Why Bisexual Women Are at a Higher Risk for Violence

In this Teen Vogue article, bisexual feminist activist Reina Gattuso interweaves her personal story with insights from Lehigh University psychology professor Nicole Johnson and bisexual activist, writer, and speaker Robyn Ochs. The article discusses harm and violence against bisexual women.

 Bisexual women experience higher rates of sexual and intimate partner harassment and violence than heterosexual and lesbian women. Why? One major factor that contributes to harm and violence is stereotypes. Stereotypes are assumptions made about a group of people. For example, one stereotype about bisexual women is that they won't be faithful in relationships.

Because of stereotypes, bisexual women face shame, stigma, and hypersexualization. Hypersexualizaton is the perception that they are overly sexual and always want sex.

These stereotypes contribute to bisexual women being dehumanized, or perceived as less than human. It also makes them vulnerable to harm and violence. The rates of violence are especially high for bi women of color, transgender bi women, and poor bi women. Gattuso calls for more research on the experiences of bisexual women and affirms the experiences of bisexual women like herself.

I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that there was a reason she was having hurtful experiences, that she wasn’t “crazy” for thinking something was wrong, she didn’t “ask for it,” and it wasn’t her fault. I can’t send a message in a time machine back to my teenage self. But I can pay it forward.

SOURCE: Teen Vogue • AUTHOR: Reina Gattuso • LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2019