Swipe Left on the Bi Guys: Examining Attitudes toward Dating and Being Sexual with Bisexual Individuals

Abstract

Dating and maintaining romantic relationships can often be difficult for bisexual people due to binegativity and related negative stereotypes. The current study utilized an experimental design to investigate attitudes toward dating and being sexual with bisexual individuals. A convenience sample of 440 participants, including 224 heterosexual women, 120 heterosexual men, and 96 gay men was recruited to complete an online survey. Participants were shown seven cisgender male and seven cisgender female dating profiles with various sexual orientations. Participants rated each profile on measures of attractiveness and masculinity/femininity. Results indicated that heterosexual women rated bisexual men as less sexually and romantically attractive, less desirable to date and have sex with, and less masculine compared to straight men. No such differences were found for heterosexual and gay men’s ratings of female and male profiles, respectively. These results support previous research findings that indicate more negative attitudes toward dating bisexual men than bisexual women. The current study also provides further understanding as to how negative attitudes influence sexual and romantic attraction to bisexual individuals. Areas for future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Bisexuality
• bisexual
• relationships
• sexual orientation
• sexual attraction
• binegativity

Notes

1 Of note, research on attitudes toward bisexual people has largely presumed cisgender identity. The authors are not aware of existing research that has specifically examined public attitudes toward bisexual transgender or gender diverse people, though evidence suggests significant overlap among these communities (e.g., Kuper, Nussbaum, & Mustanski, 2012).