Dating app HER has released its latest report to tie into Bisexual Awareness Week
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY GETTY IMAGES
A survey conducted by HER revealed some heartbreaking truths about the bisexual experience. This included feeling invisible within the queer community and experiencing bi panic.
HER, a sapphic dating app, surveyed 2,000 of its users to uncover the challenges faced by the bisexual community and are publishing their full results on 17 September.
One such challenge is bi panic. 38 per cent also experienced feelings of awkwardness when dating or socialising. This is often due to bi erasure. Four in 10 bisexuals reported feeling invisible within queer spaces and a further three in 10 said they often have to explain the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality.
Bi erasure has consequences for the dating lives of bisexual women. According to the survey, just under half (48 per cent) have been assumed either straight or gay based on the gender of their partner and feel pressure to continually come out, which causes feelings of bi panic when they are socialising or dating.
The survey also revealed stereotypes about bisexuality are still rife. Over a third said they have been called “greedy” or “confused”. 28 per cent of bisexual women said they’ve been accused of being more likely to cheat and that these accusations often come from the lesbian community.
To better support the bisexual community, HER have created the Bi Panics campaign. This will involve partnering with Capri Campeau and Ashley Whitfield to answer the biggest bisexual panic questions. They have also committed to gifting a free HER premium feature to all bisexual users in-app on Bisexual Visibility Day. The feature will boost the visibility of their profiles.
This year’s Bisexual Visibility Day is 23 September.
Learn more about HER by listening to The 94% podcast which features an episode with CEO Robyn Exton.
DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
