Why Bisexual People Feel Excluded in the Workplace, Love and Relationships

Even though they represent one of the largest groups in the sexual and gender minority groups, bisexuals are however among the most oppressed and unrepresented in quite several spheres, the workplace included and the socio-emotional attachments. This segregation is a result of a collection of social stereotypes and misunderstandings regarding bisexuality that very little is known of.

Bisexuality and the Double Stigma

Bisexual individuals perceive life quite differently from those who are gay or lesbian. When it comes to bisexual people, they endure the scepticism of the members of the heterosexual community and indeed the members of the LGBTQ+ community sometimes deeming them to be ‘confused’ or ‘in transition. This kind of erasure brings about a double stigma and feeling of loneliness because bisexuality is often disregarded, erased, or delegitimise. This erasure may be less visible in occupational settings, but it is sweeping in nature.

For example, they may not want to come out, considering they are within a certain stereotype. Others may dominate, deck the hallway, over-adorn themselves, and fidget around wondering if being openly bisexual will induce some form of respect, only to learn that they were reduced to mere subjects of ridicule or triviality. The same applies within the workplace, and some bisexual employees may be apprehensive of being dismissed in this way, being seen as indecisive and wet, so to speak.

Exclusion in the Workplace

In the quest for inclusivity, many organisations have adopted certain diversity policies. However, bisexuals are still sometimes considered to be less visible than their lesbian or gay colleagues. Most often, the absence of bisexuality among management in the workplace is pronounced. This is also true of employee resource groups (ERGs) formed for other sexual minorities within the organisation which may not always target the different factors affecting the bisexual spectrum.

Bisexual people can also experience a form of kinship pressure to ‘pick a side’ in relation to their personal lives. While courting a woman (the opposite gender), for instance, people may question their bisexuality when bisexual people argue. Some, in that regard, might dismiss or invalidate their bisexuality. On the other hand, people who are in a same-gender relationship may find other people labelling them as gay or lesbian people, thus erasing their bisexual identity.

Love and Relationships: The Struggle for Validation

In intimate relationships, ‘monosexual partners’ as well as ‘bisexual individuals’ tend to experience alienation and misunderstanding. Some partners may get jealous or feel insecure, and think that being bisexual means probably wanting to be with both genders at the same time. This can create a lot of conflict and emotional distress in relationships and, especially in the case of bisexual people, may restrict their chances of experiencing satisfactory romantic and sexual relationships.

Invisibility may also be enforced by family and friends, through open discrimination, or more consideration through bi-erasure. Terms such as “it’s just a phase” or “you’re going to be with a man/woman eventually” are very harmful because they are myths about bisexuality and make it more difficult for people to come out to other people.

How Victimisation Affects Mental Health

The need to continuously validate oneself is hazardous especially for bi sexual people who are perpetually challenged to be recognised. It has been substantiated that the incidences of anxiety and emotional disorders, as well as substance misuse, are rampant among bisexual people as compared to heterosexuals, lesbians, and gays. This can be attributed in part to the stress that arises from being in spaces where a person’s identity tends to be invalidated.

The discrepancy in question may also be regarding sexual identity where the bisexual feels ‘too gay’ in the company of heterosexuals and ‘too straight’ in the company of their fellow LGBTQ persons, thereby making the bisexual cut off everywhere and depressed.

Establishing Inclusive Structures for Bisexuals

To deal with the particular discrimination that bisexual individuals endure, meaningful action is needed in all areas of social and personal life. Workplaces must foster a more inclusive environment, ensuring the visibility and support of bisexual employees. This includes establishing ERGs that cater to the unique needs of bisexual people, providing mentors, and ensuring that such initiatives do not inadvertently assimilate bisexuality.

The absence of these factors leads to intimacy issues in people of this orientation. With education, understanding intimacy's particularities and informing about disappointments is also very important. Bisexual persons have partners, friends, and family who are often in doubt, and denial is not where the answers will be found. Bisexuality is not a "fancy" and will even "hide" for this appeal; bisexuality is a fully bounded and acceptable sexual orientation every bit as exciting and worthy of appreciation as heterosexuality.

Fostering bisexuality will enable us to make significant steps toward creating a society in which bisexual people will be able, not only to function but flourish in the workplace, in relationships, and love.

How DiverseJobsMatter Fosters and Integrates Bisexual Inclusion in the Workplace

DiverseJobsMatter embraces the idea of building better workplaces for bisexuals and understands the essence of valuing bisexual persons. We only work with companies that are diversity-driven, leading to bisexual job monopolies only in workplaces that embrace their identity.

We also push for the inclusion of the bisexual community in ERGs, which implies organisations should create centres for bisexual employees to speak out. Pursuing career development and linking bisexuals with non-discriminative employers is also a way in which DiverseJobsMatter empowers bisexuals to flourish without being disempowered or erased.