Who here has watched something with a love triangle where the bisexual person cheats on their significant other? That’s right, all of us. From Sarah Lance (Arrow), to so many characters on Grey’s Anatomy, to Maureen (Rent), to so many more characters who are seen as the cheating type. This kind of representation is extremely harmful. This reinforces the stereotype that bisexual people are cheaters, incapable of being in a loving and healthy relationship, and are unworthy of love.
There are many other experiences portrayed that almost no bi person actually experiences: it’s just a phase, they are greedy and only have threesomes, they are more likely to have a sexually transmitted infection (STIs), and they are always sexual. The fact is: none of these are true. First of all, it is not a phase. As a bisexual woman myself, the past 18 years have proven that to be inaccurate. Those that do end up changing their label to not be “bisexual” anymore, were likely never bisexual and just did not find the right label for their sexuality yet. As for threesomes, that is not limited to only bisexual people— many straight people have a desire for it as well. STIs are actually commonly found in many young adults and adults, regardless of sexuality. And, no, no one is always sexual. Next!
We needed better bisexual representation, like, yesterday. This is something that many need to see to validate their experiences, but it also can feel so amazing to see yourself represented on the big screen! Two shows with amazing bisexual representation are Brooklyn 99 and Crazy-Ex Girlfriend. Both show the realities of being bisexual as well as show that a person is not just their sexuality.