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Let’s just come out and say it: biphobia is still a real problem, both in our community and the straight community.
Even though bisexual people make up more than 50% of the LGBTQ community, bi-antagonism and bi-erasure are rampant amongst both the gay and straight community, making bi people feel isolated, invalidated, and dismissed.
The problem seems to be even worse with bisexual men, who, from all the pressure and stigma in both communities, often feel like they have to pick one side over the other. In fact, a study from 2013 found that bisexual men faced less social acceptance than bisexual women and gay people. The study also reported that only 8% of LGBT adults felt a lot of social acceptance of bisexual men. The bisexual men who took the survey reported they had been subject to verbal harassment (including slurs and derogatory jokes). What’s worse, a staggering 31% of bisexual men said they had been rejected by a friend or family member because of their sexuality.
So, what can we do about it? Love our fellow bisexuals! Besides standing up for bisexual people when discriminatory, hateful, and untrue statements are made, there are lots of other ways we lesbians can support bisexual people.
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If you’re looking for tangible steps you can take today to show our bisexual sisters and brothers that you love and accept them, check out some of these five steps below.
- Celebrate and support bisexual creators, musicians, and small business owners.
- Volunteer or donate to bisexual organizations like the Chicago Bisexual Health Task Force, the Bisexual Resource Center, and beyond.
- Read stories by bisexual writers to increase your perspective. Getting Bi is a great place to start as it’s an anthology series from bisexual writers from across the world.
- Lift up bisexual people of color and bi transgender people as they are often even further misrepresented. Consider following prominent bi+ people of color on social media such as Janelle Monáe, Ryan Russell, Raquel Willis, and Andrea Jenkins to hear more from their perspective.
- Loudly and proudly celebrate Bi Visibility Day!
The best part about the LGBTQ+ community (to us, anyway) is that we’re a family who can come together as a refuge from discriminatory beliefs found outside of our community. So let’s be that refuge to our bisexual sisters and brothers: consider taking action today!
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