As far as I'm concerned, Billie Joe Armstrong never stopped being bi. Him being out as bi was a widely known fact amongst my queer (bi and monosexual) friends who were teenagers during the peak Green Day era, and I have several friends for whom he's a huge hero and bi icon for being out at the time.
While I think we put too much stock in representation, the gender and sexual fluidity of many artists in the 2000's emo-pop era was hugely affirming for me and other bi people in my life and did make a difference for many troubled teens. (Much of that stuff, like band members kissing on stage, was dismissed as queerbaiting when many artists from that era, including Armstrong and Brendon Urie, are bi/pan/genderqueer. Many such cases.)
I think this goes the other way too (which you've talked about before). When someone who says their bi partners or marries someone from the same sex, they were just pretending, or hiding how queer they really were. It's a catch-22.
“I’m not bi as in equally attracted to every gender but bi as in leave me the fuck alone.”
I loved that.
I’m one of those bi people who got married to a person of the opposite sex. I say I’m bi as a description, a summary of the range of my sexual/love desires. It’s a way of communicating for me, not an identity that plays a big role in my life or in how I see myself.
I’m sure gender and queer identities can be very important, give meaning to people’s lives, create safe spaces, etc, but it doesn’t play in that way with me.
And I can see how in identity terms I can be considered not-bi or former-bi or whatever. Maybe that does make sense for this identity-based group making. I can see how people would look at me and not find in me many similarities or shared struggles or any other element that would make them want me as part of their identity group. I think I’m fine with that.
As far as I'm concerned, Billie Joe Armstrong never stopped being bi. Him being out as bi was a widely known fact amongst my queer (bi and monosexual) friends who were teenagers during the peak Green Day era, and I have several friends for whom he's a huge hero and bi icon for being out at the time.
While I think we put too much stock in representation, the gender and sexual fluidity of many artists in the 2000's emo-pop era was hugely affirming for me and other bi people in my life and did make a difference for many troubled teens. (Much of that stuff, like band members kissing on stage, was dismissed as queerbaiting when many artists from that era, including Armstrong and Brendon Urie, are bi/pan/genderqueer. Many such cases.)
Yeah I def don't think he stopped, more that bisexuality always gets couched that way, as something you can somehow leave behind.
I wish more journalists would ask happily married straight celebrities if they're still straight.
I think this goes the other way too (which you've talked about before). When someone who says their bi partners or marries someone from the same sex, they were just pretending, or hiding how queer they really were. It's a catch-22.
“I’m not bi as in equally attracted to every gender but bi as in leave me the fuck alone.”
I loved that.
I’m one of those bi people who got married to a person of the opposite sex. I say I’m bi as a description, a summary of the range of my sexual/love desires. It’s a way of communicating for me, not an identity that plays a big role in my life or in how I see myself.
I’m sure gender and queer identities can be very important, give meaning to people’s lives, create safe spaces, etc, but it doesn’t play in that way with me.
And I can see how in identity terms I can be considered not-bi or former-bi or whatever. Maybe that does make sense for this identity-based group making. I can see how people would look at me and not find in me many similarities or shared struggles or any other element that would make them want me as part of their identity group. I think I’m fine with that.
But I’ll still say I’m bi.