I was delighted to find an article about bisexuality in today’s issue of The Red & Black, the independent student newspaper which serves the University of Georgia community.

It’s great to see more mainstream media jump at the opportunity to use their medium as an educational tool. Whether the author knows it or not, she just provided new information to so many folks, as bisexuality is fiercely misunderstood.

Here’s just a snippet of Megan Otto’s line-by-line debunking:

I’ve learned that one of the biggest myths associated with bisexuality is that it’s a period of confusion, or transitional phase before becoming openly gay.

Both of these can be true in certain circumstances.

Telling people that you’re bisexual can help ease them into the idea that you aren’t straight while at the same time allowing them to keep hoping that you will still be involved in “traditional” relationships.

And we’ve all heard that college is the time to experiment. It’s no longer shocking for college-aged people to engage in relationships (however serious) with members of both sexes. But just because those people act bisexually does not mean that they identify as such.

For the most part, those who identify as bisexual stay so throughout their lives. They are involved in monogamous relationships and can remain committed to their partners.

Another major misconception associated with bisexuality is that bisexuals are equally attracted to men and women. People who consider themselves bisexual tend to favor one gender over the other, the same way some people prefer blondes to brunettes.

If a straight man is most attracted to blondes but finds his soul mate in a redhead, it’s doubtful he’ll walk away. He doesn’t close himself off to opportunities by forsaking every woman who is not blonde; he accepts the fact that other women are engaging regardless of hair color.

In that same way, bisexuals recognize that both sexes are desirable and opt not to limit themselves to choosing. And why should they just because the rest of society has?