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Chrys Weedon<\/strong> | Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n It is nearly common knowledge in the psychological community that the LGBTQ+ community experiences a disparate amount of mental health issues when compared to their straight counterparts. According to the Bisexual Resource Center, 40% of bisexual people report considering or attempting suicide, compared to roughly 25% of gay and lesbian folks.<\/span><\/p>\n Studies from the Williams Institute have discovered that people who identify as bisexual make up approximately half of the LGBTQ+ population, but only 28% of those people are out to their loved ones. Why these disparities? Biphobia has been posited as a cause.<\/span><\/p>\n The term \u201cbiphobia\u201d is defined by the BRC as \u201cmislabeling bi+ people as lesbian, gay or straight, even when they come out as bi+.\u201d What does \u201cbi+\u201d mean? I\u2019ll come back to that.<\/span><\/p>\n A lot of biphobia isn\u2019t blatant. Instead, it is often buried deep within subtle actions, or microaggressions. <\/span><\/p>\n In his book, \u201cMicroaggressions in Everyday Life,\u201d Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as the \u201cconstant and continuing reality of slights, insults, invalidations and indignities visited upon marginalized groups by well-intentioned, moral and decent family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, students, teachers, clerks, waiters and waitresses, employers, health care professionals and educators.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Biphobia is really more common than many people, straight and LGBTQ+ alike, think. For example, phrases are often uttered such as, \u201cyou\u2019re just confused\u201d; \u201cbisexual people just want to sleep with everyone\u201d; \u201cbi people are more likely to cheat\u201d; \u201ccan\u2019t you just pick one?\u201d; \u201cyou aren\u2019t really bi if you\u2019re dating (opposite gender)\u201d; \u201cyou aren\u2019t really straight if you\u2019re dating (same gender)\u201d; I could really go on.<\/span><\/p>\n Ignorance toward bisexuality and the erasure of bisexual identities is rampant in the LGBTQ+ community as well. Many gay or lesbian folks just assume that identifying as bisexual is only a baby step toward \u201cactually\u201d coming out as gay. Many people simply don\u2019t understand what bisexuality means.<\/span><\/p>\n Now back to that word: \u201cbi+.\u201d This term simply acknowledges that different people interpret the label \u201cbisexual\u201d in different ways. Some people define bisexuality as being attracted to multiple genders, or more than one gender. Some people explain the term in the most stereotypically understood way: being attracted to men and women, or masculine and feminine people.<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes people hear the word \u201cbisexual\u201d and they get stuck in that mindset that I just explained: bisexual people are only attracted to men and women, and it turns into a whole mess of \u201cwell does that mean bisexual people are just obsessed with someone\u2019s genitals?\u201d The answer? No. Bisexuality does not inherently mean that someone doesn\u2019t acknowledge the complexities of gender. What the issue really comes down to is that some people don\u2019t even want to get to know someone and what their bisexual identity means to them before they go and jump to all sorts of different conclusions.<\/span><\/p>\n I have experienced a lot of biphobia in my life, and I\u2019ve watched my loved ones struggle with it as well. Experiencing biphobia from my own community has hindered me from truly accepting my identity, and in some cases, it has stopped me from coming out. I\u2019ve been told I\u2019m not gay enough to be Queer, and not straight enough to be straight. I\u2019ve had friends question the validity of my identity. I\u2019ve been called transphobic. I\u2019ve been interrogated with \u201coh, you\u2019re bi? But have you \u2018tried\u2019 both? Have you had sex with men and women?\u201d This essentially says that if I hadn\u2019t \u201ctried both\u201d I wouldn\u2019t be a legitimate bisexual and I\u2019d have my membership card revoked.<\/span><\/p>\n I think the LGBTQ+ community needs to be better. Writing off biphobia as simply a \u201cstraight\u201d issue is ignoring a big part of the problem. How can we expect straight people to be accepting of our community if we aren\u2019t even accepting of each other? There is no excuse to be this oblivious anymore. Bisexual people exist and we need your support too.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n