Bisexual Visibility Day: Don't forget the B!

According to our 2025 survey, 5% of the Canadian population identifies as bisexual or pansexual, which is the same percentage of the population that identifies as "gay" or "lesbian." According to Gallup 2024, the proportion of bisexual people is significantly higher among younger generations: it rises from 0.6% of people identifying as bisexual among baby boomers to 15.3% among Generation Z.

The Celebrate Bisexuality Day, held every September 23rd, is an opportunity to shine a light on this orientation, which is still too often ignored, even within LGBTQ+ communities. In this article, we invite you to learn more about bisexuality, biphobia, bi-erasure, and why visibility is essential.

What is bisexuality?

Bisexuality refers to sexual and/or romantic attraction to more than one gender. Although "bi" etymologically means "two," being bi does not necessarily mean that a person is attracted only to men and women. The "two" can refer to attraction to both people of the same sex/gender and people of a different sex/gender (which can therefore include non-binary people).

Important: Regardless of who a bisexual person is in a relationship with, they remain bi. Sexual orientation does not depend on the relationships a person has or has had, but on the sum of their lived attractions and the labels they choose for themselves.

Biphobia: Definition and examples

Biphobia is the collection of negative attitudes, actions, and words directed toward bisexuality that can lead to direct or indirect discrimination against bisexual people or those perceived as such. Here are a few examples:

Invisibilization : “He’s a man and he’s with a woman, so he’s straight.” “It’s just a phase.”

Hypersexualization : “It’s hot that you’re bi, do you want to have a threesome?”

Rejection based on stereotypes : “I couldn’t date a bi person, I’d be too afraid they’d cheat on me.”

Physical or sexual violence.

Biphobia: also present in LGBTQ+ communities

Biphobia does not only come from outside LGBTQ+ communities. Some gay people refuse to date bisexual people, or feel that they don’t really belong in LGBTQ+ communities because they supposedly benefit from heterosexual privilege.

In reality, bisexual people are particularly vulnerable. According to Statistics Canada 2020 :

41% of bisexual people reported their mental health as poor or fair, compared to 20% of gay and lesbian people and 11% of heterosexual people.

62% of bisexual people reported having experienced physical or sexual assault, compared to 53% for gay and lesbian people and 37% for heterosexual people

The representation of bisexuality

The representation of bisexual people in the media is not only rare, but also biased.

Although bisexual people make up 56% of LGBTQ+ adults (Gallup 2024), on television (GLAAD 2024) as well as in feature films (GLAAD, 2025) they account for a quarter of LGBTQ+ characters. Furthermore, characters who appear to be bisexual are rarely explicitly identified as such. However, some representations offer hope, for example the character of Nick Nelson in Heartstopper.

Bi-erasure: Why visibility is essential

The phenomenon of bisexual invisibility is not limited to screens and is so common that it has been given a name: "bi-erasure". Here are a few examples:

A bisexual woman identified as a lesbian when she is in a relationship with another woman, then as having "become heterosexual again" if she enters a relationship with a man.

A bisexual man who has dated women in the past and is now dating a man, who is congratulated for finally embracing "his homosexuality."

This refusal to acknowledge bisexuality contributes to isolation and psychological distress.

Conversely, promoting visibility bisexual people means:

Helping people recognize themselves, put words to their experiences, and find a community.

Fighting against stereotypes

Celebrating the diversity that exists among bi people and their lived experiences.

Key takeaways:

Bisexuality is not a trend,not confusion,not hypersexuality. It is a legitimate, stable orientation experienced by hundreds of thousands of people in Canada.