Participants display a bisexual pride flag on June 29, 2019, in Lisbon, Portugal.
Though she didn’t go out of her way to tell others that she’s bi, she didn’t hide it, either. She says the gay men she knew didn’t have any problem with it. But with a lot of straight guys it was different. Describing her own experiences, Katie Riddle of Chicago added, “I’ve contended with slut shaming or the belief that bi women are just in it for more sex and that bi women just want attention. There’s this assumption that your sexuality is a performance that’s meant to be enjoyed by someone else.”But hypersexualization isn’t the only threat facing bi women.
These myths give rise to discrimination against bi women in the workplace, in school and in other arenas. Such assumptions and others like them are called “bi erasure,” and every time a bi woman encounters this negation, it leaves wounds that over time can have a catastrophic impact on her health. That’s especially true for bi women of color—who comprise 36 percent of all bi women and stand at the crossroads of racism and biphobia.
Though hampered by a chronic lack of funding, researchers have found that bi women are more likely than the rest of the population to use tobacco and marijuana and become alcohol dependent. Other studies re- port that bi women suffer from high- er rates of asthma and high blood pressure. There’s evidence that bi women experience higher rates of ovarian and other cancers, too.