Bi refers to individuals who feel any form of attraction to two or more genders. Bi individuals do not have to feel equal attraction to the genders they feel attraction towards.[1]

The bisexual flag, often used to represent all bi- orientations
Biangles symbol

Etymology

The terms comes from the Latin prefix bi-, meaning "two," "twice," or "double."[2]

Flags & Symbols

The bisexual flag is usually used to represent all forms of bi- attractions. The flag was designed by Michael Page sometime before December 5, 1998. The colors were selected from the "bi angles," symbol. The pink stripe represents same-gender attraction, the blue stripe represents opposite-gender attraction, and the purple stripe represents the blend of both same- and opposite-gender attraction.[3]

The "bi angles," also sometimes written as "biangles," symbol has been around longer than the flag. The exact origin of this symbol is unknown, but there are theories suggesting its meaning. Some believe that the colors represent masculine, feminine and non-binary attractions, others believe they may represent the same meanings as the flag.[4]

Orientations

Orientation Attraction Flag
Biaesthetic Aesthetic  [5]
Bialterous Alterous  [6]
Biplatonic Platonic  [7]
Biqueerplatonic Queerplatonic  [8]
Biromantic Romantic  [9]
Bisensual Sensual  [10]
Bisexual Sexual  [3]

Subterms

Label Flag Description Coiner
Squirrel Bi  [11] Being attracted to two or more genders and preferring cuddles, hugs, kisses over more sexual acts. ryanyflags[11]
Bicurious  [12] Being primarily attracted to one gender, but interested in experimenting with other genders. Beyond MOGAI Pride Flags[12]
Biflexible  [13] Primarily experiencing attraction to two or more genders, bu occasionally experiencing changes in specific genders, amount of genders, or preferences. acro-pluris[13]
Bifluid  [14] Primarily experiencing attraction to two or more genders, and having attraction vary over time. genderstarbucks[14]
Bifluix Being primarily attracted to two or more genders, with that attraction varying over time and fluctuating in some way. PennedWriterz[15]
Biflux  [16] Being attracted to two or more genders, with that attraction fluctuating in some way. Pride-Color-Schemes[16]
Label Relationship Description
Pan Similar The attraction to anyone regardless of gender.
Poly Similar The attraction to more than two, but not all genders.
Omni Similar The attraction to all genders, with a preference.

Alternative Flags

Sources

  1. Johnson, Maisha. “17 Facts about Being Bisexual.” Healthline, 30 Jan. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/what-is-bisexual.
  2. Etymology. “Bisexual | Etymology, Origin and Meaning of Bisexual by Etymonline.” Www.etymonline.com, www.etymonline.com/word/bisexual.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Page, Michael. “BiFlag.com Is for Sale.” BiFlag, www.biflag.com/Activism.asp.
  4. Wilber, Jennifer. “Show Your True Colors: A Guide to Bi Pride Symbols.” Owlcation, 2018, owlcation.com/humanities/Show-Your-True-Colors-A-Guide-to-Bi-Pride-Symbols.
  5. arco-pluris. “Arco-Pluris.” Tumblr, 2 Mar. 2018, arco-pluris.tumblr.com/post/171469129367/plural-aestheticities-multisthetic-flags. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  6. Pride-Flags. “Bialterous by Pride-Flags on DeviantArt.” Www.deviantart.com, 4 July 2015, www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bialterous-543925372. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  7. beyond-mogai-pride-flags. “Biplatonic Pride Flag.” Tumblr, 29 June 2018, beyond-mogai-pride-flags.tumblr.com/post/175389907600/biplatonic-pride-flag. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  8. ---. “Biqueerplatonic / Biquasiplatonic (1) by Pride-Flags on DeviantArt.” Www.deviantart.com, 25 Aug. 2016, www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Biqueerplatonic-Biquasiplatonic-1-630382255. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  9. ---. “Biromantic by Pride-Flags on DeviantArt.” Www.deviantart.com, 10 May 2016, www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Biromantic-607943792. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  10. ---. “Bisensual (2) by Pride-Flags on DeviantArt.” Www.deviantart.com, 2 May 2016, www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Bisensual-2-606637203. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  11. 11.0 11.1 ryanyflags. “Flags Are Fun.” Tumblr, 31 Oct. 2022, www.tumblr.com/ryanyflags/699607786749919232/bambi-flags-d-bambi-lesbian-bambi-vincian. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  12. 12.0 12.1 beyond-mogai-pride-flags. “Bicurious Pride Flag.” Tumblr, 5 July 2018, beyond-mogai-pride-flags.tumblr.com/post/175584973935/bicurious-pride-flag. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  13. 13.0 13.1 ---. “Arco-Pluris.” Tumblr, 10 Mar. 2018, arco-pluris.tumblr.com/post/171735894717/biflexible-usually-feeling-attraction-to-two-or. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  14. 14.0 14.1 genderstarbucks. “M-Spec Fluid Labels!!” Tumblr, 1 Oct. 2022, www.tumblr.com/genderstarbucks/696964091611365376/m-spec-fluid-labels. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  15. LGBTQIA+ Wiki. “Bifluix.” LGBTQIA+ Wiki, 11 Aug. 2022, www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bifluix. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  16. 16.0 16.1 pride-color-schemes. “Biflux.” Tumblr, 26 June 2016, pride-color-schemes.tumblr.com/post/146529788141/biflux. Accessed 16 Dec. 2023.
  17. _Vanyka_. “Pretty Sure This Has Been Done Before. Anyways, New Bi Flag!” Reddit, www.reddit.com/r/QueerVexillology/comments/108djr0/pretty_sure_this_has_been_done_before_anyways_new/.