Biphobia linked to intimate partner violence
Research conducted by Corey Flanders, assistant professor at Mount Holyoke, links intimate partner violence in the bi community to biphobia.
Bisexual people may be more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than gay and straight people, researchers continue to find as they delve deeper into bi experiences.
One of those researchers is Corey Flanders, Mount Holyoke College assistant professor of psychology and education. Mashable published an article on intimate partner violence among the bisexual community in which they pointed to research conducted by Flanders and others.
Negative misbeliefs about bisexuality, such as “bi people are hypersexual,” have been linked to instances of intimate partner violence.
Other misbeliefs and stereotypes can also contribute. For instance, one key takeaway from Flanders’ research is that intimate partner violence can happen within queer relationships. However, the narrative of what abuse looks like within queer relationships isn’t as well known as what abuse looks like within heterosexual relationships.
“Biphobia and bisexual stigma is incredibly insidious,” said Flanders. “It is relentless. It is everywhere, and you don’t necessarily need to identify as bisexual to receive those messages.”