For many, it means that gender is unimportant in their choice of persons to be attracted to. This may signify an equal attraction to men and women, even though circumstances might dictate that relationships with members of one sex are more likely to occur. For some, there is a preferred sex. She argues that peoples' erotic lives are often so complex and unpredictable that attempts to label them are necessarily restrictive and inadequate. Valid though this argument may be, I find bisexual identities can be meaningful in some contexts for reasons described below.
Identities are multidimensional, con textual and dynamic entities.
Allo-identification is achieved via the coming out process. Other people recognize the individual by means of the label accompanying allo-identification, or ascribe a label based on their observations of the individual's behavior. Part of the motivation for allo-identification and labeling oneself is the need to find a community of individuals who share the same identity. Labels are most useful when they succeed in bringing together an assortment of individuals who need the numerical and moral support of each other. They are counter-productive when they foster negative stereotypes that exacerbate discrimination from those 'outside', as well as divisiveness and parochialism from those 'inside'.