Don't Bi-Negative: Reduction of Negative Attitudes Toward Bisexuals by Blurring the Gender Dichotomy

Abstract

Bisexual people suffer from stereotypes and negative attitudes. The authors investigated one possible explanation for this bi-negativity: that bisexuality, being nonmonosexual, challenges the deep-rooted dichotomous gender construct. Sixty-two participants were randomly assigned to read one of two vignettes: One blurred gender differences, the other emphasized them. Results showed first that there was greater bi-negativity among men compared to women. Among participants who were not personally acquainted with bisexuals, those in the blurring condition displayed less bi-negativity than those in the emphasizing condition. Findings suggest that the binary gender construct can indeed interfere with acceptance of bisexuals. This, in turn, suggests a way to reduce bi-negativity and thus may prove beneficial in improving the well-being of the bisexual community.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of  Journal of Bisexuality for the following free supplemental resources: Supplementary Appendices A–E.]

KEYWORDS:

• bisexuality
• gender
• LGB
• LGBT
• LGBTQ
• sexual preference
• bi-negativity
• biphobia