I found this text in Getting Bi almost two years ago. I liked it immediately, as any feminist might – it spoke my language. In Israel, this feminist manifesto is famous for having been translated with slight alterations to fit Israeli culture (for example, a reference to militarism). The local transgender community also wrote a similar text two years back, which brought it even closer to my heart. And so, when seeing this in Getting Bi, I automatically wanted to translate it.
However, the text was a bit too liberal for my liking (government/rights focused, gender-binary and monogamous) – and so I translated it with a few changes and additions.
Anyway, I figured now that I have a blog, it might be a good time to translate it back into English.
The Hebrew version may be found here, in the form of a flier.
**FEEL FREE TO USE THIS TEXT FOR ANY PURPOSE. NO RIGHTS RESERVED, though I would appreciate credit, where applicable :)**
BECAUSE we are not real AND our orientation is only a phase AND we’ll just leave for a member of another sex any day AND our way of loving is only a sign of confusion AND when we haven’t changed in 5 or 10 or 20 or 50 years we are still just confused AND when we’re in a different-sex relationship then we are holding onto “straight privilege” AND when we’re in a same-sex relationship then we’ve finally “come all the way out” AND when we’re in a different-sex relationship we’re really just straight AND when we’re in a same-sex relationship then we’re really gay or lesbian AND when we dare suggesting that we have our own identity we are traitors of the community AND if we identify as bisexual we think there are only two genders AND when we identify as pansexual then we’re simply hipsters AND when we don’t self-define then we’re invisible AND because every historical figure or celebrity who has ever had a same-sex relationship was really gay or lesbian no matter how they may have felt about other genders AND we’re told we can’t make up our minds AND that we’re just attention seekers AND when we’re monogamous then we’re not really bisexual AND when we’re polyamorous then we’re reinforcing stereotypes AND because we want to fuck anything that moves AND because it’s okay to sexually harass us and we’re not allowed to choose or refuse or reject it AND because it’s okay to ask us invasive questions about our sex lives AND because every fuck up about our relationships is attributed to our bisexuality AND because we see personal ads that say “no bisexuals” AND for lots and lots of other reasons, WE ARE PART OF THE BISEXUAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT
Bi radical 
This is great. I don’t know if I still identify as bi. I did for a long time. I remember having a crush on a girl not long after my first crush on a boy, both before puberty. I’ve always preferred looking at women to looking at men. It takes a lot more to get me excited about a male body than a female one, visually.
BUT. I had a girlfriend once. And while it was great, in lots of ways, the sex didn’t feel like sex to me. Nothing we did changed the fact that she didn’t have a penis. I’m obviously not saying that woman on woman sex isn’t sex. It just didn’t feel that way to me. And I missed what did.
Most of the time it doesn’t matter. My fifth anniversary with my fiance is coming up, we’re getting married next year. All going well I won’t ever be starting another realationship.
But I see this and I wonder if these are my problems, or just other people’s problems that I feel strongly about.
Self-identification is hard.
Thanks, and I hear you. Identities and sexualities are a hard territory to negotiate. From what you write, it sounds like bisexuality is something that you’re still negotiating with yourself and your environment. I know how difficult this can be, and I wish you luck :)
Hello!
I found your blog while looking for info about pansexuality and bisexuality, and i have to say thank you for writing down many of those things i’ve wanted to say all this time. I guess i couldn’t find the words to express my thoughts. This manifesto is specially accurate.
I’m a human being (that’s the only ID i feel comfortable with right now), but for many years i identified myself as “gay”. Then i sort of broke up with that identity because it just didn’t feel right. I tried to use the bisexual ID but i don’t know if that’s the right one for me. Lately i’ve been calling myself pansexual, but i’m not convinced either. Anyway, reading your blog i realized i had a lot of preconceived ideas about the bisexual identity, specially regarding its attributed sex/gender binarism. So it might be the right one after all.
I’ll have to think about it.
PS: Please excuse my bad spelling/grammar, i’m argentinian and it’s been a long time since i last wrote anything in English.
Thanks! So glad to know that you found my blog helpful ^_^ Do feel free to come back and comment after you’ve done your thinking, I’d be curious to know what comes out :)
As to your PS – your English is nothing but spotless. In any case, as a non-native speaker myself, I oppose the idea that there is only “one right form” of English that everyone needs to speak “correctly”. This kind of argument is usually used in order to practice privilege and power by native speakers of “correct” English (usually white, middle class and educated) against everyone else. So never apologize for your English, have others apologize for their privileges :)
Hi! I have translated the manifesto in Greek, and it will be published in the latest issue of lgbt/Kokkino (See: http://lgbtkokkino.blogspot.gr/ and https://www.facebook.com/lgbt.kokkino).
I’m pasting the Greek translation below:
Ένα Μανιφέστο για την Αμφισεξουαλικότητα
(Απόδοση του “A bisexual manifesto” της Shiri Eisner http://wp.me/p1dfrF-x)
ΕΠΕΙΔΗ δεν υπάρχουμε στ’ αλήθεια ΚΑΙ ο προσανατολισμός μας είναι απλά μια φάση ΚΑΙ θα σε παρατήσουμε για κάποιον άνθρωπο άλλου φύλου ΚΑΙ ο τρόπος που αγαπούμε είναι απλά σημάδι εσωτερικής σύγχυσης ΚΑΙ όταν δεν έχουμε αλλάξει για 5 ή 10 ή 20 ή 50 χρόνια, ακόμα απλά πάσχουμε από εσωτερική σύγχυση ΚΑΙ όταν έχουμε σχέση με άνθρωπο διαφορετικού φύλου κρατάμε ακόμα τα προνόμια των στρέιτ ΚΑΙ όταν έχουμε σχέση με άνθρωπο του ίδιου φύλου τότε επιτέλους βγήκαμε τελείως από τη ντουλάπα ΚΑΙ όταν έχουμε σχέση με άνθρωπο διαφορετικού φύλου στην πραγματικότητα είμαστε απλά στρέιτ ΚΑΙ όταν έχουμε σχέση με άνθρωπο του ίδιου φύλου στην πραγματικότητα είμαστε γκέι ή λεσβίες ΚΑΙ όταν τολμάμε να προτείνουμε ότι έχουμε τη δική μας ιδιαίτερη ταυτότητα προδίδουμε την κοινότητα ΚΑΙ αν αυτοπροσδιοριζόμαστε με την αμφισεξουαλικότητα τότε πιστεύουμε ότι υπάρχουν μόνο δύο φύλα ΚΑΙ όταν αυτοπροσδιοριζόμαστε με την πανσεξουαλικότητα είμαστε απλά χίπστερς ΚΑΙ όταν δεν αυτοπροσδιοριζόμαστε τότε είμαστε αόρατοι άνθρωποι ΚΑΙ κάθε ιστορική ή διάσημη προσωπικότητα που είχε ποτέ σχέση με άνθρωπο του ίδιου φύλου ήταν στην πραγματικότητα γκέι ή λεσβία άσχετα με το πώς μπορεί να ένιωθε για ανθρώπους άλλων φύλων ΚΑΙ μας λένε ότι δεν μπορούμε να κατασταλάξουμε σε μια απόφαση ΚΑΙ απλά ζητάμε την προσοχή των άλλων ΚΑΙ όταν είμαστε μονογαμικοί άνθρωποι δεν είμαστε πραγματικά αμφισεξουαλικοί άνθρωποι ΚΑΙ όταν είμαστε πολυγαμικοί άνθρωποι τότε επιβεβαιώνουμε τα στερεότυπα ΚΑΙ θέλουμε να γαμήσουμε οτιδήποτε κινείται ΚΑΙ είναι εντάξει να μας παρενοχλούν σεξουαλικά χωρίς να μας επιτρέπεται να επιλέξουμε να το αρνηθούμε ή να το απορρίψουμε ΚΑΙ είναι εντάξει να μας κάνουν προσωπικές ερωτήσεις για την ερωτική ζωή μας ΚΑΙ κάθε αποτυχία στις σχέσεις μας ανάγεται στην αμφισεξουαλικότητα ΚΑΙ βλέπουμε προσωπικές αγγελίες που λένε «όχι αμφί» ΚΑΙ για πάρα πολλούς άλλους ακόμα λόγους ΕΙΜΑΣΤΕ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΙΝΗΜΑΤΟΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΜΦΙΣΕΞΟΥΑΛΙΚΗ ΑΠΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΩΣΗ