A bisexual person may not be equally attracted to both sexes, and degrees of attraction may vary over time. Self-perception is the key to a bisexual identity. Many people engage in sexual activity with people of both sexes, yet do not identify as bisexual. Others believe that these factors interact. Because biological, social, and cultural factors are different for each person, everyone's sexuality is highly individual, whether they are bisexual, homosexual, or heterosexual.
Many people assume that bisexuality is just a phase people go through.
In fact, any sexual orientation can be a phase, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Humans are diverse, and individual sexual feelings and behaviors may change over time. The creation and consolidation of a sexual identity is an ongoing process. Since we are generally socialized as heterosexuals, bisexuality is a stage that many people may experience as part of the process of acknowledging their homosexuality. Many others come to identify as bisexual after a considerable period of identification as gay men or lesbians.