Washington, D.C. — As we mark Bisexual Awareness Week, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress shows that bisexual people face more struggles in health care, economic security, and other areas than gay, lesbian or straight people.
The analysis of a national survey conducted by CAP shows bisexual and queer men were four times as likely to report living in poverty compared with straight men. Bisexual and queer women were less likely to report that they were currently working compared with lesbians. Prior research on workplace discrimination often grouped lesbian and bisexual women together, which may have obscured differences between these two groups.
Other data show that bisexual and queer men reported worse mental health outcomes than straight men, and bisexual and queer women reported poorer outcomes than straight or lesbian women for both mental and physical health.
“Bisexuals and other non-monosexual people make up about half of the LGBTQ community, and grouping them together with gay and lesbian respondents obscures key differences in their experiences,” said Shabab Ahmed Mirza, a research assistant for the LGBT Research and Communications Project at CAP and author of the fact sheet. “Considering the data separately can help foster a better understanding of their unique needs and improve our ability to develop policies and programs that effectively serve the community.”
Read the fact sheet: “Disaggregating the Data for Bisexual People” by Shabab Ahmed Mirza
For more information, or to speak to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.