Bessiean/Bessie Bisexual Information!
A Bessiean/Bessie Bisexual is a black person who is both bisexual and sapphic (WLW/NBYLW)! The term comes from the African American jazz singer Bessie Smith, who was bisexual and was a strong advocate for wider visions of black womanhood.Bisexual sapphics have often faced large scale erasure and are often seen as less sapphic due to usually experiencing attraction to men. Black bisexual sapphics are especially underrepresented and frowned upon in today's society, facing struggles such as biphobia, misogyny, and antiblack racism.The Bessiean/Bessie Bisexual label is meant to be an exclusive space for all black bisexual sapphics, a place where we can feel safe and without judgement when describing our experiences with bisexuality, love for women, and blackness.
Who coined this term?
@bi-butches on Tumblr!Can nonblack POC use this term?
No. This term is only for black people.Can I create a similar term but for another race?I can't and won't stop you from creating your race-exclusive terms, please don't use this term as a point of inspiration if the term isn't for black people. I would also be mindful of why you feel the need to start doing something only when you see black people doing it.Can I use this term if I'm bisexual but not sapphic? / Can I use this term if I'm sapphic but not bisexual?No. Only people who are black, bisexual, and sapphic can use this term.I'm mixed with black, can I use this term?I'm not about to get into the tricky gatekeeping of mixed black people. Generally I'd say as long as you aren't blatantly passing as a different race and have at least some black features, and as long as you're not like, 2% black but call yourself mixed black, I'm fine with you using it.Is anyone not welcome to use this term?Apart from people who don't meet all three criteria for using this term, this term is not made for pedophiles, right-wingers, or TERFs/radfems/exclusionists.Can I use the flag but not the term or vice versa?Yes! Whatever makes you comfortable!Can I make an alternative flag for this term?Yes, and feel free to tag me on Tumblr if you post it there so I can see!
This is the current main Bessiean flag!Here are the color meanings, from top to bottom!Dark Pink - Blackness + The African Diaspora
Pink - Diverse relationships with gender amongst bisexual sapphics.
Light Purple - Love, sex, and/or passion
Dark Purple - Sapphic attraction
Blue - Empowerment
Double Moons - Bisexuality
Bessiean Butch Flag
Bessiean Femme Flag
Trans Bessiean Flag
This was the original Bessiean/Bessie Bisexual flag, which I made in 2021. However, in 2023, I decided to make an updated version to saturate a couple stripes and make them more distinguishable from eachother. I also updated the symbol itself.