Short answer first
Bi+ describes attraction to more than one gender.
The plus exists to make room for the many ways people experience, name, and live that attraction. It’s inclusive on purpose. And personal by default.
So what does Bi+ actually mean?
One definition the Bi+ community often comes back to is by Robyn Ochs, whose work has shaped Bi+ education for decades. She describes bisexuality as attraction to more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, not in the same way, and not to the same degree.
We keep coming back to this definition because it’s grounded. It doesn’t force balance. It doesn’t expect clarity at all times. It simply describes how attraction actually shows up for many people.
Bi+ builds on this understanding. It’s an umbrella term for people who experience attraction beyond a single gender, while recognising that not everyone relates to the same word in the same way.
A quick note on what “bi” actually means
Yes, bi literally means two. That part is true.
What often gets mixed up is what those two refer to.
In The Bi Book: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality, psychologist Julia Shaw explains that bisexuality was never meant to describe attraction to men and women specifically. The original distinction was between same and other, following how terms like heterosexual and homosexual developed.
Because bisexuality was framed around attraction to same and other, it has always had space for trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse people.
The language didn’t change. The assumptions around it did.
Bi+ identities, briefly explained
Bi+ exists because people use different words for experiences that overlap. Under the Bi+ umbrella, you’ll often see identities like:
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Bisexual: attraction to more than one gender
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Pansexual: attraction regardless of gender
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Omnisexual: attraction to all genders, with gender still being part of the experience
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Polysexual / Multisexual / Plurisexual: attraction to multiple, but not necessarily all, genders
These definitions come from Bi+ advocacy and educational organisations worldwide. They overlap by design. None of them cancel each other out. And none of them are “more correct” than the others.
Labels are tools. You get to decide how, or if, you use them. Like with everyday Bi+ visibility.
Bisexual ≠ biromantic (and that’s okay)
Sexual attraction and romantic attraction don’t always line up.
Someone can be bisexual and not biromantic.
Or biromantic and not bisexual.
Or both.
Or neither.
This isn’t a contradiction or a technical detail. It’s just another way human attraction works.
Yes, people of all genders can be Bi+
This still seems to surprise some people, which is… something.
But yes. People of all genders can be Bi+. Always have been. This includes cis people, trans people, non-binary people, and everyone else who exists outside neat categories.
Bi+ isn’t about who you are. It’s about who you’re attracted to.
Why Bi+ is often described as a spectrum
Sexuality research has challenged rigid categories for a long time. The Kinsey Scale introduced the idea that attraction exists along a range rather than in two opposing camps. Later, the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid showed that attraction, behaviour, and identity don’t always move together.
These models don’t define people. But they help explain why Bi+ experiences are often fluid, contextual, or change over time. In that sense, bisexuality is one of the clearest examples that sexuality isn’t binary.
What Bi+ does not mean
Let’s clear a few things up.
Bi+ does not mean confused.
It does not mean indecisive.
It does not require equal attraction to all genders.
And it does not disappear when someone is in a relationship.
Because, this is not a phase.
Most Bi+ people have heard these assumptions before. They tend to come from stereotypes that stuck around longer than they should have.
So where does that leave us?
Bi+ isn’t a checklist. It isn't a phase. And it definitely isn’t something you have to explain perfectly to earn a seat at the table.
It’s simply one way of naming attraction that doesn’t fit into one neat box.
And honestly, that’s kind of the point.
Sources
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Ochs, R. Definition of bisexuality and Bi+ educational materials
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Shaw, J. (2022). The Bi Book: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality
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Kinsey, A. et al. Sexual behavior research and sexuality spectrum model
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Klein, F. Sexual Orientation Grid and multidimensional framework
