Content warning: references to sexual violence and abuse, homophobia
I didn’t write an editorial for our LGBTQ+ history month print edition as I didn’t have anything I especially wanted to write at the time, but I was scrolling through TikTok the other day and came across a statistic that shocked me so much I had to write about it, so this is my very delayed LGBTQ+ history month editorial.
Bisexual women are nearly twice as likely to experience rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner than heterosexual women. 61 per cent of bisexual women report experiencing this violence, according to a 2010 survey.
Some studies even show that bisexual women are five times more likely than heterosexual women to be abused by a partner. Another study estimates that up to 75 per cent of bisexual women have been raped or sexually assaulted.
Let that sink in. That in the 21st century, bisexual women are more like to experience sexual abuse and violence than other women.
It’s not clear why this is, but it is likely in part due to continuing negative stereotypes and biphobia. Research shows that these stereotypes are still prevalent, and include ideas such as that bisexual people want to have sex with everyone, are more likely to cheat on their partner, and are more likely to have STIs. In bisexual women, this often manifests into words such as “slut,” as well the assumption that they are actually straight but just like to “mess around” with women. There is also the commonly held idea that bisexual people are lying to themselves, and are actually gay or straight. The assumption is usually that bisexual men are really gay, and bisexual women are really straight.
The rise of and easy accessibility to online porn as well as the media portrayal of bisexual women has resulted in a hypersexualisation of bisexual women. Some heterosexual men may assume that bisexual women exist purely for straight men and their pleasure or satisfaction. A lot of bisexual women report that men have said things to them about having threesomes with other women or made similar comments purely because they’re bisexual.
Research also shows that bisexual and lesbian women are at a greater risk of “corrective” rape, which is where the abuser claims that these women just “haven’t found the right man” and that they can “turn them straight.”
Experiencing sexual violence and assault has dangerous impacts on mental health. Bisexual people are already at a higher risk of poor mental health than gay and straight people because of things such as minority stress, which develops due to social stigmatisation.
Bisexual people also find it more difficult to reach out for help if they experience assault or if they’re struggling with their mental health. This is because of fears of biphobia, and concerns that their sexuality may not be taken seriously, especially if they go to an LGBTQ+ specific centre.
As a bisexual woman, these statistics scare and upset me. Continuing to stereotype bisexual people, specifically women, is clearly very dangerous, especially as it seems to lead to a huge increase in violence and abuse.
The recently published articles in our Voices section, the B Word, and in our Literature section, Bisexuality in Literature: Is It Underrepresented?, as well as outgoing secretary and former Film and TV editor’s Alexa Sambrook’s piece on finding representation on the screen, delve into the media representation of bisexual people, including some positive and sympathetic examples of representation. I advise you to take a read of these articles to explore this further.
It is unacceptable that we are still marginalised and stereotyped in this way. It’s important that the voices and experiences of bisexual survivors are valued and heard, and it’s even more important that the steps are taken to ensure that this abuse does not continue.
“File:The bisexual pride flag (3673713584).jpg” by Peter Salanki from San Francisco, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.