Bisexual Erasure

For Bisexual Awareness Week I thought we could talk about an

important topic for the bisexual community, and that is bisexual erasure.

[Image consists of a cross section of a bisexual flag]

So first, what is bisexuality? Bisexuality is often defined as the emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to more than one sex, gender, or gender identity. It is important to note this attraction is not necessarily experienced in the same way, at the same time or to the same degree.

Keeping the definition of bisexuality in mind, bisexual erasure is the tendency to ignore, falsify, remove, or even reinterpret the evidence of bisexuality in the news, in academia, and throughout history. Taken to an extreme bisexual erasure may question the legitimacy or even existence of bisexuality itself. This bisexual erasure can occur societally or interpersonally and the LGBTQ+ community is far from immune.

A few examples of situations where bisexual erasure may occur include treating bisexuality as though it is just indecision or a phase, assuming when you see a man and woman in a relationship they are both heterosexual, or similarly that two women in a relationship are automatically lesbians. This labelling a partner’s sexuality based on how a relationship appears, rather than how they identify can reinforce and be a major source of bisexual erasure.

Various myths and assumptions can also lead to bisexual erasure. For example, many people think in all or nothing terms, that you are either heterosexual or homosexual, or even that bisexuality is a mix of the two rather than it’s own entirely separate and valid sexuality. Other myths include the idea that bisexual individuals face less harmful stigma than homosexuals, that bisexual individuals don’t exist and are probably just homosexuals, that bisexuals magically become straight when with a heterosexual partner, or that bisexuals are automatically polyamourous. These are all harmful myths and stereotypes that further erase and invalidate the experiences of bisexual people and serve to increase stigma.

Sadly the damage done by bisexual erasure goes well beyond perpetuating hurtful stereotypes and can in fact contribute to worse health outcomes than their heterosexual or even homosexual peers. Bisexual people actually have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders when compared with heterosexuals and homosexuals. Similarly they smoke more than their heterosexual or homosexual peers. Compared to heterosexuals they also have higher rates of heart disease, more STD diagnoses, and less screening for cancer even while having more cancer risk factors. How bisexual erasure plays into some of these issues is multilayered but often involves the stigma and isolation it causes.

Clearly bisexual erasure is a harmful and hurtful reality that our bisexual community members face both from within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. Addressing this issue can start with keeping an open mind, letting go of assumptions, and increasing visibility for bisexual people. Hopefully working together we can begin to end bisexual erasure.

[Image of a bisexual heart being erased by a pencil eraser.]

Questions to consider:

1. Why do you think bisexual erasure is so common?

   
   

2. What can we do to help reduce or eliminate bisexual erasure?

   
   

3. Visibility can be an important part of validation, so can you think of any famous or historical figures who are bisexual?

Sources:
https://www.health.com/mind-body/lgbtq-health/bi-erasure
https://www.bustle.com/p/5-myths-about-bisexuality-that-contribute-to-bi-erasure-2418689
https://www.glaad.org/bisexual/bierasure?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7KqZBhCBARIsAI-fTKKszXBU_h2MdYH-DdJiO-nWYLaRlqGyOMo3RYq_ywJBe3kdtzJQ_3waApRnEALw_wcB

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