The ‘B’ in LGBTQ+ stands for bisexuality, which refers to an individual being attracted to both males and females. Unfortunately, bisexuals are oftentimes discriminated against and face very unique struggles that are undermined in society. To help raise awareness, here are just a few.
Not Accepted in Society, Not Accepted in the LGBTQ+ Community
Despite being one of the main sexualities mentioned in this diverse acronym, people who are bisexual are a minority within a minority. Not only are bisexuals labelled as being “promiscuous” or “confused” by society, but they are also deemed as “fake gays” or “people who want to be oppressed” by a few people within the LGBTQ+ community. It is a constant struggle of feeling like you don’t belong anywhere, or that your sexuality is “disgusting” or “wrong”.
“Everyone is Bisexual”/”No One is Bisexual”
There are many people in the world who believe in the Freudian theory of “constitutional bisexuality”, which refers to individuals being attracted to both sexes, but repressing the emotions for one sex (Goob, 2008). When an individual comes out as bisexual, a lot of people may think that this person isn’t “special”, or that their sexuality isn’t valid because this theory claims we are all a little bit bi. It is really discouraging to bisexual individuals because it invalidates the discrimination they face concerning their sexuality.
However, there are some people who say that no one can be bisexuality, and that people who claim to be bisexual are either: “selfish” for not “choosing a sex”, that bisexuals are “confused”, or that bisexuals just want to get some from anyone. People truly believe this, which is funny, because usually these are the same people who recognized that humans are animals, and there are over one thousand non-human animals who express bisexuality frequently. This dangerous ideology essentially tells a person who is bisexual that they aren’t accepted by many people due to the fact that they love to love anyone.
Stigma on Dating the Opposite Sex
When a bisexual individual dates someone of the opposite sex their bisexuality is immediately erased. People immediately don’t believe that you can be attracted to the same sex, or that you just identify as bisexual ‘for attention.’ It isn’t a social trend like using emojis, hashtags, or filters. It is a true passion and desire. Some people get upset when a bisexual individual dates someone of the opposite sex because they believe that the person has ‘given up’ and doesn’t want to date anyone of the same sex to avoid discrimination, which is also ridiculous. Bisexual individuals are open to both sexes; we don’t go out seeking certain people of a certain sex. Whoever stands out to us is who we will like, regardless of their sex.
There Aren’t As Many Bisexuals
As of 2016, only about 1.8% of the world’s men identify as bisexual, and 2.8% of the world’s women identify as bisexual. Of that demographic, 28% of those bisexuals are closeted, and 30% come out as gay years after identifying as bisexual. Only 0.7% of Americans are bisexual, which, in comparison to the gay and lesbian populations, is lower. Since this demographic is lower, many people disregard the sexuality as though it doesn’t exist. These are according to the following links on a Wikipedia page and a HealthResearchFunding page.
Higher Mental Health Issues
Since 2012, many studies have proven that bisexuals suffer from greater risks of mental health crisis, including depression, anxiety, suicide, etc. This has proved to be a global issue, and not just one based in North America. This could be due to constant microaggressions putting down their sexuality throughout their life, constant invalidation, and perhaps settling for someone of the opposite sex to please society, friends, and family, despite being attracted to someone of the same sex.
Here are just a few studies that discuss mental health issues in bisexual individuals: Ontario Mental Health Association US National Library of Medicine: Prevelance US National Library of Medicine: Suicide Healthline.org
There are many more issues that people in the bisexual community face which people ignore or society does not recognize. People in the bisexual community just want to be accepted by society and the LGBTQ+ community. This is a real thing and not something people do as a fad. Bisexual individuals have so much love to give in their hearts and can see the beauty beyond sex. This isn’t confusion, desperation, or a phase.