The health and well-being of bisexual women can be affected by the gender and sexual orientation of their partners, according to a new study published in the Journal of Bisexuality.
The researchers asked more than 600 bisexual women (and those who report being attracted to more than one gender) about their mental health, how open they are about their sexuality, their experiences with discrimination and any symptoms of depression. They also collected data on whether respondents were single or in a relationship and on their partners’ sexual orientation and gender identity.
Among his findings is that bisexual women in relationships with heterosexual cisgender men were less likely to be open about their sexual orientation.
“Most research on relationships has focused on heterosexual couples,” Casey Xavier Hall, a postdoctoral researcher at the Northwestern University Institute of Sexual and Gender Health for Minorities and the article’s lead author, told NBC News. “There is very little relationship research around the relationship of bi people. There are significant differences in relationships, depending on the sexual and gender identity of the bi women’s partners. “
Outness
Bisexual women in relationships with cisgender lesbian women, bisexual cisgender female partners, and bisexual cissexual male partners were more likely to be outside than those heterosexual male partners.
“Externality” was measured by asking participants: “How open / open are you about your sexual orientation?” with responses ranging from “for no one” to “for all”.
The researchers speculated that bi women may feel more comfortable revealing their sexual orientation when they are in a relationship with a woman. However, bisexual women were more likely to date a bisexual male partner than a heterosexual male, suggesting that a shared bisexual identity may be significant.
“What is unique about our discovery is that bisexual women in relationships with bisexual men were also more likely to leave, compared to bisexual women in relationships with heterosexual cisgender men,” said Xavier Hall. “It’s about the partner’s sexual and gender identity.”
Discrimination
The researchers found that the gender and sexual orientation of bisexual women’s partners are important to their experiences of discrimination and the basis of their sexual identity.
“In relation to participants in relationships with heterosexual cisgender men, reports of discrimination experiences were greater among participants in relationships with lesbian cisgender women, bisexual cisgender women, bisexual cisgender men and participants who are single,” says the study.
Xavier Hall said the exact reasons for this discovery are not clear.
“The visibility of your identity may be at stake,” he said. “If you are visibly homosexual, you may experience more discrimination.”
Xavier Hall also said that bisexual women experience two forms of stigma: homophobia and monosexism.
Monosexism is a type of stigma experienced by individuals who are attracted to various genders, such as bisexuals, pansexuals and some other individuals who identify themselves as homosexuals. The stigma stems from the idea that monosexual identities such as gay or heterosexual are normal or superior to sexual identities that include gender, according to Xavier Hall.
“More research is needed to understand what leads to the piece of discrimination,” he said.
Depression
The study also found that bisexual women with cisgender lesbian partners had fewer depressive symptoms compared to single bisexual women.
Previous research has found differences in mental health between bisexual women in relationships with women and men, but has not explored the role of partner sexual orientation.
“It makes me want to see more research that examines the woman-woman relationships responsible for differences in a partner’s sexual identity to really know if there are differences and understand what might be responsible for those differences,” said Xavier Hall.
A Gallup survey released last week estimates that more than half of all LGBTQ adults identify themselves as bisexual and, of that, the majority are women.
Xavier Hall hopes that future research will explore the specific health needs of bisexual women.
“I think it is important to give voice to the experiences of bisexual people,” he said.
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