Bisexual Angst

I don't like the fact that I am bisexual.

Oh, goodness knows I love being queer. I love the scene, the people, the events, the movies, the books, the history, the struggle for equality, the art, the clubs, the implications. But more often than not, I think to myself: I wish I were a lesbian.

I don't know about other bisexuals, but I have many problems with this label. Here are a few of my gripes:

1. I constantly get defensive whenever anyone accuses me of being straight or gay. It terrifies me to think that anyone would assume either way, thereby cutting off my romantic/sexual options. I always feel like I'm balancing on a log which rolls one way or the other, trying desperately to keep myself perfectly poised in the middle. It would be so nice to be able to confidently say, "Yes, I'm straight," or "I'm gay," without having to tediously explain & justify the entire middle ground.

2. Often, bisexuals are not respected by the straight community or the gay community. Either they think we are doing it for attention/going through a phase, or they think we can't commit to a single relationship, or they think we're confused, or all of the above. (Admittedly, I am confused, but that doesn't mean I always will be - & most bisexuals aren't.)

3. Currently, I'd rather be in a romantic relationship with a man, but I'd rather be in a sexual relationship with a woman. Periodically, this switches. They hardly ever sync up. I find this supremely frustrating & confusing.

4. Katy Perry. 'Nough said.

5. I go through phases of liking mostly boys or mostly girls. It's extremely rare that I find myself interested in people from more than one gender at a time. This confuses me (that's nothing new, right?), but it also fills me with guilt because I feel like I'm proving all the bisexual stereotypes I hate so much.

Any other bi folks have similar or other complaints about this particular brand of queerness?