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Do I Look Straight To You?
I look straight.
At least, that’s what one friend told me when I came out to her as bisexual. “I just wouldn’t have guessed it,” she tried to explain after seeing my raised eyebrows, “I don’t mean it as, like, an offense or anything — I just feel like with some people you know, and other people you don’t.”
I suppose I can’t blame her — after all, it’s not as if I walk around toting my rainbow flag and a butch haircut. I don’t fit the stereotype of a girl who dates other girls. I have long(ish) hair, wear pretty floral dresses and have a cheesy cherry blossom tattoo on my bicep. All I’m missing is the cookie-cutter boyfriend to complete my “straight” look.
But here’s the thing — regardless of what I wear, what length I cut my hair or who I may be with, I’m not straight. I never will be.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that — despite how far our society has come in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance — many people still make assumptions about someone’s sexuality or even gender based solely on appearance. This phenomenon is called “sexual profiling”, and it isn’t helping anyone.
