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Bi+ Visibility: Characteristics of Those Who Attempt to Make Their Bisexual+ Identity Visible and the Strategies They Use

  • Special Section: Bisexual Health
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Abstract

There are numerous forms of stigma that contribute to the de-legitimization and erasure of bisexual and other non-monosexual identities (collectively referred to as bisexual+ or bi+ identities). To reduce such stigma, efforts are needed to increase bi+ visibility. Little is known, however, about whether bisexual+ individuals attempt to attain greater bi+ visibility (i.e., make their bisexual+ identity visible to others) and, if so, how they do this. Using data from a mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) internet survey study of 397 individuals reporting attractions to more than one gender, we examined the proportion who attempted to attain greater bi+ visibility, the strategies they used to do so, and factors that distinguished those who made bi+ visibility attempts from those who did not. Results indicated that 58% made bi+ visibility attempts, with the most common being direct verbal communication (e.g., telling others) and visual displays (e.g., wearing bi/pride clothing, jewelry, tattoos). Less common attempts included indirect forms of communication, engagement in LGBT-related activities, and public behavioral displays. Those who made bi+ visibility attempts differed from those who did not on variables related to identity (e.g., centrality, self-affirmation, community connection) and internalized binegativity. Implications for understanding the reasons for and for not making bi+ visibility attempts, as well as the potential consequences of doing so, are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We use the term bisexual + throughout this article as an umbrella term that includes all individuals who report attractions to more than one gender, regardless of the specific sexual identity label they use (e.g., bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, queer). However, when we refer to specific research studies, we use the term bisexual, when appropriate, to reflect their actual sample. When discussing measures used in the present study, we use the term bisexual/non-monosexual because that is the language that was used in the surveys participants completed.

  2. Race/ethnicity categories with fewer than 9 participants were collapsed into an “Other” category, leaving the following categories: Black/African-American, Latino/a, White/Caucasian, Multiracial, and Other.

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Author notes

  1. Christina Dyar

    Present address: Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA

  2. Jeremy Jabbour

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-2500, USA

    Joanne Davila & Jeremy Jabbour

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA

    Christina Dyar

  3. Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA

    Brian A. Feinstein

Authors
  1. Joanne Davila
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  2. Jeremy Jabbour
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  3. Christina Dyar
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  4. Brian A. Feinstein
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Correspondence to Joanne Davila.

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Davila, J., Jabbour, J., Dyar, C. et al. Bi+ Visibility: Characteristics of Those Who Attempt to Make Their Bisexual+ Identity Visible and the Strategies They Use. Arch Sex Behav 48, 199–211 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1284-6

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