It’s no secret that representation in media is important. It’s also no secret that representation in media is still lacking in many ways. Depiction of different races, genders, and sexualities in media is increasing, but we still have a long way to go.
One area that I find personally lacking is the portrayal of bisexual characters. Shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “Sense8” have portrayed great gay and lesbian characters but I still have yet to see many openly bisexual characters on television. Even in “Orange is the New Black,” Piper Chapman, who is clearly bisexual, is never openly characterized as bi, but rather refers to her past relationships with women as her becoming a “lesbian” and her relationships with men as her being “straight.”
Being bisexual myself, I never had anyone in movies or TV to relate to in terms of sexuality when growing up. The rare representation of a bisexual characters usually ended in bisexuality simply being a way to experiment and not a permanent state of being or as an over-sexualized way to set up a steamy threesome. Just as with most lesbian representation, bisexual women are often over-sexualized and simply used for the pleasure of male viewers and not as a legitimate sexuality.
It took me a long time to come to terms with my bisexuality. Partly this is a result of the way I was raised and the Christian, Conservative mentality I grew up surrounded by. However, I think it also had to do with the fact that I never saw anyone else like me in media. As a young kid, I had never heard about bisexuality; I had never seen people who were attracted to both men and women. It was not until high school that I saw a bisexual character on TV. I started watching “Grey’s Anatomy” and immediately related to Callie Torres’ character. Her bisexuality was not over-sexualized and was not her only defining trait; her sexuality was legitimate and openly and unashamedly depicted. I would not be able to really face my bisexuality until my Freshman year at VCU when I found myself around people like me and people who accepted and normalized bisexuality but I truly believe that being able to see representation of bisexuality helped me with that journey.
Shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Shadowhunters” that portray and normalize bisexuality are paving the way to true representation in media. There is still a long way to go but the rise of accurate portrayals in media gives me hope that we will get there one day. For now, all we can do is demand diversity of all kinds in media until everyone is given a place.