Following on from Bi-Visibility Month we are now being welcomed into the lovely season of autumn. Whilst the summer weather has disappeared us bisexuals have not, so I decided to write this article to show how bisexuality is represented in modern media and what that means for wider society. Bi-visibility month tends to be understated and something that only those within the LGBTQIA+ community talk about, however, this doesn’t mean we should underestimate its importance. Bi-visibility month forefronts the experiences of a group of people who have been consistently erased throughout history; whether we are discussing Freddie Mercury or Amy Winehouse it is made clear that society generally wants to see sexuality as ‘straight’ or ‘gay’ , with nothing in between. We need to continuously forefront the shades of grey that bi people, and everyone else, in fact, inhabit. Nature doesn’t do straight lines, it does spectrums. We have to learn to love and embrace these spectrums all the time, otherwise we are erasing whole sections of people’s lives (including our own).

True bi-representation in the media is rare. We have a few examples being Grey’s Anatomy’s Callie Torres, Sex Education’s Adam Groff, and Heartbreak High’s Malakai Mitchell, but bi characters like these are rare in a sea of canonically ‘straight or gay’ characters. This lack of representation also extends to academia as often papers written about bisexuality are not taken seriously.

A series of bisexual television characters.

We often devalue media representation to the point where simply having one bi character is revolutionary, but this isn't enough. Bi people are represented in various ways, generally captured by various negative stereotypes ranging from promiscuous to confused. These representations have real world impact, influencing the general public’s beliefs and understanding of bisexuality. This means that when your marketing includes discussions around bisexuality it needs to be done correctly.

Despite how people may frame bi people as ‘unicorns’ or as on a ‘layover on the way to gay town’ we have to acknowledge that a large amount of LGBTQIA+ people identify themselves as being bi. This acknowledgement, and the representations of sexuality and gender that will allow people to be more accepting of their own identities and other peoples. Bi acceptance encourages everyone to be their true selves, this goes hand in hand with trans acceptance and is something that has to be championed by organisations looking to drive positive change.

“I'm bi, but it's not like a whole thing”

Callie Torres is brought into Grey’s Anatomy as an assumably straight woman who eventually marries and then divorces Arizona Robinson (sorry for the spoiler but it has been out for a while). We see Callie go through a journey regarding her sexual identity and as she becomes bisexual we get a decent portrayal of her being ‘too straight’ for lesbians but also ‘confusing’ for heterosexuals. However, now that I’m watching season 13 I feel like her bisexual identity has simply been dropped. Since her divorce with Arizona she has only dated women (which of course is fine you can still be Bi and do that), but no one has questioned her bisexuality or even brought it up and that just feels unrealistic. The fact that she has somehow avoided things like fetishization as a bi woman is just totally unrealistic. Of course, I understand that a lot of Grey’s Anatomy is unrealistic (no, patients don't constantly code from the table, either that or I only know good surgeons). I'm not saying that Callie has to be oppressed or even that we have to talk about bisexuality all the time, but what I am saying is that we shouldn't be totally idealistic.

When representing identities it's essential to not centre them around personal struggles and oppression, however it is important to show some of a person's journey. A good example of this is Euphoria with the character of Jules (Hunter Schafer): Her character is trans but it's not a central plot line and generally we are focussed on other aspects of her life, however, there is a realism to her character’s struggles with one example being that others tend to view her as a one-dimensional-hypersexual-creature whilst she views herself (and is) a complex person.

“I'm promiscuous”

There are some examples of bi/pan people being represented in superbly promiscuous ways. The title character from Lucifer is shown to want to have sex with anything that moves, whether it be a man, a woman, demon, or anything else. He is loose with his sexuality but this is often shown in an extremely sexual and promiscuous manner, whereas this could have been shown in a more positive way. This is shown to cause issues with his loyalty, apparently he is prone to infidelity and ‘cannot commit’. So much of the show revolves around his promiscuity and at one point he goes missing and all of his recent lovers are called for questioning. Whilst Lucifer’s sexuality is not ridiculed or questioned at any point, the writers fail to combat any of the bi stereotypes that are perpetuated by his actions. I think a link can be drawn between this and what New Girl’s Nick says about Reagan (Megan Fox): “She's bisexual. That means she likes both men and women. I can't compete with that. That's all the people!” Lucifer is very much shown in this way - no matter what gender someone is or universe they are from they are likely to fall for him and he is going to be interested. He is always seen as some sort of sexual competitor that cannot be beaten.

The constant representation of bi and pan people as promiscuous is overdone and very harmful. It perpetuates stereotypes that they cannot be in a ‘committed relationship’ and have to have some sort of non-monogamous lifestyle to flourish. This means that bisexuals are painted as untrustworthy which means that when people hear the label it rings alarm bells.

This goes further when bisexuals disclose their sexuality in the workplace, this is often seen as highly inappropriate and if disclosed during interviews they are unlikely to get the role.

“I'm indecisive”

“I’m not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it’s just a layover on the way to Gaytown.” This is a quote from Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, and it’s rather surprising given that the show is generally progressive when discussing other matters. Bisexuals are often framed as heterosexuals having an experiment (see ‘I kissed a girl’ by Katy Perry) or as on their way to becoming gay and possibly being in denial about it. Bisexuality also arises in Glee when Blaine kisses Rachel Berry at a party in the episode ‘Blame it on the Alcohol’. Blaine says to Kurt that he isn’t entirely sure that he is 100% gay and Kurt says ‘Bisexual is a term that gay guys use in high school when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change’. In the end Blaine decides he is not bisexual and Kurt’s perpetuation of bisexual stereotypes goes entirely unchallenged. Kurt’s fellow performer Brittany S. Pierce is attracted to all genders and is never labelled as bisexual, alongside this Santana proclaims that she is bisexual and then only a few episodes later she declares herself a closet lesbian with no explanation. Whilst I understand that this is an identity journey that people go through, this is a stereotype and nothing is done to show that bisexuality is real and that sexual attraction runs on a spectrum.

Bisexuals are repeatedly painted as being ‘on a layover’ or as ‘confused’. This not only erases bisexual identity but also erases the journey of discovering sexual identity. It’s important that bi people aren’t painted as gay people simply wearing a mask, or girls that have had too many white wines and had a kiss with a friend. Bi people are more than that and if someone discovers that they are bi during a ‘drunk experiment’ then who are we to belittle that.

“I don't exist?”

A good example of bi-erasure is Orange is the New Black, which is of course highly regarded for the forefronting of the black trans experience portrayed by Laverne Cox. For all its achievements in discussing various DEI issues and complex subjects such as prison reform, it fails to properly represent bisexuality. The main character, Piper Chapman, is shown to be bisexual throughout the series yet the writing dances around the phrase and only mentions the word (or even shortened or other versions of it) a couple of times. Despite this, Piper is repeatedly called ‘straight’, ‘ex-lesbian’, and other things that completely erase her bisexuality. Additionally, other characters such as Morello (who is obsessed with her ‘husband’) are also clearly attracted to men and women but have their bisexuality erased.

Bisexuals are often out of the picture. This invisibility that bi people suffer from can take different forms, whether it’s by labelling someone wrongly (often when they never asked for a label), belittling their identity journey (see ‘ex-lesbian’ above), or even not acknowledging them at all. This is often hard to notice as it doesn’t stick out to people who are outside of the bisexual community, but this is definitely felt by bisexuals. Bi people feel this erasure in society and find that they cannot exist with sufficient acknowledgement of their identity.

Knock on effects

The series I’ve spoken about throughout this article have perpetuated norms about bisexuals that impact the behaviour of those who watch them. I have found myself experiencing biphobia and bi-erasure both in and out of LGBTQIA+ ‘safe’ spaces over the last couple of years. Every time someone asks about my relationship and I disclose that my partner is a woman there is the automatic ‘ah, you’re straight right?’ and often the people asking these questions barely know me. In fact, at a recent badminton tournament people were talking about me behind my back, to the point where a friend asked me “people are saying you’re straight, I swear that isn’t true?” These questions often lead to me saying ‘oh I’m bi’ or ‘what makes you think I’m straight’ (my response depends on how much mental bandwidth I have). If I disclose my sexuality then people automatically pry even further into my personal life, asking if/assuming that my relationship is open, asking about my partner’s sexual orientation (often when they don’t even know her name), and possibly asking more if they feel like they are able to.

It’s important to never make assumptions based on people’s personal characteristics, I think this is obvious enough. For example, we know it’s rude to ask a gay man if he’s wearing a jockstrap when he discloses his sexuality, but for some reason this same courtesy doesn’t extend to bi people. This means that unfortunately we do not feel comfortable in a lot of spaces whether they are LGBTQIA+ safe spaces or not. This has to change, and good media representation can help to drive this.

Positive representation

Nick “I’m bi actually” Nelson

Heartstopper has certainly been a trailblazing series in terms of representation: We have a trans character, lesbian representation, and some POC representation (although this could be a little stronger). Nick Nelson is the coolest boy in school, he’s captain of the rugby team and doesn’t appear to be with anyone when the series starts. There is a gentle building of tension between him and Charlie Spring and this blossoms into a relationship. People assume that Nick is gay, and when this is raised Nick says ‘I’m bi actually’, which is a very matter of fact (albeit clunky) way of shutting down biphobia and erasure on the spot. It is sad that this show of bi-representation is coupled with the fandom queerbaiting the actor who plays Nick Nelson to the point where he had to come out as bi with a post saying: ‘Back for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye’. I believe that this reaction shows that we need more bi-representation like this to counteract the current attitudes of society.

Detective Rosa “your worst fears are real” Diaz - Brooklyn 99

Brooklyn 99 represents bisexuality through the character Rosa Diaz. I discovered that the writers consulted with Stephanie Beatriz on the writing of her character as bisexual as she came out as bisexual a year before the episode aired. The show uses the words ‘bi’ and ‘bisexual’ freely which I enjoy, as shown above too many shows skirt around the term.

She begins as a closed off character (some might say grumpy) and over time she opens up, eventually, in the 100th episode she comes out as bi. Rosa’s bisexuality is readily accepted by her precinct, however her parents are not convinced when she comes out to them at dinner. In fact, her parents invite her to game night to tell her that they are okay with her bisexuality because she can (and will, according to their choices) marry a man and have kids. This leads to Rosa leaving the game night and going back to her apartment, subsequently, the rest of the precinct surprise her by coming over and hosting their own ‘family game night’. This show of support from her colleagues (especially Captain Holt) clearly showcases the concept of chosen family and the place of bisexual people within this. Brooklyn 99 strikes an excellent balance between realism and ‘feel good’ conceptions of bisexuality over these two episodes.

Conclusion

Whilst it’s fun to analyse portrayals of bisexuality in modern media, there is a deeper message here for those of us working in the fitness and wellness space (and beyond). Affinity groups, marketing campaigns etc. need to represent bisexuality and represent it well. This is how to make your spaces truly inclusive. The above examples show we still have a long way to go as bisexual representation must be considerate of its ability to perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and as shown with Heartstopper we cannot change societal attitudes easily. Having true bisexual representation in your business will broaden your audience and ensure all LGBTQIA+ people feel welcome in your spaces.

Bi-Visibility (and Invisibility): Bisexual representation on TV