Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning or queer (LGBTQ) youth face bias and discrimination within the health care setting and experience disparities in health, compared with their heterosexual cisgender peers. This is an area that is receiving increasing attention and study as health care providers and researchers work to achieve health equity within these populations.
Studies focusing specifically on the health of bisexual youth and adults are lacking. The few that do exist suggest that the experiences of people who identify as bisexual may be different from those who identify as lesbian or gay. Myths and misconceptions about bisexual, pansexual, queer, and fluid identities may in some cases put these populations at increased risks. Common myths include that bisexuality is just a phase or that youth who identify as bisexual are just confused. Studies suggest that bisexual youth account for almost half of youth who identify as LGBTQ. Understanding more about some of the challenges bisexual youth and adults may face can help us better care for all of our patients and families.
Dr. Gayathri Chelvakumar
• Bisexual adults are more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors, attempt suicide, or think about suicide than heterosexual adults, lesbian women, or gay men.1
• Bisexual women have higher rates of high blood pressure, compared with heterosexual and lesbian women.2
• Bisexual women have higher rates of alcohol-related disorders than lesbian and heterosexual women.1
Some disparities appear to be related to lack of preventive care. A survey by the Williams Institute found that 39% of bisexual men and 33% of bisexual women did not disclose their sexual orientation, compared with 13% of gay men and 10% of lesbian women.1 The effect of intersecting identities also must be considered when discussing these health disparities. More than 40% of LGBTQ people of color identify as bisexual, and almost half of transgender people describe their sexual orientation as bisexual or queer.1 These individuals may be especially vulnerable to health disparities as they may experience a combination of racism, transphobia, and biphobia.
Risk factors for these disparities may develop early in life. A 2012 survey of LGBTQ youth found that:3
• Bisexual youth were less likely than lesbian and gay youth to report having supportive adults who they could turn to if they were sad.
• Only 5% of bisexual youth reported being very happy, compared with 8% of gay and lesbian youth and 21% of non-LGBT youth.
• Bisexual youth reported higher rates of experimentation with drugs and alcohol, compared with their lesbian, gay, and heterosexual peers.
• Bisexual youth reported lower levels of family acceptance and knowledge of social support systems in their communities than lesbian and gay youth. Both family acceptance and knowledge of social support systems have been identified as protective factors in the development of youth.
• Bisexual youth are less likely to be out to their friends, families, and communities.
As health care providers, recognizing, respecting, and supporting the identities of our bisexual patients is important. A few simple things we can do in practice are as follows:
• Don’t mislabel patients as lesbian, gay, or straight when they have disclosed a bisexual identity.
• Don’t assume that bisexuality is just a phase or that youths are confused when they disclose their identity.
• Don’t assume you know a patient’s sexual orientation or behaviors on the basis of the sex of the current partner or current behaviors.
• Do ask open and nonjudgmental questions about sexual attraction and behaviors, and be familiar with the terms bisexual, queer, questioning, and pansexual in addition to lesbian, gay, and straight.
• Do use inclusive terms like LGBT when referring to the community rather than gay rights.
• Do recognize potential biases and assumptions regarding sexuality and bisexuality and work to change them.
Dr. Chelvakumar is an attending physician in the division of adolescent medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Ohio State University, both in Columbus.
Terms and definitions:
Bisexual – A person who can be attracted to more than one sex, gender, or gender identity. “Bi” is often used as an abbreviation.
Biphobia – Prejudice, fear, or hatred directed toward bisexual people.
Queer – A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Historically considered a pejorative term, but used by many youth to describe their identity.
Pansexual – A person who can be attracted to any sex, gender, or gender identity.
References:
1. ”Health Disparities Among Bisexual People,” brief by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
2. “New Mexico’s Progress in Collecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Data and Its Implications for Addressing Health Disparities,” New Mexico Department of Health, April 2010.
3. “Supporting and Caring for Our Bisexual Youth,” the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2014.