Contested Sexual Identities and Bi + Identity Disclosure Experiences

Abstract

Bi+ people (those who are attracted to or romantically involved with individuals of more than one gender, including bisexual people) face unique forms of social stigma, such as having their identity contested by heterosexual and sexual minority peers. The present work suggests that having one’s identity contested by others is associated with poorer quality disclosure experiences. We first document differences in the disclosure experiences of people with bi+ identities and those with monosexual minority identities (i.e., lesbian, gay), demonstrating differences in identity contestedness and correlated disclosure outcomes (Study 1). Then, across Studies 1 and 2, totaling 397 bi+ participants in the U.S., we demonstrate that bi+ identity contestedness is associated with greater uncertainty about recipients’ attitudes toward the discloser’s identity, which is associated with less positive disclosure outcomes. Importantly, we also demonstrate that more engaging responses from recipients (i.e., those who discuss the discloser’s bi+ identity) are associated with less uncertainty about recipients’ attitudes and more positive outcomes. Together, these findings highlight targetable factors (e.g., reducing experiences of identity contestedness, increasing discussions of bi+ identity support) to improve the bi+ population’s identity disclosure experiences, with implications for forming supportive social networks and improving health.