Bisexual Erasure
Two married men are spending some time in a space dominated by gay men. The community refers to them as a gay couple. One of the men objects being called a gay because he is bisexual. Every time he mentions this, the others claim that he cannot really be bisexual or that his orientation no longer matters now that he is partnered. His bisexuality is questioned or is denied outright. This is bisexual erasure or bisexual invisibility, where the legitimacy of his bisexuality is questioned or perhaps asked not to talk about it. The rejection of bisexuals by homosexuals and heterosexuals, to establish a binary concept of gender, is a major factor contributing to bisexual erasure. Bisexual erasure leads to lower access to resources, support, and opportunities the bisexual community needs. Bisexual erasure is a problem because it affects the mental health of bisexuals, discards them from LGBT rights discourse and litigation, and invalidates the bisexual label and community.
The LGBTQ community is at a greater risk to poor mental health compared to heterosexual counterparts. Out of these sexual minorities, bisexual individuals face social isolation at a greater degree than other members of the LGBTQ community. They are more prone to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts than heterosexuals and the other sexual minorities. Their sexual orientation is perceived as immoral and unstable. They are considered to be hypersexual, confused about their sexual orientation, disloyal, and more likely to transmit sexually transmitted diseases. They face unique hostility where a gay man, lesbian, or heterosexual individual are less willing to get into a relationship with a bisexual individual. Bisexuals face more prejudice from heterosexuals than gay men or lesbians. They are more likely to experience violence and victimization than the other sexual minorities. Bisexuals experiencing double discrimination from gay men and lesbians lead them to become invisible and conceal their sexual orientation. The social isolation, decreased social support, and loneliness in turn paves road to poor mental health. In a study conducted by researchers from American University, data from 503 participants between 18 and 64 years, who identified as bisexuals, was analyzed. They were asked questions about their bisexuality and how it affected their lives. The results showed that bisexuals experience stress uniquely related to them; rejection experienced from both heterosexual and sexual minority communities lead bisexual individuals to become isolated from both communities. The overriding sense of discrimination and ostracism can lead to poor mental health and suicidality [1].
Gays and lesbians have exclusively been the focus of cases addressing sexual orientation discrimination. Although the ‘LGT’ contingent of the LGBT community has attained significant visibility and legal protection over the years, the bisexuals are the last contingent with a comparative absence in LGBT-rights litigation and legal discourse. Bisexuals suffer a great deal of harm as a result of being excluded from legal discourse and litigation range. They are denied custody or immigration rights as the decisioning bodies view them more suspicious than the other sexual minorities. They are sometimes illustrated as too unstable and unfit to be parents. Courts when faced with bisexual parents in custody and adoption petition cases have viewed bisexuality as a form of emotional instability. The delegitimization of bisexuals illustrating them to be unfit to be parents than homosexuals in a form of bisexual erasure. Bisexuals seeking to emigrate are viewed with suspicion due to the confusion on how they may be in a same-sex relationship at one point and a different-sex relationship at another. Bisexuals may be forced to prove that they are “gay enough” in the context of immigration, to be warranted protection from persecution by their home countries. Bisexual immigrants seeking asylum are at a danger of being sent back to their home country were non-heterosexual conduct is viewed as a crime. Failure to understand bisexual orientation leads to bisexual erasure that puts the lives of these individuals in grave danger if they are denied asylum [2]. Bisexuals are relatively invisible in the court houses and legal academies. “Bisexual erasure in litigation can result in missed opportunities for refining legal dialogues and strengthening legal protections for equal liberty and justice in a more doctrinally integrated, cross-cultural, and cohesive manner [2].”
Bisexual erasure wipes out the desires and existence of bisexuals. The sexual minorities are keen at normalizing homosexuality as a family oriented community, no different than traditional heterosexuality. According to Schroth and Mitchell, we rely on homosexual and heterosexual categories to group people. When individuals don’t identify to either of these categories, we expand the old categories to accommodate new facts rather than creating new categories. When in relationships, bisexuals blend into the sexual orientation defined by that relationship rather than retaining their status as bisexuals [3]. Bisexuals are regularly accused of trying to hide their true homosexuality or heterosexuality. Such instances deprive bisexuals from their full ability to be autonomous and self-defining in their most intimate life choices [2].
Bisexual erasure can be tackled by understanding bisexuals’ experience of rejection and loneliness within heterosexual and homosexual community. Bisexual support groups or mentorship groups can be formed or organized particularly for bisexual youth. To top it all, it is the responsibility of the bisexual individuals to raise their voices to come “out of the closet” to ensure their visibility.
References:
- Bridging bisexual erasure in LGBT-rights discourse and litigation (https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl/vol22/iss2/2/)
- Bisexual-Specific Minority Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality in Bisexual Individuals: the Mediating Role of Loneliness (https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s11121-017-0804-2?author_access_token=HmXzCxYOGPXlpyLFkEh2Sfe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY69fGsGy82K2F-qKswjcCp_4lquu_M_wYRCb68kZNDamLFIvZBapABKj2WauzK0QwYj51DicENdDF4V1osJGNKNJ7f4EV4qD7AeKrzNK6d3Ww==)
- Queering Queer Theory, or Why Bisexuality Matters (http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjbi20)