Hi! I’m Lily. I’m 20 and I study Educational Psychology at Manchester Met. Academically I’m interested in childhood psychology and inclusion in education but outside university, I enjoy crafty and creative stuff! I love cooking and baking as well as crochet and cross-stitch. 

Peoples’ bisexuality/pansexuality/queerness can be hidden most of the time. Understandably, people see me for my present self. People will align my sexuality with my gender and the gender of my current partner; jumping to conclusions. To me, queerness is within my history, my experiences, all the past, present, and future versions of me. International Bi-Visibility Day allows me to show and be proud of my multifaceted identity and all versions of me. 

In my experience, one of the challenges we face is that often people assume within the binary. Even the most well-meaning people can just assume someone is either gay or straight. Many people live outside the expected binary, whether that be gender, sexuality, or anything else. The expectation to be gay or straight can put a lot of pressure on bisexual/pansexual/queer people, worrying that people will be confused or discriminatory towards their identity since they don’t subscribe to the ‘norm’. 

We should stop making assumptions. The human brain loves predictions and always tries to make guesses; however, we owe our friends, family, colleagues, classmates and even strangers on the street the courtesy to not make assumptions but to learn and listen to the experiences that make a person a person.  

Thank you.