Bisexual Erasure: Why It Matters

2026-08-01 3 min read

Bisexual people are the largest single group in the LGBTQ+ community — and the most invisible one. Bisexual erasure is the systematic dismissal of bisexuality as a real, valid identity. It's a quiet, corrosive form of discrimination that comes from outside the community and from within it. Here's why it matters, and what to do about it.

What Bisexual Erasure Looks Like

"It's just a phase" — the classic dismissal, usually aimed at young bi people
"Pick a side" — treating bisexuality as indecision
Partner-based identity erasure: A bi man with a woman is called straight; a bi woman with a man is called straight; suddenly every bi person's identity is determined by their current partner's gender
"Bi people are greedy" — the stereotype that bi people can't be satisfied or faithful
The invisibility loop: Because bi people are "invisible" when with different-gender partners, they get erased from queer spaces — which makes them less visible, which erases them more
"You're not queer enough" — bi people in same-gender relationships get the gatekeeper treatment from some parts of the community

The Data

The numbers are stark:

Bisexual people make up more than half of all LGBTQ+ adults in the US
Bi people report worse mental health than gay and lesbian people
Bi people face higher rates of intimate partner violence than any other sexual orientation
Bi youth are at significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation than gay or lesbian youth
Bisexual women experience higher rates of sexual violence than any other group

These disparities aren't random — they track directly with erasure, invisibility, and double discrimination.

Why It Persists

Bisexuality threatens neat categories. The world is comfortable with "gay or straight" — bisexuality breaks the binary, and people (and systems) respond by trying to dissolve it. The myth of "bi as transitional" lets people ignore bi needs: bi health research is underfunded, bi spaces are rare, bi history is unwritten.

What Changed — and What Hasn't

Bisexuality has more visibility than ever — partly thanks to the internet, where bi communities (r/bisexual, the Bisexual Index) flourish. But visibility online hasn't translated into resources offline. "Bi visibility day" (September 23) exists precisely because bi people are so often unseen.

How to Fight Erasure

As an individual:

Believe bi people. Their identity doesn't change with their partner's gender
Use "biphobia," not "homophobia," for anti-bi prejudice
Include bi voices in conversations about queer issues
Challenge bi jokes and stereotypes when you hear them

As a community:

Create bi-specific spaces and programming
Fund bi-specific health research
Count bi people in data collection
Stop treating bi identity as "in progress"

For Bi People Reading This

If you've been told you're confused, greedy, or "secretly" something else — you're not. Bisexuality is real, it's valid, and it's been documented in every era and culture. You belong in queer spaces, in straight spaces, and in your own skin. The people erasing you are wrong, and they're wrong about you. You're not a phase. You're not half-anything. You're bi — and that's a whole identity.