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New study debunks common myth around bisexual privilege Credits: Social Media
By Danny Munro

New study debunks common myth around bisexual privilege

By Danny Munro

Gender expert Rosie Nelson has set out to dispel often-peddled mistruths about the bisexual community and its supposed privilege.

Author Rosie Nelson was commemorated on Twitter this week after they announced the release of a new academic paper, in which they sought to clear up some misconceptions about bisexual people and their everyday lived experiences. Having delved into their findings, here’s what we learned about the claim that bi+ people lead a life of greater privilege compared to other communities represented under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.

In an article published by the University of Bristol, England, Nelson suggested that bi+ people (a group they defined as people who are attracted to multiple genders), are often accused of not sharing the same struggles as other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Specifically, Nelson contends that bisexual people are often accused of benefitting from “straight-passing privilege”, meaning that people believe bisexuals are more likely to pass as straight and thus will not suffer from the same prejudices that other members of the queer community often do.

But, based on a particularly comprehensive review of the literature on the subject, the gender and sexuality writer has concluded that even if, like gay and lesbian people, bisexual people may sometimes pass as straight – this does not mean they benefit from some form of exclusive bisexual privilege.

Rather, they argue, bi+ people actually suffer from a lack of a clear identity, and are often “sidelined” in discussions surrounding the queer community – prompting some rather interesting thoughts about the way we view a group that is said to make up around 5% of the entire US population.

“Passing is not a privilege”

Nelson also made a rather profound point when they argued that to pass as straight is actually less of a privilege, and more of a damming inditement of the way queer people feel the need to concern their identities in 2024.

Moreover, when viewed as outsiders by other people belonging to minority sexuality or gender identity groups, bi+ are less likely to be confident enough to openly identify themselves as queer – prompting calls of “queer solidarity” from Nelson, who stresses the need for LGBTQ+ from all walks of lives to stand with one another in order to prevent such exclusion.

Nelson’s work will appear in the latest edition of the Journal of Bisexuality – a first-of-its-kind quarterly scholarly magazine that focuses on “both professional articles and serious essays on bisexuality and its meaning for the individual, the community, and society.”

Speaking on Twitter about the release of the bisexual privilege paper, Nelson said: “I wrote this article in a fury, after hearing, once again, that bi+ people should do more for the LGBTQ+ community given that they have lesser discrimination and greater privilege due being straight-passing”.

“This article argues that whilst bi+ people may pass as straight, this is often due to interconnected issues of invisibility, safety, and discrimination – and it happens in LG (lesbian or gay) spaces as well as cisheteronormative spaces!”

You can read Nelson’s full article, for free, here.