybe he stuck his finger up his ass while masturbating out of curiosity, he came like never before and it piqued his interest in having anal sex performed on him. Nothing more.

The point being, he may have not even acted on thoughts and feelings and he’s coming to YOU his main support, the person closest to him, his partner, his wife, to discuss these feelings and thoughts.  

You’re who he considers his main confidant and he’s trusting you to be able to talk this out with him.

If you blow up on him you might not ever get a chance to find out what his thoughts and feeling are. He can possibly become defensive, emotional or even withdraw from you.

If you do blow up it can also be like adding fuel to a fire.

It can cause him to act on his feelings without regard to you and blame you for his actions.

What if your explosion leads him to act on his desires without telling you, using the reasoning you would have blown up if he tried to talk to you because he already tried and that didn’t work out so well?

I have a very analytical mind so I love the details.

It allows me to get the full picture.

I want to hear what my husband has to say.

I married this guy. I have to live with him till death do us part, for better and for worse.

I want to know every single thing I can about him, he’s my life partner.

I love hearing how he compiles his thoughts when he shares them. I always ask questions and more questions 🙂

I love hearing his feelings & his fantasies, exploring them with him. Talking about hypothetical situations and such.

He’s a quiet guy and doesn’t say much so when he does talk, I enjoy listening. But that’s me and my husband.

It works well for us.

I get to know his most inner being which makes loving him all that much more complete, but that’s how I see things at least.

So now, let’s shift gears a bit.

Let’s say you remain calm, you sit him down and ask questions. He answers them honestly and you find out things you reeeeeeeally would rather have not known.

Suppose he did have sexual relations with another man without you knowing. Say he has had unprotected sex with other men. Say he has been having a relationship with another man for a while or some other really hurtful disclosure.

Again, reacting emotionally won’t get to the bottom of the issue. Asking more questions and gaining an understanding of your partner in life is the ultimate goal.

How you and your husband deal with the information he’s divulged to you and the conversations you guys have is totally between you two.

Women, I implore you to ask questions, listen, try your best to gain an understanding of your husband or boyfriend. 

Men need support too. Even if you don’t agree.

It’s okay to disagree. It’s not okay to hurt someone because of their sexual identity. 

-Jay Dee, Founder

 

 

 

Coming Out To Your Doctor?

So, this morning while scrolling through Facebook I saw a post about a guy who decided to come out to his primary care physician. He was more anxious and nervous to tell his doctor than he was to tell his wife. In the end the visit went well, he was supported by his doctor and he carried on with his day.

Some of Us have the courage to tell people how we identify, some of Us don’t. some of Us would rather not tell a soul while others wish we could go to the highest point in our city and yell it to the whole town.

When should you tell your health care provider about your sexuality?

Do you have to ever tell your doctor about your sexuality?

Well, that all depends on your particular health care situation. If you feel you need care for a health issue related to your sexuality then it may be a good idea to divulge so you can get the treatment you need.

It’s good to keep in mind for the easing of your nerves that all medical information is privileged and private, protected by HIPAA. I’ve included the link so you can read all about how your medical information is protected. 🙂

Your physician cannot share your personal information with ANYONE without facing professional, legal and possible civil ramifications under Federal law.

Do you need to tell your physician about your sexuality if you have no health care issues related to your sexual identity?

Well, in all honesty that’s a personal choice only  you can make.

For some, telling your doctor may be the first step to Coming Out. It may be a place where you can speak to someone face to face about your feelings surrounding your sexuality without fear of judgement or having to see this person on a day to day basis.

Your doctor may also have resources in your local community for support regarding your sexuality if you need.

In the end, telling your health care professional about your sexuality is a personal choice only you can make.

Only  you can determine your comfortability level with your doctor, only you can determine if He/She needs to know.

Have you had a coming out experience with a health care professional?

Tell Us all about it below.

I’m sure other readers who may be considering Coming Out to their doctor would benefit from knowing what it was like for you!

-Jay Dee, Founder

What I Learned During Pride Month

Whew!

That was a very animated exhale of relief.

Pride month is over…but BiVisibility month is almost here.

June is the month designated for all things Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, Intersex (LGBTQAI). Rainbows drape our city from banners to building lights to colorful outfits on every other person and establishments working hard to get those gay dollars.

Every LGBTQAI organization or agency is in a frenzy the entire month promoting, throwing events, parties, classes, groups, gatherings, gallery showings, fashion shows, drag shows and anything else you can imagine to celebrate and acknowledge LGBTQAI Pride.

NYC Pride March 2015
Sea of Flags. Coming down Christopher Street nearing the end of the Pride March, NYC, 2015

Now, here’s my take on it all.

My mother was very involved with The March as I was growing up. I marched as a child with her then in my teen years independently of her with youth groups.

I stopped participating in all things PRIDE around 18 for religious reasons (Pride is listed as one of the 7 deadly sins…I chose to not partake in any activities under that label). I marched again for the first time again at age 33 which was 2 years ago, then again this year.

The first year back was to immerse my husband in the Community so he could see this sexuality thing is much more than sex. There are many facets and layers to this sexuality thing. Not to celebrate my Queerness but to educate someone who knew a little but not a lot about the issues we face(d) and the journey we all still face. We did get “caught up” in the fever and partook in our fair share of indulgence 😉

The second year we marched together, him fully understanding the many faces of Our Community, in solidarity with “the movement”. He saw how the B in LGBTQAI seemed to be silent in so many ways. He understood the many levels of this LGBTQAI Community here in NYC and why I cared so much about Our Bi Community. 🙂

This year my daughter and I marched in partnership with The Brooklyn Community Pride Center to promote BiWifeLife in whatever capacity we could.

Under normal circumstances I’m not much involved in the LGBTQAI Community here in NYC or anywhere else due to the many layers and overtly oppressing politics within and the unspoken but all powerful “Gay hierarchy” in which Bisexuals are the dirty bunch, the bad apples and the kids “they” don’t like to play with.

cropped-large-love-knows-no-gender.jpg

I also avoid political bullshit (and there’s A LOT in NYC’s queer community) because I’m a very outspoken politically incorrect person at times (think Wendy Williams, Whoopie Goldberg). Especially when pissed off, therefore I choose to refrain from situations where I may rub the wrong person the wrong way and stagnate the growth of this BiWife Community.

Now, with all that being said, I love BiWifeLife. I really do.

I worked my butt off this entire month to build partnerships and promote Us.

Why?

Because there’s clearly a need for Our space and I’d love to make it truly accessible to every woman all over the world. I aspire to turn this blog into a 501c3 organization with ground meetings across the U.S and beyond if I could.

I also realize it’s not within my capacity to do so without the assistance of others.

I’d like to thank Our Contributing Author Mercedes Jet for traveling into NYC to be a part of this year’s march.

She carried our sign (which I was mortified to find had the wrong url…but folks have been finding Us anyway) through the entire march behind the banner of The New York City Bisexual Contingent which included many Bi groups such as NYBAN, BiRequest and others.

What I learned this year is how pertinent preparedness is for promoting one’s LGBTQAI Org, how much work it takes to publicize a new org in a sea of other orgs and how little sleep I would get.

Again, I also realized how much I couldn’t do alone.

In all honesty I don’t want to take the month of June to run myself ragged. I do still have a family and a Community does not  include ONE person alone. Father’s Day is important, my husband’s birthday happens to be Pride kickoff, the 26th and he would like ONE year where we just don’t do ANYTHING pride unless he wants.

I implore all you regular readers to ponder how YOU can contribute to getting the word out about BiWifeLife and helping others find US. 

There’s a host of approaches one could take from social media management to ground promotions to calling other orgs and sending emails and of course CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS.

This  is a CALL TO ALL READERS,  participate, don’t just watch the posts and comments, get involved!

We are here for you, help us make it possible to be there for people who don’t even know we’re here.

Email: biwifelife@gmail.com to become involved.

HUSBANDS, WIVES OF BIWIVES, SUPPORTERS IN ALL RESPECTS WELCOME!!!

-Jay Dee, Founder

BiWife Husband Tales

I ran into a married friend one day and when I asked him how married life was treating him, his face turned into a mask of anger and frustration when he replied, “Man, I think “C” is sleeping with one of her girlfriends!”

My first thought was, “Uh-oh…” because I knew this guy was not only homophobic but what I called an Old Testament kind of guy, you know, the type of man who, in order to establish his, ah, dominance over a woman, will start quoting the rules about what a wife is supposed to do.  Personally, I always felt sorry for his wife and, like others in that married circle, wondered just what the hell she saw in him.

I listened to him ranting and raving and when he got to the part of his rant where I was supposed to agree with him that (a) his old lady shouldn’t be cheating on him and (b) she had no damned business trading his dick for pussy, well, I’m pretty sure I lost some cool points with him when I said, “So?  You act like something like that ain’t supposed to happen…”

I know – and if you’ve read my other contributions you know how I know – that bisexual wives worry about a lot of the same things a bi guy does and more or less depending on where their head is about, in this case, sex… and I once again apologize to all the ladies reading this but, yeah, y’all have some pretty weird thoughts about this.

My friend asked me – and after he got over being pissed with me, “Man, shit, what would make her do some shit like that?  What, she don’t like my shit anymore?”

“Do you really wanna know?” I asked, steeling myself for another outburst.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” he said, his ire returning.

“Okay, so, why she would do that is, at least to me, kinda simple:  She needs something you can’t give her, man,” I said.  “Now, to be honest, I know some women will hook up like that if her man ain’t doing something she needs to have done, oh, like chowing down on her pussy until she passes out, for example.”

He scrunched up his face upon hearing that last part because I knew, thanks to the married couple grapevine, that he didn’t eat pussy and – get this – believed he didn’t have to.  It was interesting to see him put two and two together, his facial expressions going from total disbelief to whatever served for logic in his head to point out to him that, shit, that would be a good reason.

“What would you do if your wife did some shit like that?” he asked, going for a bit of misdirection as he tried to process what I’d said to him.

“Ask her if she had fun,” I replied with my face as placid as I could make it.

After he got over the shock of my answer, I asked him how he found out and he told me that she told him what was going on… and in some pretty interesting detail… and her girlfriend was on hand to confirm things.

I knew he was having a hard time dealing with this, let alone understand why another husband (me) could be okay with his wife “dissing” his sexual offers for those a woman could provide.

I remember telling him, “Man, if you could only see it, maybe you’d understand…”

“You’ve seen your old lady doing that shit?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said with a shrug.

“And it didn’t piss you off?” he asked.

“Nah, not really,” I said.  “I’ll tell you the truth:  It was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Did you get to join in?”

“Nope – I was invited to just watch,” I said.

“And you were cool with that shit?”

“I had to be…”

“Huh?  What the fuck, man!”

“Look, none of that was about ME; I didn’t ask for an invitation but she wanted me to see what the deal was so that I could better understand what’s going on with her,” I said, trying to put into words something that wasn’t easy to do.

“What if she decides to leave you for some other chick?” he asked.

“If that’s what happens, it happens,” I said.

“Man, that’s some fucked up shit,” he muttered.

“Occupational hazard of being married,” I said, shrugging again.  “We like to think that no one can come along and sweep our wife off her feet… and we sure as hell don’t believe that another woman could do it.  The truth, I’ve learned, that it can happen at any time and for any reason… but if don’t want her to leave me for another woman, well, it just makes sense to me that if she can do her thing without having to worry about me dumping her, then that works out for both of us.”

I could tell this was going way over his head and I couldn’t think of a way to explain all of this to him in a way he could get a grip on.  But I asked him, “So, um, you know this but let me ask you something:  Is C happier?”

He blinked for a moment – I just love watching people think – then said, grudgingly, “Yeah… things have been pretty good here lately.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?” I asked.

My question to him begged a question that I had to find an answer to as well: Which is more important, having a deliriously happy wife… or having to deal with the queen bitch of the universe because she needs to do something that will have a great impact on her life… but the rules says that she’s not supposed to?

As the husband of a bi wife, where does my duty lie?  For me it was “easy” to see the logic in place here and, yes, it was made easy due to my own bisexuality.  My duty is simple:  If she has needs that I can “provide,” I have to provide them and, bluntly, fuck the rules that say I’m not supposed to do that.

My wife and I wound up sitting down with the two of them and telling them in no uncertain terms how we were dealing with bisexuality in our relationship.  C was ecstatic to learn that she “wasn’t the only one” who had this need and praise me for, as she put it, “Being man enough to let your wife be who she needs to be.”

Several hours of very intense conversation later, my friend finally figured out that if you can’t beat them, join them.  We sat and watched them change the rules, hashing out agreements, setting conditions, stuff like that and as they did so, I knew that he finally knew what I had learned:  She can have her cake (or is it pie?) and eat it, too, and without losing the man in her life that she really and truly loves.

I will point out that, um, C and my wife had disappeared for a period of time to, um, talk about some stuff that wasn’t mean for a husband’s ears… and I didn’t believe that for one second because as we talked about this, I could tell the two of them were highly excited and eyeing each other in a way that, if you knew what you were seeing, easily revealed that they were now very hungry for each other.

My friend asked, “I wonder what they could be talking about?”

I looked at him, smiled, and said, “Oh, they’re talking alright… but they’re not using any words.”

“You mean they’re…?” he asked, his eyebrows threatening to crawl up into his hairline.

“Yeah, I’d say that was a safe bet,” I replied.  “And, no – don’t you even think about going up there unless you’re ready to have your head removed…”

Our wives returned and both were smiling like they had stolen something and got right back to the conversation as if nothing out of the way had taken place in the time they were alone and “talking.”

As we got ready to go home, he said to me, “Man, it’s gonna be hard squaring all this shit away…”

I asked, “Do you love her?”

“Damned right I do!”

“Then if you love her, you will figure it out and more so if you wanna keep her,” I said, giving him some dap.

And, yes, when we got home – and as part of the new rules that now governed our marriage, my wife told me about their, um, conversation and in some very juicy details that led to us having some pretty amazing sex…

-KDaddy23, Contributing Author

Cara’s Story…Bisexuality, Love & Divorce

I have been reading several posts on this site over the past months and can relate to several as I have been through similar situations and feel for all of you. I know that I struggled for years to find the right place for myself and how to be happy in a relationship. Now that I have found that in my life I thought I would share my story in hopes that it helps someone out there that is currently struggling and relates to this view point on bisexuality as I know my life is not for all people.

I am turning 45 this year and loving my life now but was not always this happy. I started to notice my feelings towards woman in late middle school or early high school (it was a long time ago and I cannot remember the exact start date). I did not really understand the feelings that I had for women when I was younger especially since I had the same feelings towards men. Due to how I was raised I suppressed a lot of these feelings which is probably why I did not experiment with women until college. Prior to having sex with a woman I talked with female roommates and friends at college in general about women. Why is it that straight women just further confuse bisexuals when we are trying to find our identity? I laugh because a few close friends that are women would say “I love boobs too! But it doesn’t mean that you like women” or how they watch the woman in a porno but that doesn’t mean anything either or various other claims. Maybe for my straight heterosexual friends it does not mean anything but please do not further confuse those of us that are rarely understood entirely by society 🙂

Those of us that are bisexuals know deep down there is a difference between finding something attractive/sexy vs being erotically turned on by this and wanting more. I find several people attractive or sexy; it does not mean I want to have sex with them. Other favorite statements of my friends that are heterosexual women are:

1. If it came up that I had been with women they would say that they have too. However, when it came down to it 90% of the time they had only made out with a female and it was a friend. If they actually had sex with a woman they could claim they were drunk, something they had to try, a phase, or in the end they just didn’t like it. Let me tell you, being bisexual is not the same. Trying something new or kissing a friend for fun vs passionately being turned on by another woman is completely different. I can try S&M but I know I do not like it and trying it over and over again will not change my opinion. Nor is this a phase we go through. As a bisexual, if I find myself attracted to someone it does not matter if it is a male or female.

2. The innocent statement from a woman that says, “My girlfriend this or that” and you instantly think oh maybe she can relate. Nope, she is referring to her friend that is a woman.

However, when you are figuring all of this out it is quite humorous to look back on as heterosexual women really do confuse bisexual women that are trying to come out. I digress. In the end after being with a woman I found out that I thoroughly enjoyed being with both sexes but I think those of us that are bisexual always knew deep down that we would love the experience with a woman. I have loved both men and women, enjoying both equally.

Shortly after college I started my career and found my husband. I thought I could not live without him and never felt that I was “settling” as I truly believed he was “the one”. I fell deeply in love with him and didn’t think I would have any issues with my feelings towards women while being married. How naive I was… For the first several years of marriage I did not even think about another woman. Around 5 years the thoughts began creeping in and soon I began longing for women.

Also around this time I had developed a new relationship with a woman that was also married and bisexual. We hit if off instantly and it seemed like we had been friends for years. As our relationship grew closer I knew I was missing something that I needed in my life. There were times when we felt bad for sharing as much as we did and being as close as we were while being married but there was a significant part of both of us that was missing from our current lives with our husbands and that we felt was being denied. We found that we needed one another as an outlet if only to discuss this part of our lives and yes sometimes we were probably too close to be considered just friends. However, I want to be clear that I never had sex with this woman while with my husband even though both of us wanted to and it almost killed us not to at times.

My husband knew that I was a bisexual and I talked in detail with him about being with a woman and he felt it was cheating. My close friend was in a similar situation in that her husband did not want her to have sex with a woman unless he was allowed to have sex with random woman as well (to clarify he did not mean the same woman as her). Now, I know we have all heard both of these arguments from a husband (along with others) and that as bisexuals we do not believe it is fair but this is who we choose to marry and we respected their feelings. Also for myself, I understood where my husband was coming from. You have to remember that when I married him I had no intention of ever being with anyone else and the thought of him being with someone else while I was with him was enough for me to understand the pain I would cause him. This pain was a large deterrent for me.

Over the next couple of years I reassessed my marriage and what I really wanted in life.

In the end after 7 years I decided to divorce my husband and it was the most difficult decision I ever made in my life.

For me, being unhappy was the key to why I went through with the divorce. I could not live as only half of myself. This was a decision I made on my own and was not associated to my feelings for my close friend. Also, my close friend remained with her husband.

Of course, I wished that she was single as well but divorce for myself was a decision I had to make on my own and not for someone else or due to someone else.

At first, I will not lie, it was tough at times. I missed my husband but I think I missed just having someone there for you constantly as we had been together for such a long time you get use to that. Slowly I started to live the life I loved and probably went a little too wild at times due to all of that lost time. Also, I attribute it to my age as I was only 32 at the time which is in my opinion still in the prime of my life not to mention the best shape of my life as well. I lived an unattached/wild life for over a year and then fell into the relationship routine. I would have a relationship for a few years and it eventually end due to my desires as a bisexual.

During this entire time, I kept in touch with the close bisexual friend I met during my married life. It was after I had been single for 3 years that she divorced her husband. I was currently in a relationship so nothing could happen between us and we remained friends. I was there to help support her through the difficult times of the divorce but nothing more. She was hurt while I was in the relationship as I could see it in her eyes that she wished it was her. She did start dating after several months and our relationships with others continued to overlap without a period when both of us were single.

Another 3 years went by before our lives aligned to where both of us were single. By this time we were worried to even be together at first as we had became such great friends we didn’t want to ruin that aspect of our life if we couldn’t make the relationship work. So we ended up talking about why our previous relationships ended in order to avoid those pitfalls with our relationship… for both of us it always seemed to be due to our bisexuality.

The significant others in our relationships would struggle with our desires, even if they approved the sexual acts the jealousy and pain caused to the other person could not be fixed in our relationships. We laid our feelings out on the table. Both of us felt that if we were in a relationship with a man that cheating consisted of being with another man or the same could be said if we were in a relationship with a woman that being with another woman would be considered cheating.

Now that we were headed down the path as a relationship with two women both of whom were bisexuals we decided that if one of us had sex with a man that would potentially be painful for the other and decided that we would enter into this via threesomes. For us, it worked and still works to this day. However, we rarely have threesomes now as we are very happy with our relationship and where everything stands but when the need arises we enjoy that aspect together which for us makes us closer.

My partner and I are now going strong on 7 years and both of us could not be happier. The reason I wanted to share my story is that I see all of the pain you are in and didn’t know if any of you ever considered being in a relationship with another woman that is bisexual and seeking out men in the form of a threesome.

For us, this just felt right and never felt like either of us were cheating or leaving the other one out. I am sure this will not work for all and that I am making this seem much easier than it was but this developed over many years for the two of us. This was not easy for my partner and I to make it as a relationship but what relationship is easy?

Some items that were left out from above were the kids. I never had any children as there was a medical condition that I became aware of while with my husband that eliminated that as an option from my life.

My partner had 3 children prior to divorcing her husband. We had to work with her husband on sharing the responsibilities of parenting. At first, her husband was not accepting of us for obvious reasons and because he knew we were friends prior the divorce that definitely did not help. We had to work through those issues and we are now very close with him. We had to slowly introduce the kids to our relationship and that we are bisexuals.

At one time while we were in the early stages of our relationship we lived in separate states due to job transfers. My family struggles with accepting of my life and is difficult for us with the kids. Our lives were chalked full of challenges and we overcame all of them to be together. In the end, nothing is easy that is worth obtaining and the harder it is to obtain the more happiness it typically causes you.

I want to be clear that I am by no means encouraging divorce as I think marriage is great if you are with the right person, but if you are only living part of who you are, how can you ever be happy? You need to be true to your entire self. Good luck to all of you with your lives and I hope this helps some of you looking for answers.

With Love, Cara

-BiWife

Why Don’t People Take Bisexuality Seriously?:The Impact of Labels on Our Well-Being

In Dame Magazine’s article entitled Why Don’t People Take Bisexuality Seriously Rachel Kramer Bussel describes the pros and cons of labels:

It’s ironic to me that [discussions on similar gendered attractions] has been less about sex, and more about labels, yet it also makes sense. Labels can help us form community and learn about ourselves, but when they come with so much baggage attached, they can also confuse us and, instead of being liberating, they can feel constricting, especially if we feel we have to hold ourselves up as an example of “what a bisexual person should look like.”

[Bussel] was reminded of this especially by this anecdote of Emmerton’s: “I had a really terrible time in university when I was dating a straight guy but had these desires to sleep with all the people, in all the ways, all the time. Part of me thought I was a terrible slut who could never be loved, the other part thought I was just having some trouble dealing with being bi, but I could not, at the time, reconcile myself to living the stereotype of being bi and poly. I did not want to be the person pointed to when someone said ‘look, you can’t be bi and monogamous, it’s impossible.’” To me, this is where labels can backfire; in trying to make ourselves “look good”—which is, frankly, a lose-lose situation because there will always be someone out there judging your sexual decision-making—we give in to the haters, and thereby give them power over us.

See Article at http://www.damemagazine.com/2015/01/14/why-dont-people-take-bisexuality-seriously

What strikes me is why as humans it is hard to function in our world without labels on some level?  By having a label and feeling good about it we somehow know ourselves better and love ourselves better.  Isn’t that bizarre? I mean I do not think it is so much about what label we CHOOSE as it is that the PROCESS by which we discover and learn about how to love who we are.  As I have said before, we are multifaceted.  Our sexual orientation is a core part of us but it is not all of us.  When it is an issue we are struggling with it is something that seems to be in the driver’s seat of our lives.  It is all consuming because we have not found acceptance yet.  What makes it worse is by staying stuck in our heads trying to figure out what label we are we miss out on getting into our bodies and listening to what it is trying to tell us.  We try to push away the feelings our body is asking us to let out.  This is due to fear.  This is because we internalize the messages from our environment that tell us that being attracted to a similar gender to our own is wrong.  We feel shame and fear and that manifests within our bodies and blocks us from our hearts.  When we are emotionally disconnected like that it shuts us down to ourselves and prevents love from coming in.  Then in that process of disconnect we look for quick fixes to make ourselves feel better like externalizing our misery through blaming others, getting angry, feeling resentment, etc. etc.  To sugarcoat the shame and fear we look for ways to lift ourselves out of it.  For some of us, that short term search for happiness can come in the form of addiction (whether it is drugs, sex, staying stuck in our heads, shopping, gambling, you name it).  Anything that consistently takes you away from your body and allows you to remain disconnected is an addiction.  It takes over your body and your power and keeps you stuck in a self-destructive cycle.

As a bisexual woman my process has been a long and arduous one where I still am racked with uncertainty at times and still doubt myself at times.  I choose to breathe into this uncertainty and doubt and understand that it is rooted in the fear based part of my self that chooses to protect me from the hurt and pain that comes with living in a society that does not accept us.  Having community support to normalize our experiences of being bisexual is essential to our finding self-acceptance.  It is essential that we have other people who empathize with us and who let us know it is OK to be bisexual and it is ok if one person’s experience of bisexuality does not line up with another person’s.

The other thing I find people doing all over a variety of blogs or forums is assessing a variety of attractions they have to multiple genders in an attempt to place themselves in a monosexual category.  I am pained to watch people go through this similar struggle in their lives that I have found myself in during the early years of my questioning.  No matter what age you are it seems vital for people to know where they fit.  This tells only furthers the point of Kramer Bussel’s article which is “people do not take bisexuality seriously.”  This is why I am so grateful to this community and want to continue to spread my love and blessings to all of you in letting you know that you are precious just being you.  You deserve to love you and all the parts of yourself.  Sometimes there is no simple answer and sometimes being out to yourself as “bisexual” does not feel good or right.  How can it be when everywhere you look people are so hung up defining what bisexuality means or is along with just about every other sexual minority label like “gay, lesbian, butch, femme, bear, stud, queer, dyke, asexual, etc.”  I am all for people having the right to express themselves the way they feel it is right.  No one has the right to do that but you.  I am not advocating people choose bisexual as a label but I am advocating that people learn to accept all parts of themselves including those nonexclusive gender attractions that seems to indicate nothing more than you are a natural and normal human being regardless of what way you swing.  That, in its base form, is all we have to learn.  To accept and love ourselves and everything else that comes up for us.

We are all unique and the beauty of bisexuality is it is an umbrella term for all fluid, free identifying individuals who do not experience exclusive romantic and/or sexual attractions to one gender.  If you are equally attracted to more than one gender you belong here.  If you have a preference for a certain gender over another you belong here.  If you are mostly attracted to one gender but had some attraction(s) to another gender at some point in your life you belong here.  If you have fluid shifts (over any span of time) in your attractions moving from one gender to another gender you belong here.  If you prefer one gender for one type of attraction and another gender for another type of attraction you belong here.  If your attractions for one gender generally take longer to blossom than your attractions for another gender, you belong here.

  • If you are a monosexual spouse/partner you belong here.
  • If you are a polyamorous partner you belong here.
  • If you are an ally you belong here.

All are welcome to wave the bisexual flag or any other flag of your liking.  We are an inclusive group that respects each person’s freedom to be who they are with no boundaries and limitations.  We won’t impose any kind of “notion” of what your sexuality means or should be because that is your choice.  We are here to empower you.  That is the joy of community and may be one of the only places where you find support.

-Mercedes Jet, Contributing Author

Tips for Telling New Friends You’re A BiWife

Hey BiWifeLifers

A reader asked a VERY good question.

How does she approach telling a new friend she’s a biwife?

The reader was concerned about her being judged by this person she was getting rather close with.

This a situation I’m sure we’ve ALL encountered at some point or another when getting close to a new friend we feel we want to really talk to and be free with.

Here’s a few things I’ve done in the past that have worked for me:

  1. Being bluntly honest. I’ve said something like, “Hey, I’m not telling you this because I’m attracted to you (by this time they’ve figured out the next words, lol) but I am bisexual. Does that make you uncomfortable?” a thousand and one times in my life.
  2. I’ve asked my new friends their views on the LGBT lifestyle to find out how they felt about homosexuality overall then taken my course of action from there.
  3. I’ve asked my new found friend early in the friendship “Hey, what’s your sexuality? Are you straight, bi?” If they dodge the question by pointing out they are married I always point out that’s not a defining factor in one’s sexuality. Most people answer honestly.
  4. You can always bring your new friend here to BiWifeLife, show them around, do some reading together (which wasn’t an option for me, lol but now it is for you!) and ask them what they think of being bisexual and married. Continue on appropriately from there.

At some point in time my friend and I will find ourselves out and about and a pretty woman will cross our paths. At that point my natural instincts come out and I will naturally look at the woman with obvious interest. Although I may try to hide it usually I’m unsuccessful.

In my case I have to tell a potential new friend almost immediately.I live in a huge city with many people and it’s very hard to keep my true nature hidden.There are plenty of gorgeous men and women in the city of New York.If I go out with a friend he or she will find out quickly, there’s nothing I can do about it.I’m bisexual and see the beauty in both genders.

My new potential friend should understand this about me and be able to deal with it, or the potential for a friendship isn’t potential at all.

Can you share with us how you deal with this situation?

Your input would be awesome!

-Jay Dee, Founder.

COMMENT BELOW

My Husband is Against My Bisexuality…

So, you’ve done it.

You’ve come out. Your husband isn’t with the whole bi thing and so what.

You’ve decided to be true to yourself…and your heart.

You move forward with your bi crush or love interest.

It’s as great as you imagined.

Hubby decides he’s filing for divorce, you’re cool with that, you’re happy now.

Your lover is awesome, you two decide to become serious or move in with each other.

During the transition the kids start exhibiting behavioral issues, the divorce wasn’t pretty, some friends stuck it out, others thought you threw your life away and stopped talking to you.

So what, they weren’t real friends and the kids will adjust once they realize this is their TRUE mommy.

Your parents are disappointed in your recent choices and are concerned about the kids.

You stop attending your family church because things are just too different now.

Folks at your job are adjusting to your new lifestyle okay but you get a few stares and hear whispers around the water cooler.

Through all of this your relationship holds steady but the allure starts to wear off. Your new relationship is getting old quick under all the pressure of so many changes.

You begin to realize how much easier things were in your life when you were married.

You miss the way things used to be when you were at home with your husband and the kids.

You begin to doubt  your choices and this entire process…but it’s too late to turn back.

Your husband is gone.

Your kids aren’t too friendly right about now.

Things are weird at work.

Your friends are gone, your new ‘friends’ don’t know you well enough for you to really be comfortable with them.

The stress and strain is putting a lot on you and your new lover.

This is a hypothetical situation that could possibly be reality for those who are considering coming out and breaking free from the chains of the oppression of a marriage that doesn’t allow bisexuality.

The reason I wrote this article is because many of us think the grass is greener on the other side of town.

Sometimes that’s just not true.

Our new yard could have brown grass with patches that refuse to grow.

I’ve personally jumped out of the frying pan straight into the fire…and jumped right back in the pan, grateful for it’s comfort.

Now, I always think deeply and reflect even more so before I act on anything that may be life changing.

-Jay Dee