Biphobia: A Slam Poem

• published: 17 Sep 2015
• views: 31

Based on a true story. CLICK "SHOW MORE" FOR ALL THE WORDS TO THIS POEM AND SOME THOUGHTS, CLARIFICATIONS, DISCLAIMERS AND STUFF. Please consider subscribing if you enjoyed! I make videos sharing my experiences, thoughts and feelings on all kinds of crap. -------------------------------- First things first, any references to "both" or "either" here are meaning both men and women, not both genders. There are more than two gender identities. Also, I do know that plenty of lesbians and straight people are not like this. Any uses of "you" in the poem refer specifically to the people I was talking about and those like them. I wrote, memorised and filmed this all in one day because I just wanted to get it out already. You can probably tell that I still fluffed it up a little bit but this was the only take where I got all the way through without messing up more obviously so I just ran with it. I really hope you like it and of course I'll appreciate feedback and discussion in the comments but any comments that are too nasty will just be removed. I was inspired by Ashley Mardell and Savannah Brown, another couple of people that've done some great poems on YouTube. Go check out their channels. Ashley: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwXB7a3cq9AERiWF4-dK9g Savannah: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDAjO0-hd_RS8ZYJ4W-Iq5Q ----------------------------------- Once I met someone for the first time and they thought I was a lesbian. I thought I'd tell a lesbian coworker about it and come out to her in the process, since she'll probably understand how I feel a bit. But "Huh" she says, and to my dismay, looks me up and down and says "you don't look gay." Oh, you're one of those, I think, That's just fucking great. Because I don't fit some stereotype It's inconceivable that I could be anything other than straight. It's funny, I continue, because I'm actually bi, and this is where things takes a turn for the worse because of ignorance? hatred? resentment perhaps? I still don't understand why. She frowns, and says "well that's just wrong" A straight male coworker agrees. My heart sinks and as she continues, I do my best to stay strong. "It's just greedy," she tells me, "and any truly gay woman will say the same." Nooooooooo! I thought you'd be supportive! The fact that you think like this is such a shame. There'll be plenty of gay and straight people who've fancied more people total than me. If you're putting a number on an acceptable amount of people to ever like, why don't you call them greedy? The male coworker who I previously got on with chimes in, "it's like a man having a wife and a girlfriend on the side." I'm sorry, but go get a dictionary. you'll see that the definitions for bisexual and cheating asshole do not coincide. "Okay but who do you see yourself marrying, a woman or a man?" well if you're asking me to predict the future, I don't think I can. Right now I'd say my boyfriend, But there've been girls it could've worked out that way with too. Is this just because you're mad I have a bigger dating pool than you? I don't see how "whoever I'm with and I love at the time" is so hard to comprehend. Evidently I was wrong to consider you a potential understanding friend. "You get all these young girls calling themselves bisexual because they just want to sleep with both," she said, Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're not calling themselves bi, they ARE bi if they're happy with either in their bed. "You're only 19," she patronises, "you don't know what you'll like when you're older" well right now at least, to me rapunzels face is just as attractive as flynn riders smoulder. I had my first crush on a girl when I was ten years old is nine years just a phase? Just like yours, my sexuality is not a choice, and it's not some modern-day craze. Our feelings and orientations are legitimate and real we're the B in LGBTQ+ It's not every minority for themselves, we're all queer, so why can't you accept us? If I said to you what you've said to me It'd be called homophobic and aggressive. Your incredibly backwards ignorance, you're so blind to it, To be honest it's almost impressive. "it doesn't make us like you any less", you say but would you have that condescending look on your face if I were, as you put it, "truly gay"? I'd also like to point out that they were both at least ten years older than me. You'd think with that much more life experience they'd have learned a little empathy. "Aww, she's all stressed now" well what did you expect? My feelings took a pretty big hit. You dismissed my sexuality when I considered you a friend and you made me feel like shit. I wish I'd been able to make them understand honestly, I tried. I wish I'd said all of this to their faces but I just went into the toilets and cried.