Two-thirds of straight women and one-third of straight men are unwilling to date a bisexual person of the opposite sex, according to a YouGov poll published today, during Bisexuality Visibility Week. The poll illustrates how lingering stereotypes negatively affect people’s impressions of bisexual individuals.
The poll — which surveyed 5,983 Britons during late March, including 2,031 straight women and 1,517 straight men — found that 48% of all respondents had positive views of bisexual people and only 8% had negative views. The remaining percentage had neither a positive nor a negative view of bisexuals.
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When the survey asked straight women and men why they were unwilling to date a bisexual person of the opposite sex, most (16% and 19%, respectively) said they “just don’t” or claimed, “It’s just a preference.”
A nearly similar portion, 17% of straight women and 16% of straight men, said they felt like bi people are more inclined to cheat, or that they themselves would feel insecure that they’d be unable to provide a bi partner whatever they get from a same-sex partner.
Interestingly, 9% of straight women said they feel disgust or discomfort towards men with same-sex experiences, 8% worried about possible sexual health risks, and 10% of straight men said they considered bisexuality to be either religiously or morally “wrong.” Approximately 12-13% of all straight respondents said they just wanted their dating partner to be heterosexual.
That’s stereotyping or prejudice. Phobia (in its origin) means fear or dread. Maybe prejudice too but specifically in a negative way (no, prejudice doesn’t always have a negative connotation).
If prejudice doesn’t always have a negative connotation, then the assumption that all bisexual women are into threesomes still falls under ‘biphobia’.
When referring to phobia yes, it does have a negative connotation. Use it however you want I guess. People misuse words all the time.
When does a use different from the most ancient one stop being called a “misuse”? Especially talking about not a word, but its etymology?
Pretty sure a significant quantity of the words you use were at some point described as “misuses”, “mistakes”, or something similar.
I say that as someone who hates seeing/hearing scandals be called “something-gate” in reference to Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Same with “something-ception” in reference to the movie Inception. So I understand the feeling, but this kind of take mostly contribute to elitism.
What matters most in any language is the ability to communicate, not the conformity to a (potentially idealised) static snapshot of the language rules.
Well, in this case we already have a word with a prefectly appropriate meaning. Misuing a different word is kinda dumb but ok.
“Well, in this case we already have a word with a prefectly appropriate meaning.”
For the common meaning of “biphobia”? Which preexisting word is perfectly appropriate to describe the exact same concept that the word “biphobia” was coined for?
No, not really. But hey, who am I to teach you reading comprehension. Use whatever word you prefer.
Again, emphasis on the “negative”.
Yeah, it’s biphobia.
Sure buddy.
Here’s another definition for you:
Stereotyping bisexual women as all wanting threesomes falls under the definition of biphobia.
Well, it oretty clearly says “negative attitudes” there. Why would liking threesomes be negative? Or being promiscuous for that matter. Sounds like you’re being pretty prejudicial of that type of person.
Word meanings also evolve over time and usage. They’re not static.
I mean if you’re consistently wrong then yeah, I guess. Doesn’t make you any less wrong though.
I’m so glad you came into this discussion to be pedantic about the kind of discrimination bisexual people go through. Good job, buddy.
We’re quite literally not talking about discrimination. Kinda noticing a pattern here.
I’m sure all bisexual women really love it when men assume they’re into threesomes as performative sex dolls. It’s a really positive view of bisexual women that certainly doesn’t fall under the biphobia umbrella /s
Not saying it’s positive or ok, it’s just not discrimination.