The concept of bisexuality has been around for a very long time, with some records dating back to Ancient Greece. However, the bisexual flag wasn’t introduced until 1998, twenty years after the gay flag. Let’s dive into a brief history on bisexuality and how the bisexual flag was created.
Brief History on Bisexuality
While the concept of bisexuality dates back to Ancient Greece, the term bisexuality wasn’t coined until the 19th century. There is evidence of bisexual relationships in various cultures throughout history. In Ancient Greece, bisexuality was encouraged and was considered a normal part of life. In the Han Dynasty, bisexuality was even more common.
The term ‘bisexuality’ began to be used in the 19th century as psychologists began to understand sexual orientation in more depth. There was a greater understanding of bisexuality as it’s own orientation. Unfortunately, this soon led to a lot of discrimination against bisexual people. Things have significantly improved these days and there is greater acceptance, but there are still some negative attitudes. In turn, bi pride and the bisexual flag have become incredibly important to the community.
Introducing The Flag
The bisexual flag was designed by bisexuality activist and artist Michael Page. It made it’s debut on December 8th, 1999, on the now defunct BiCafe.com website. The flag took inspiration from the rainbow flag, with alterations to reflect bisexual people. The bisexual flag is made up of three colours: pink, purple, and blue. Pink represents female attraction, blue represents male attraction, and the purple represents both. The purple was originally there to represent an attraction to both sexes, but it’s now understood to represent attraction regardless of sex or gender.
The flag was created to raise awareness of bisexual people and created symbol of pride, much like the rainbow flag had done for the gay community. In addition, it was coined to give bi people more visibility within the LGBTQ+ community.
Michael Page actually took inspiration from the popular ‘Bi Angles’ by Liz Nania. Liz organised the first national bisexual contingent for the 1987 March on Washington.
Speaking on the bi flag, Page said the following;
The key to understanding the symbolism of the Bi Pride Flag is to know that the purple pixels of [colour] blend unnoticeably into both the pink and blue, just as in the ‘real world,’ where bi people blend unnoticeably into both the gay/lesbian and straight communities.”
Michael Page, Biflag.com, August 1 2001
Check out this article on the history of Bisexual Awareness Week.
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