Definition of bisexuality

The term "bisexuality" originated in the late 19th century as a medical term to describe individuals who experienced sexual attraction to both men and women. The word "bisexual" comes from the Latin prefix "bi" meaning two, and the Greek suffix "sexual" referring to sexuality. The term was first used in a medical context by the Austrian physician Kraft-Ebing in 1892 in his book "Psychopathia Sexualis." However, the term was not widely used until the 1920s and 1930s, when it began to be used in homosexual rights activism to challenge the medical and societal beliefs that labeled homosexuality as a disorder. In this context, bisexuality was seen as a step toward accepting both same-sex and opposite-sex desire as natural and valid. Today, bisexuality is recognized as a sexual orientation by the World Health Organization, and the term continues to evolve and be reclaimed by individuals as a means of identifying their own complex and diverse experiences of sexual and romantic attraction.