Anyone who has seen MTV’s “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” can see that bisexuality as a sexual orientation is misrepresented in our society. Tila quickly became America’s most popular bisexual when she had 16 heterosexual men and 16 lesbians compete for “a shot at love” with her.

I can’t say I’m a fan of reality TV shows, but being a bisexual male, Tila’s show really grabbed my attention. I hoped Tila would explain misunderstandings of bisexuality in American society and rid the mass amount of myths that surround the sexual orientation. Unfortunately, she has only exacerbated these misconceptions by treating her sexuality as the driving force of petty drama and cheap entertainment.

The Daily Orange quoted several students on Thursday responding to a study on bisexuality as a distinct sexual orientation. The study showed that 87 percent of the sample group of women who claimed to be bisexual still claimed to maintain that sexual orientation 10 years later. According to the article, the results of this study poke holes in the commonly-held theory that bisexuality is a transitional period between heterosexuality and homosexuality.

But the study only targeted a small group of women between the ages of 18 and 25. While such studies are progressive, the results are often not comprehensive enough — such was the case with this one. One student quoted in The D.O. article disagreed with the results of the study, claiming that bisexuals are confused individuals who continue to experiment until they find out which sex they prefer. Another quoted student maintains that a person can be either “gay” or “straight,” and that it’s wrong to like both sexes.

Let me make this clear: bisexuals are not confused. We’re not experimenting with alternate genders to “discover” our sexualities. Bisexuality is not a phase. It is not a relinquishing trend. I don’t think any of my straight male friends would care for it much if I told them they might wake up the next morning with “the gay.” It’s not a contagious disease. Bisexuality is not a phase of weakness erupting from sexual frustration. Instead, the fluidity of sexuality is often times ignored when we group ourselves into categories and limiting orientations. Sexuality is a spectrum, a line that connects homosexuality and heterosexuality. I identify as bisexual because I am attracted to both men and women sexually and spiritually, even though I have been romantically involved with more women than men.

“Who are we heterosexuals to question the actions of people that are bisexual? Do they ask us why we like women or men? No. So why should we?” said sophomore economics major Chris Filipski.

After reading Thursday’s D.O. article and watching “A Shot at Love,” I realized sometimes one needs to step back and recognize the ignorance flooding their environment. If I want to know more about space travel, I’m going to ask an astronaut, not a firefighter. If non-bisexuals want to know more about bisexuality, ask someone who is bisexual. Don’t ask someone coming up with wild theories based on assumptions or the publicity stunt by Tila Tequila that strips us of our dignity. Make no mistake — this not only pertains to those straight people who have made themselves the authority on sexuality; bisexuals, including myself, are usually just as harassed and misunderstood within the lesbian and gay community.

And no, I don’t sleep in a gigantic red bed.