It was 28 years ago, while I was in college, that I made the first mental connections to something I had felt prominently since my early teens. It would be another year before I had a name for it: bisexual. After another decade, I also better understood and accepted myself as pansexual and queer.

Since that time, it’s taken courage to be out and stay out when it came to calling myself bisexual or pansexual. Like others who identify this way, I often felt that my sexuality was invisible. Some straight men I would date wouldn’t seek to understand what that meant to me, they’d just get excited thinking this was their opportunity for a threesome with another woman. At the same time, both straight and gay acquaintances treated me like someone who was confused and just hadn’t made up my mind yet. 

But what is there to decide? 

I’m sexually attracted to people of all genders. Plus, just because I chose to have a monogamous relationship with a man or woman doesn’t change the fact that I am, still, a bisexual/pansexual person. That’s still an important part of my identity, and I feel compelled to work toward a better overall cultural understanding of what it means.

So, when director Kate Herron and the amazing cast of Loki brought Loki’s and Sylvie’s sexualities into the conversation in June 2021, I was thrilled. Here’s what happened…

It’s Season 1, Episode 3 of the series, and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), settle in on a train as part of escaping a planet on the verge of destruction. Loki and Sylvie are “variants” of the same person across alternate universes, which we call the “multiverse” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This Loki is, in fact, a variant of Hiddleston’s Loki that redeemed himself in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Instead of completing that arc, though, this variant deviated from the timeline just after leading the attack on New York City in The Avengers (2012). He’s now fleeing the “time cops” from the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Sylvie is a Loki variant who was born female in her timeline and has lived a very different life, on the run hiding from the TVA since childhood.

This scene was the first moment where the two characters had time to compare their lives and start to make a personal connection. As often happens in such conversations, the question of love and relationships comes up:

Sylvie: “You’re a prince. There must have been would-be princesses, or perhaps another prince?”

Loki: “A bit of both, I suspect the same as you. But nothing ever…”

Sylvie (nodding): “…real.”

I admit I felt some proud tears at this moment, and I couldn’t stop smiling for hours. Kate Herron was already becoming one of my favorite directors with this series, but this moment was next-level. Kate herself even shared how much this moment meant to her as a director:

From the moment I joined @LokiOfficial it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual. It is a part of who he is and who I am too. I know this is a small step but I’m happy, and heart is so full, to say that this is now Canon in #mcu #Loki pic.twitter.com/lz3KJbewx8

— Kate Herron (@iamkateherron) June 23, 2021

This is what we mean when we say bi-visibility and pan-visibility. Just this simple conversation between two characters is so big! I’m grateful for the courage that Marvel and Disney had to prompt real-world conversations that lead to increased understanding in our cultures worldwide. It’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen something like this in entertainment, but it’s one of the first times we’ve seen it so openly on this scale.

Why is this so important to the bi and pan community?

An identity label is a word we select because it holds a meaning about who we are. That one label condenses a bigger picture into something that people can quickly put meaning to. Consider someone who introduces themself to you as a “hipster,” “flower child,” or “geek.” Do those evoke any specific mental images for you about that person? Do you feel like you know them better when they use those labels? 

That’s what we want when we tell people we’re bisexual or pansexual: for them to know what that label means to us and acknowledge that as part of our identity. While I can’t speak for every bisexual or pansexual, I can speak for myself and acknowledge a lot of what we have in common. I want to take a moment and share that here to be part of starting that conversation for us all.

Bisexual and pansexual are labels identifying sexuality, i.e. who we’re sexually attracted to. Pansexual means that we may be sexually attracted to someone regardless of their gender expression (male, female, non-binary, gender-fluid, etc.). Bisexual has traditionally meant that we may be sexually attracted to someone who is either male or female. However, many of us who are bisexual acknowledge that gender identity is not a binary concept and, thus, we relate bisexual to pansexual. 

That’s it, really. That’s the core of the identity. Everything else you might have heard is a mix of misconceptions. I want to start dispelling those misconceptions by pointing those out here. Maybe you can help us correct these misconceptions as you speak with others, too:

We’re not “confused” or “haven’t decided yet.” We know we’re queer, and we know our sexuality is on a spectrum that’s independent from gender identity or gender expression. We’re neither confused nor undecided; we’re quite certain. We also know that we’re still bi and pan regardless of our relationship status. And speaking of relationships…

We aren’t inherently polyamorous or prefer open relationships. Our sexuality is not associated with our relationship preferences. Sure, you’re going to find some bi and pan polyamorous people out there, and some who experiment with the open relationship model. Most bi/pan people I know, though, including myself, prefer one person in romantic relationships and forming a family. And, naturally…

We aren’t all looking for threesomes and sex orgies. I already mentioned dating the guys who heard I’m bi and assumed that meant I’m down for a threesome. Regardless of whether I’m down, it’s incredibly uncomfortable for someone to make that assumption about me. What we each want in a sexual encounter is very different and unique to each person. It’s something we should each discuss in trust with each would-be partner. It’s not included in our identity as bi or pan. These assumptions have led me and others I know into some situations that are awkward at best and scary or unsafe at worst. 

But don’t just take all this from me. Check out this short video from Xtra Magazine with bi and pan individuals talking about their experiences and why bi-visibility matters to them:

Did the Loki/Sylvie relationship ultimately negate the value of that moment?

I have no doubt that some people will see it that way, but I don’t. Through the remainder of Season 1, Loki and Sylvie formed a close bond that was definitely romantic in nature. But does that change anything about their sexuality? No. Choosing to express romantic love to each other doesn’t suddenly make Loki and Sylvie heterosexual. Bi-visibility and pan-visibility is about acknowledging that we are bi and pan regardless of such choices. If you’re disappointed or feel that their romantic interactions devalue the bisexual/pansexual reveal, I’d like to know: What is it that you wanted to see, instead? Share your thoughts in the comments, and let’s talk about what the future holds now that Loki’s sexuality is canon.

Before I close, I did want to acknowledge another Loki moment that could have been equally as meaningful to LGBTQ+ fans. The series credits have, on multiple occasions, shown Loki’s TVA file with the label “gender-fluid.” Some long-time comic nerds have acknowledged that Loki has taken a lot of forms throughout comic history, including different genders. Many simply attribute the gender-fluid label to that comic history. That said, I think leaving the label to that explanation alone misses an opportunity to extend visibility to gender-fluid, genderqueer, and non-binary people here outside of the fictional world. I think Tom himself is supportive, though: he mentions in an interview Raffy Ermac did for Out that he found it important and meaningful to be part of that reveal in the show. Maybe that’s something they’ll explore more in Season 2.

What films, TV shows, comics, or books have impacted your life in a positive way by representing who you are? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments and chat about how powerful media can be for visibility and representation.