Still Complicated

Belonging to a bi+ community

The proportion of respondents who identified as part of, or engaged with, the bi+ community increased dramatically since the 2015 report. When asked ‘How much do you feel part of any bi+ community?’, a total of 79% of respondents felt they were either ‘very much so’, ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a little’ part of a bi+ community. This contrasts with the 2013 survey, in which only 52% of people agreed with these statements, representing a 55% increase in the number of people who identified with a bi+ community.

Those who felt ‘very much so’ that they were part of a bi+ community increased by 150% (from 4% to 10%), ‘quite a lot’ increased by 75% (from 12% to 21%), ‘a little’ increased by 33% (from 36% to 48%). The percentage of people who felt that they were ‘not at all’ a part of a bi+ community dropped by 57% (from 49% to 21%).

The fact that the proportion of respondents who did not feel themselves to be part of a bi+ community was reduced by more than half is a testament to the hard work of advocates for the bi+ community and the growing confidence and visibility of its members and a sign of significant progress.

Another indication that people were becoming more involved in bi+ communities was that our survey did not register many text comments questioning whether there was a bi+ community, or not knowing of one. This is in striking contrast to the previous ‘Complicated’ survey, which noted that ‘most of the respondents who provided text comments questioned whether or not there actually is a bisexual community, or thought that there is not one’^[12].

For many of us, a feeling of community is vital for our survival. Historically, bi+ people have been sidelined or demonised with hurtful stereotypes, leading to bi+ people feeling excluded or left out of mainstream and sometimes also LGBT+ communities. However, this research shows that the bi+ community has developed over the last decade to reach a wider range of people, become more inclusive, and is ever more widely recognised by the LGBT+ community.

Community is particularly important when you consider that it is not safe for everyone to be out at home or with their family. Having to hide parts of yourself from your family, even if you do not live with them, can be harmful.

Research has shown that reaching out to other communities, friends, and chosen family is often the only way that LGBT+ people can have a support network that provides a life-saving sanctuary^[13].

“I’m not confident [about] coming out because of my fear of being judged. I’ve heard family members express biphobia towards other people and has made me not want to come out. Only my husband and best friend know.”

Due to a rise in access to the internet and more community spaces available online (often for free), a number of bi+ communities have begun to hold online events. At the same time, many physical spaces and groups have closed due in part to Covid-19 and funding cuts.

At the time of this survey, engagement with the bi+ community was overwhelmingly online at 65% of respondents, compared to 29% engaging in physical spaces. There is some benefit to this, in that online events are often more accessible for disabled people and people in rural areas, where there might not be any local bi+ or LGBT+ events or communities within a reasonable travelling distance. Using online avenues for community can be a great way to reach out.

“There is plenty for the bi and pan community online, but very little in the real world that I’ve found.”

“Social media is a really important tool for information, reinforcement and acceptance.”

“I subscribe to Bi Community News, bi groups on Reddit. My most active bi group (in person) is a train ride away to a different city.”

“I’m a member of a lot of bi Facebook groups.”

Online communities play a crucial role in supporting bi+ people, particularly for those who are not publicly open about their sexual or romantic orientation, for those beginning to explore it, as well as those for whom getting to venues is difficult. Many feel unsafe coming out to people in their local community, making online a more viable/safer option.

“Things moving online finally gave me the courage to join in a Christian queer space for the first time ever. Things moving online have given me more confidence to be ‘out’ online and to find bi community.”

It is important to note that lack of internet access can still pose an additional barrier to accessing online communities and support. The Scottish Household Survey 2021 reported that only 81% of households with the lowest incomes had home internet access (compared to 100% of the higher incomes)^[14]. This means that online support is less likely to be a viable option for parts of the community that are also marginalised in other ways. Some more rural areas may also struggle with internet access due to lack of infrastructure or poor or unreliable connection to the internet.

“The pandemic made it impossible for me to access my community at all, due to various circumstances making online events completely inaccessible for me.
”

Among those who stated that they felt included in (predominantly online) bi+ specific communities, there was still a recurring theme about the lack of local in-person groups/events/communities. Nearly one in three respondents, 29%, said that they were part of a physical in-person bi+ community, with nearly one in five, or 18%, engaging with in-person bi+ communities near where they live, and a further 11% of respondents engaging with in-person bi+ communities further afield.

“I have several bi friends but no longer a bi community where I live as such.”

Although having an online community has many benefits, it cannot completely replace in-person interaction. Having an entirely online community may be cheaper and potentially more accessible for some, but it isn’t necessarily positive for everyone. The experience of some of our respondents matches that in similar research done on kinship and family relationships of LGBTI+ people in the Covid-19 pandemic^[15]. Online experiences do not necessarily address loneliness and might be a barrier to forming strong bonds and support networks due to lack of in-person closeness. It is important that services do not see online provision as an easy way to fully replace in-person services.

“[It] affected relationships, because I couldn’t see some people in person.”

“I’ve found groups that I’ve wanted to join since the pandemic started, but so many have tried moving online and then disbanded.”

“It was much harder to meet with my local queer community – I felt really disconnected.”

There are barriers to access in remote communities as well. Rurality came up as a frequent barrier to bi+ inclusion with regards to travel becoming ever more expensive and some unable to travel due to inaccessibility. It is clear that in more rural areas, bi+ groups or events are infrequent or absent altogether^[16].

“I moved from a city to a small town just before the pandemic and though in many ways it’s been great, I’m missing having queer community more and more.”

“[I] experienced community at several BiCon events and local bi groups in the past but [I] haven’t been involved for years now and have no local bi community contacts.”

“I am not able to be open with all the neighbours I know in my street.”

“I overheard some older people in the village talking about a gay couple. They were so homophobic. It showed me I’m not safe to be out here.”

Some felt that age was a barrier, and that bi+ events and groups, such as at Prides, were often aimed at a younger crowd^[17].

“I think if I was younger I would be, but because I am middle aged I don’t know where to find that community.”

Many people stated that they either did not fully feel part of a bi+ community, or that they no longer felt part of a bi+ community.

“Not really engaged with the bi+ community as I don’t identify with it. I recognise that my experiences echo experiences bi+ people may also have but I don’t feel a sense of belonging within this part of the community.”

“I feel like I don’t really belong in the bi+ community because I don’t experience the traditional attraction to binary men and binary women. However, I do by definition experience attraction to two or more genders.”

“I am bisexual and so feel a shared experience, but don’t often feel represented by what I hear and see.”

Being part of a community offers a space where bi+ people can share experiences, find understanding, and receive support from others who have faced similar struggles. This is particularly important because bi+ people experience challenges that differ from those faced by people who identify as heterosexual or homosexual. These challenges can include navigating both heterosexual and LGBT+ spaces, dealing with biphobia from both the straight and LGBT+ communities, and facing erasure or invisibility.

Footnotes

12. Rankin, S., Morton, J., Bell, M. (2015) ‘Complicated?’, p. 15 (Return to reference [12])
13. Nagle, A., Crowther, R., Sanders White, E. (2023) ‘Kinship, Family, and Support Networks in Scotland’s LGBTI+ Community’ (Return to reference [13])
14. Scottish Government (2023) ‘Scottish Household Survey 2021’, section 4 (Return to reference [14])
15. Nagle, A., Crowther, R., Sanders White, E. (2023) ‘Kinship, Family, and Support Networks in Scotland’s LGBTI+ Community’ (Return to reference [15])
16. For more in-depth discussion of the issues facing rural LGBTI+ people please see Crowther, R., Cuthbertson, S., Valentine, V. (2020) ‘Further Out: The Scottish LGBT Rural Equality Report’. (Return to reference [16])
17. The lack of events aimed at older age groups has been identified as an issue for the wider LGBT+ community as well. Many events are centred around clubbing or alcohol consumption, which can alienate older people as well as those with a history of addiction and from cultures/religions that prohibit alcohol consumption. See Nagle, A., Crowther, R., Sanders White, E. (2023) ‘Kinship, Family, and Support Networks in Scotland’s LGBTI+ Community’ for more information. (Return to reference [17])