Bi and Dating, when the World is Divided into "Gay" and "Straight"

By Zachary Zane

November 04, 2016

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Photo credit: Pexels/cottonbro

Dating a man is very different than dating a woman, and I believe this has little to do with biology. From the day we're born, we've been socialized to think and behave in ways that coincide with our biological sex. How we dress, which careers we pursue, how much we value family, how often we talk, how aggressive we are, and how nurturing we are — all of these things and so much more are heavily influenced by what is (or is not) hanging between our legs.

Pexels/mentatdgt

The societal scripts we're taught for "how to date" epitomize the differences between the sexes. Men are told to sleep with as many women as possible, and of course, are a "player" if they do so. The script for women tells them to resist the advances of all men. This script has changed over the past couple of decades, as feminists are slowly smashing the patriarchy. Empowered women believe they can sleep with whomever they want, and there are terms with negative connotations for more promiscuous men, such as manwhore.

However, many women are still taught one thing: all men want is sex. Because of this, they need to be careful and skeptical of what men tell them and the promises they offer. While prudent not to trust someone right off the bat, women have been socialized to not trust men. This creates an antagonistic setup when dating from the get-go, which can lead to some awkward tension.

When I date a man, I can throw all the social scripts out the window. There are no societal scripts for how gay/bi men are supposed to act when dating other men. So many times now, gay/bi men meet online, have sex a few times, realize they like one another, and then start dating. Often, we have sex on the first date. There's no "standard" way to date in the gay community.

This allows for more freedom in how to approach dating.

So the truth is, I hate dating most women. I'm significantly more nervous on a date with a woman because there's more tension from the get-go. I also think it's ridiculous that I'm expected to pay the bill. I hate that I can't discuss what I want openly with women because my bluntness is deemed as too abrasive.

I often ask men after a first date (or meeting at a club), "Hey, this was a lot of fun. If you're up for it, I'd love to head back and have sex". I'd say 99% of this works. It's not deemed too aggressive. In fact, men respect me for my honesty. If I sense any form of hesitation, I say, "Oh my God. I'm sorry, I totally misread that." I then joke about how embarrassed I am.

While I could say that to a woman, I believe the odds of them being shocked and offended is significantly higher. So too are the odds of me being rejected.

Before I go further, let me clarify. I know this isn't all women, and I know this isn't all men. This is often not the case for poly/queer/kink women, and because of this, the women I date are bisexual/poly/sex-positive. In fact, I haven't dated a straight woman seriously in about three years, and that was before I came out as bisexual.

Unsplash/Monica Smith

I also don't want to sound like the only thing I care about is sex. That's far from the case. What I care about is being able to express myself and my wants openly, without fear of judgment. I don't want people to unnecessarily have their guard up against me when I'm trying to get to know them, being nothing but honest. I want to feel comfortable with myself when I meet new people. I want the act of dating to be fun instead of a nerve-wracking chore.

It's easier for me to date men. That's not to say I don't date women. I do, quite often, but I do not pursue women the same way. To be honest, I only date women who are aggressive and upfront from the start. That's when I feel my most comfortable with someone when everything is laid out on the table. So I no longer approach women in bars, and I no longer have different-sex dating apps. I only have only Grindr and Surge.

The thing is, the world is divided into gay and straight. There are no bi bars. Just gay and straight bars. It's assumed everyone is either gay or straight, and there's no in-between. While there are bisexual meetup groups, those groups are few and far between. And if you're bisexual and only willing to date other bisexuals, you're dating pool has just decreased by roughly 95%. Of course, that's completely fine, but if you don't have a bi/pan/genderqueer community in your area, it's going to make dating nearly impossible. So you have to pick men or women. And if you're looking for men, you're going to have to start attending more gay-focused events. If you're looking for women, you have the world at your fingertips, but you shouldn't be attending gay events or using gay dating apps.

So I've been asking myself, when the world is divided into gay and straight, where do I put my effort into meeting a partner when I'm neither? Gracefully transitioning between gay and straight culture isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. It's not easy going from a gay underground leather party, where everyone is in jockstraps, to going to a straight bar. How you act and behave and speak to people is very different. For one, you can pretty much talk to any guy in a leather bar, and they'll be open to discussion. That's just not the case at straight bars when I talk to women.

This is part of the reason so many bisexual men/women identify as gay or straight when they know they're attracted to men, women, and genderqueer folk. It's simply easier to have a community when you're either gay or straight. I couldn't tell you the number of times I've thought to myself how much easier it would be if I was just 100% gay.

But no, I'm 100% bisexual and will always be. Still, I realize that being bisexual doesn't mean I can't identify with one culture more. For me, that's gay culture. It doesn't mean I have to evenly date men and women. It doesn't mean I have to put equal effort into dating men and women. For me, right now, it's a lot easier to date men. I feel more comfortable. I feel part of a community, and the communication between the men I've dated and me has been significantly stronger and more direct than the women I've dated.

Bigstock/Gustavo Frazao

So the short answer is, when the world is divided into gay and straight, I'm going to put more of an effort into finding men than I am women. When I first came to this conclusion, my decision brought on an existential sexual identity crisis. I asked myself if I can be "truly" bisexual if I primarily want to date and pursue men. But I've realized that this doesn't make me any less bisexual. It just means that right now, I'm more comfortable with myself around men, so I am going to actively pursue men harder. That might change in the future. I know this isn't the same for all bisexual men, but it's true for me.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

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