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We need to offer older bisexual people the attention and support they deserve so that they too can thrive and age with dignity
Kylie Madhav is senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion at SAGE, a nonprofit advocacy group for LGBTQ+ elders
While we have seen notable progress in LGBTQ+ equality over the past several decades, too many members of our community continue to face persistent discrimination and exclusion because of their identity. Far too many are still forced to contend with intolerance while navigating their daily lives simply because of who they love or how they present.
The proliferation of bills in states across the United States that specifically target LGBTQ+ people only serves to multiply the number of hurdles that face our community.
Beyond experiencing the anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice to which other members of our community are exposed, bisexual (Bi+) individuals encounter unique social, economic and healthcare-related challenges that place them at greater risk of isolation and negative health outcomes when compared to their LGTQ+ peers.
The narratives and lived experiences of Bi+ people are often overlooked and/or minimized – even within spaces designed for LGBTQ+ people – thus limiting the opportunities for members of this community to be seen and embraced for the totality of who they are.
Bi+ individuals are estimated to represent more than half of our nation’s LGBTQ+ population, but they experience significantly worse physical, mental, and social health outcomes than their gay, lesbian, and heterosexual peers. This is likely attributable, at least in part, to a kind of multifaceted discrimination that puts Bi+ people at risk of marginalization by anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment while simultaneously seeing their voices and narratives erased or disbelieved within LGBTQ+-centric spaces.
People who identify as Bi+ are more likely to present a wide array of medical conditions when compared to heterosexual adults; these conditions are only aggravated by elevated rates of smoking and alcohol use within the community as a whole. Additionally, many Bi+ people do not feel comfortable disclosing their sexual identity to healthcare practitioners due to past negative interactions within systems of healthcare.
This leads many to refrain from seeking medical support when needed. Compounding this issue, Bi+ Americans are vastly understudied in health research and underserved in terms of programming built specifically for their community.
Older Bi+ people are significantly more likely than their lesbian and gay peers to live at or below 200% of the federal poverty line; more likely to have lower income levels as compared to older gay and lesbians; and have higher rates of depression and worse health outcomes overall when compared to gay and lesbian people of similar ages.
It is time to truly prioritize care for Bi+ people and strategically evaluate how we can better meet their needs.
First, we must combat the myriad ways in which the identities and lived experiences of Bi+ people are swept aside and ignored. When seeking to be inclusive of them in spaces or programming meant for LGBTQ+ people, we should not assume anything regarding their preferences. This means not assuming that all partnered cisgender women are in relationships with other women or that all partnered cis men will necessarily be in relationships with other men.
It is also crucial to build programs and increase access to mental health support that address the unique forms of isolation and marginalization that Bi+ people encounter. Research focused on the community’s elders suggests they are even more likely to experience social isolation when compared to other LGTQ+ adults. LGBTQ+ elders as a whole are twice as likely to be single and live alone and four times less likely to have children.
While additional research is needed to more comprehensively understand the lived experiences of Bi+ people and the ramifications of pervasive societal biphobia, there are clear steps that we can take immediately to better work on behalf of and in partnership with the Bi+ community.
Like the rest of the LGBTQ+ community, Bi+ people in the United States have been maligned and overlooked for far too long.
It is long past time to offer them the attention and support they deserve so that they too can thrive and age with dignity.
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