Bisexual Erasure: Meaning, Examples, and Effects

It often happens when people assume that a bisexual person’s orientation changes with their relationship. However, a person’s partner does not automatically determine their sexual orientation.

A bisexual person may remain bisexual while single, married, celibate, monogamous, or dating a person of any gender.

• The documentary challenges bisexual erasure.
• Bisexual erasure can occur in queer and heterosexual communities.
• The article examines bisexual erasure in historical writing.

The shorter phrase bi erasure is common in informal and community discussions:

• The character’s identity was affected by bi erasure.

The verb erase may describe the act:

• The report erased bisexual people from its findings.
• Calling her straight because of her husband erases her bisexuality.
• The film avoided erasing the character’s bisexual identity.

Bisexual erasure is the denial, omission, or reinterpretation of bisexual identity.

The two often overlap. For example:

• saying bisexuality is not real is both biphobic and erasing;
• excluding bisexual people from LGBTQIA+ spaces may reflect biphobia;
• calling a bisexual character gay or straight according to their current relationship is bisexual erasure.

Erasure may appear less openly hostile than direct prejudice, but repeated invalidation can still cause significant harm.

Bisexual erasure is one common result of monosexism.

A monosexist view may assume that everyone must be:

• heterosexual;
• gay;
• lesbian.

Under this model, bisexuality is often interpreted as confusion, experimentation, transition, or refusal to choose.

Examples include:

• calling a bisexual woman straight because she dates a man;
• calling a bisexual man gay because he dates a man;
• assuming marriage has ended someone’s bisexuality;
• treating a single bisexual person as undecided;
• describing a bisexual person as “formerly gay” after a different-gender relationship.

Orientation describes a broader pattern of attraction, not only one current relationship.

A partner may:

• refuse to use the word bisexual;
• insist that the person choose between straight and gay;
• assume bisexuality means wanting multiple partners;
• treat attraction to other genders as a threat;
• pressure the person to hide their identity;
• describe the relationship as proof that bisexuality was only a phase.

A committed relationship does not erase attraction patterns or identity. Monogamy concerns relationship agreements, while bisexuality concerns orientation.

Examples include:

• treating someone in a different-gender relationship as no longer queer;
• assuming bisexual people have not fully accepted being gay or lesbian;
• excluding bisexual experiences from community discussions;
• questioning whether bisexual people belong at LGBTQIA+ events;
• treating bisexuality as less politically committed;
• overlooking bisexual people when discussing discrimination.

A bisexual person’s connection to queer community does not depend on the gender of their current partner.

• assume someone is straight because they have a different-gender partner;
• dismiss same-gender attraction as experimentation;
• pressure someone to avoid mentioning bisexuality;
• treat bisexual identity as unnecessary after marriage;
• assume attraction to multiple genders is attention-seeking;
• describe bisexuality as a temporary youthful phase.

These assumptions may pressure people to appear heterosexual even when that label does not accurately describe them.

Common examples include:

• never using the word bisexual for a character;
• changing the character’s assumed orientation with each partner;
• portraying bisexuality only as confusion;
• treating attraction to multiple genders as a temporary storyline;
• presenting bisexual characters mainly as unfaithful;
• removing bisexual identity in adaptations.

Accurate representation allows bisexual characters to retain their identity across different relationships.

Assigning modern identity labels to historical people requires care because language and social categories change over time. However, consistently presenting all attraction through only straight or gay categories may erase evidence of multisexual experiences.

Responsible historical writing can describe documented relationships and attractions without forcing certainty where the person’s own identity language is unknown.

• combine bisexual participants with gay and lesbian participants without explanation;
• provide only straight and gay response options;
• classify orientation according to a current partner;
• confuse identity, attraction, and behavior;
• exclude bisexual-specific findings;
• use categories that do not recognize attraction to multiple genders.

This can produce incomplete data and hide differences in health, discrimination, relationships, or community experience.

More accurate research distinguishes among:

• sexual identity;
• sexual attraction;
• sexual behavior;
• partner gender.

Examples include:

• recording a bisexual patient as straight because of a different-gender spouse;
• assuming a person in a same-gender relationship is exclusively gay;
• asking questions that offer only heterosexual or homosexual choices;
• dismissing bisexual identity as medically irrelevant in every context;
• overlooking health concerns shaped by stigma or community exclusion.

Respectful healthcare uses neutral questions and accepts a patient’s stated orientation while focusing on relevant anatomy, behavior, symptoms, and health needs.

• identity invalidation;
• social isolation;
• self-doubt;
• pressure to hide orientation;
• exclusion from queer communities;
• relationship conflict;
• reduced access to support;
• inaccurate healthcare or research;
• internalized biphobia;
• feeling invisible in public life.

The effect may be especially strong when erasure comes from both heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ communities.

• respecting a person’s stated orientation;
• not defining identity by a current partner;
• using the word bisexual when it is accurate;
• including bisexual options on forms;
• separating attraction from behavior;
• representing bisexual people across varied relationships;
• avoiding stereotypes about confusion or infidelity;
• including bisexual experiences in LGBTQIA+ education;
• correcting inaccurate historical or media descriptions;
• recognizing bisexual people whether single or partnered.

Visibility should not require a person to disclose private details or prove attraction through behavior.

Bisexual erasure happens only when someone denies bisexuality completely.
It can also occur through omission, mislabeling, exclusion, or repeated assumptions.

A married bisexual person no longer needs the label.
Identity remains personal and is not cancelled by marriage.

Mentioning bisexuality disrespects a current partner.
Recognizing orientation does not imply dissatisfaction or infidelity.

Bisexual visibility requires equal attraction to every gender.
Bisexual attraction may vary in intensity, frequency, or form.

• bisexual erasure in media;
• bisexual erasure in history;
• bisexual erasure in relationships;
• challenge bisexual erasure;
• experience bisexual erasure;
• contribute to bisexual erasure;
• bisexual visibility and erasure;
• biphobia and bisexual erasure.

• A bisexual woman is repeatedly called straight because she has a husband.
• A bisexual man is described as gay after beginning a relationship with another man.
• A television series avoids naming a character’s bisexuality.
• A survey offers only heterosexual, gay, and lesbian options.
• An LGBTQIA+ group adds bisexual-specific resources.
• A partner respects the bisexual identity of someone in a monogamous relationship.
• A historian describes a person’s documented relationships without forcing a monosexual label.
• A healthcare provider records a patient’s stated orientation accurately.

1. The documentary addresses bisexual erasure in popular media.
2. Her marriage to a man does not erase her bisexuality.
3. The survey was revised to include bisexual and pansexual identities.
4. Calling him gay because of one relationship is a form of bisexual erasure.
5. Bisexual erasure may occur in heterosexual and queer communities.
6. The character remained bisexual throughout the series.
7. Monosexism often contributes to bisexual invisibility.
8. A current partner does not reveal the full range of someone’s attraction.
9. Accurate representation can improve bisexual visibility.
10. Respecting someone’s identity does not require them to prove it.

This erasure may affect relationships by encouraging jealousy, distrust, or pressure to hide identity. Bisexuality does not determine monogamy, sexual behavior, number of partners, libido, or willingness to participate in any sexual activity.

Healthy sexual culture recognizes bisexuality as a valid orientation regardless of relationship status. Respect includes accepting self-identification, avoiding stereotypes, communicating about boundaries directly, and recognizing that orientation never implies consent or sexual availability.