It's Bisexual Awareness Week, and GLAAD is joining the rest of the internet by celebrating with #BiWeek, a social media campaign designed to draw attention to the public policy concerns of bisexual people while also celebrating the resiliency of bisexual culture and community.
Today, in honor of #BiWeek, the report "Understanding Issues Facing Bisexual Americans" was released by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), BiNet USA, and the Bisexual Resource Center.
So excited about our new report on #bisexual folks!! #BiWeek. @lgbtmap@BRC_Central@BiNetUSA#BiFactshttp://t.co/xZsHRUEXwb
— Heron (@herong) September 22, 2014
Here are some things we learned:
- There are over 9 million LGBT people in the United States and more than half identify as bisexual
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- Only 28% of bisexuals say that all the important people in their life know they are bisexual, compared to 77% of gay men and 71% of lesbians
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- Approximately 25% of bisexual men and 30% of bisexual women live in poverty, compared to 15% and 21% of non-LGB men and women respectively and 20% and 23% of gay man and lesbians
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- Nearly half of bisexual people report that they are not out to any of their coworkers (49%), compared to just 24% of lesbian and gay people.
- 20% of bisexuals report experiencing a negative employment decision based on their identity, and almost 60% of bisexual people report hearing anti-bisexual jokes and comments on the job
- When bisexual survivors of violence interact with police, however, they are three times more likely to experience police violence than people who are not bisexual.
- Bisexual people have high rates of poor physical and mental health. Physical disparities include higher rates of hypertension, poor or fair physical health, smoking, and risky drinking than non-LGB people, lesbians, or gay men. Despite these disparities, and perhaps compounding them, bisexual people are less likely than gay men or lesbians to be out to their health care providers.
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- Bisexual people experience higher rates of sexual and intimate partner violence than gay, lesbian, and straight people.
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Check out the full report here.
The internet is also sharing important facts and figures about the bi community.
RT @FenwayWomen: Bi women: as likely as heterosexuals to get cervical cancer but 10x less likely 2 b screened for it #BiFacts#BiWeek...
— Maya Rupert (@MayaRupert) September 22, 2014
#BiWeek#BiFacts Who are the bisexual politicians, past and present? http://t.co/TO6Bnnzcdg
— Mike Szymanski (@mikethebiguy) September 22, 2014
A person's sexual orientation doesn't change just bc they're in a relationship. #bifacts#biweek Learn more. http://t.co/8MJYZxizMw
— Religious Institute (@ReligiousInst) September 22, 2014
What do “Greedy” “Slutty” “Just a Phase” “Don’t Exist” & “Untrustworthy” have in common?They are all examples of biphobia #BiFacts
— Bi Resource Center (@BRC_Central) September 22, 2014
Join the conversation today by tweeting #BiFacts for #BiWeek!
From September 21-27, join GLAAD in recognizing the bisexual community for Bisexual Awareness Week, including Celebrate Bisexuality Day on September 23. Check out the new ways for bi, trans, and ally communities to get involved every day.
You can learn about the bi community, bi erasure, notable bi figures, and find resources for media at glaad.org/biweek2014 and more at bisexualweek.com.