Rachel Dolezal says she is bisexual but celibate
Rachel Dolezal speaking at a rally in downtown Spokane, Washington in 2015 (Creative Commons/Aaron Robert Kathman)
Rachel Dolezal, best known for claiming to be black, has spoken about being celibate and bisexual.
The divisive former NAACP Washington activist, who ignited international fury in 2015 when it was revealed she was actually white, came out as bi on Saturday (June 15).
Rachel Dolezal: Bi visibility is important
She wrote in an Instagram post: “Just wanted to take a moment to recognise Pride Month I am in absolutely no rush to explore a new relationship, but it still matters to stay visible.
“My first kiss was with a girl when I was 18. I am bisexual.”
Dolezal added: “Just because I have been married (briefly) to a man or have had children by male partners does not mean I am not bi.
“Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m confused. Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m ‘almost’ gay.
“Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m any less monogamous or into threesomes.”
Rachel Dolezal faced fury in 2015 when it was revealed she was white
She continued: “I’ve always been attracted to a certain vibe and the body parts present matter less to me than the heart, soul, compatibility & chemistry.
“So, don’t ignore or delegitimize the ‘B’ In LGBTQI… It’s a real identity. We are here, and no one’s opinion is going to make me gay or straight or not bi.”
Dolezal, who was convicted on a welfare fraud charge in 2018, added that due to her “stressful” life she has been “single and celibate” for four years “and don’t plan to change that any time soon.”
Rachel Dolezal has compared herself to transgender people
Dolezal has previously faced anger from LGBT+ activists for comparing her “transracial” identity to transgender people.
In 2017, she claimed: “Gender is understood… we’ve progressed and evolved to understanding that gender’s not binary or even biological, but what strikes me as so odd is that race isn’t biological either.
“Race to some extent has been less biological than gender if you think about history and our bodies. There isn’t white blood and black blood, there isn’t body parts that are certain races.”
Dolezal continues to insist she did not “lie” about her race.
She said: “It didn’t feel like a lie… the idea of race is a lie, so how can you lie about a lie?
“It felt like a true representation of who I am and what I stand for. Even though race is a social construct, you have to take a side and I stand on the black side of issues. For me to not check that box would have been some sort of betrayal.
“I definitely did not feel at home in the white world. It felt foreign to me and it felt uncomfortable and awkward to be there. It also felt oppressive because I had to constantly repress parts of myself in order to survive socially.”
