Gender Discrimination: Some Heterosexual Men do not Recognize Bisexuality, Study

It's estimated that 3.5 percent of adults in the United States identify themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals, and an estimated 0.3 percent of adults also identify themselves as transgender. According to the Williams Institute, this means that approximately 9 million Americans are part of the LGBT community.

Yet many sexist stereotypes still exist against such individuals. A recent study looks at how heterosexual men perceive bisexuality. Many do not believe it is a "legitimate sexual orientation," according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

"Bisexual men and women face prejudice, stigma and discrimination from both heterosexual and homosexual people," Dr. Mackey Friedman, director of Project Silk, an HIV prevention initiative said, via a press release. "This can cause feelings of isolation and marginalization, which prior research has shown leads to higher substance use, depression and risky sexual behavior. It also can result in lower rates of HIV testing and treatment."

Friedman notes that responders were generally negative regarding their attitudes toward bisexual men and women, and close to 15 percent of the sample didn't believe that bisexuality was a legitimate sexual orientation.

However, women, white people and people who identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual were less bias and prejudice against bisexual people. Researchers also found that male bisexuals faced more stigmas that female bisexuals.

Dr. Friedman believes that such issues can make individuals feel unrecognized by peers, have higher depression and feel socially isolated and unable to discuss these issues with family or friends.

"Having hard data to back up why a bisexual person might feel the need to be secretive about sexual orientation, something that can lead to higher depression and many other negative health outcomes, is very useful to people trying to fight stigma and marginalization," said Dr. Friedman, via the release. "For example, this information can guide social marketing interventions and outreach to reduce that stigma, and improve rates of HIV prevention, testing and treatment within the bisexual community."

More information regarding the study can be found via the American Public Health Association's 141^st Annual Meeting & Exposition.