BIPOC BI+ health deserves
the whole truth.
If you’ve ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling like something was missed, you weren’t imagining it.
If you’ve learned to edit yourself before you walk into a doctor’s office, to decide which parts of your life to mention and which to leave out, that’s not a personal failure. That’s what happens when a system wasn’t built with you in mind. We’ve been keeping track of what that costs our community and our health outlook.
Bi+ and queer people of color navigate healthcare systems while doing something most patients never have to do: deciding, in real time, how much of themselves is safe to bring into the healthcare system.
Which identity to lead with. Whether to use certain pronouns. Whether the professional across from you will understand, or whether explaining will take longer than the appointment itself or require some type of energy you probably don’t have.
This is not small. It changes the care we receive and our health outcomes.
It changes what screenings get ordered, what questions are asked, what assumptions get made about your body, your relationships, your risk.
The data below doesn’t describe a distant population. It describes what happens when a system built on assumptions and myths meets people who don’t fit them.
RECEIPTS BY GENDER
The receipts — health statistics for bi+ people of color Six stat cards in a 2×3 grid covering bisexual women safety and economic, bisexual men mental health and safety, and bi+ POC data visibility and trans presence. THE RECEIPTS — WE HAVE BEEN KEEPING TRACK This is not acceptable. Here’s what the data says. BISEXUAL WOMEN SAFETY 61% experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner — lifetime Almost two out of three of us. vs. 44% lesbian · 35% straight women Hispanic bi women: 79% Black bi women: 69% CDC NISVS ECONOMIC 29% poverty rate — highest of any sexual orientation group in the U.S. Poverty decides if you can afford to go. Not just what care you get. vs. 17.9% lesbian · 16% straight cisgender 48% of all bi adults earn under $30,000/yr Badgett et al. / BRFSS 2014–17 · MAP Invisible Majority BISEXUAL MEN MENTAL HEALTH 36.9% lifetime mood disorder rate 38.7% lifetime anxiety disorder rate Higher than straight men. Higher than gay men in some measures. This is not a gay men’s health issue. It is a bisexual men’s health issue. Bostwick et al. / Archives of General Psychiatry · PMC SAFETY 37% lifetime IPV rate — rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner Higher than straight men. Higher than gay men. Largely overlooked in DV services. vs. 29% straight men · 26% gay men CDC NISVS BI+ POC & BI+ TRANS COMMUNITIES DATA VISIBILITY ≈ 0 federal datasets that count bi+ people of color directly No data doesn’t mean no problem. It means no funding. No care built for us. Science Policy Review 2024 · Williams Institute BI+ TRANS COMMUNITIES 21% queer 18% pansexual 18.9% bisexual of trans adults identify as bi+, pan, or queer across two major U.S. surveys They’re in the data. Named. Present. The research just hasn’t followed them there. US Trans Survey 2015 · Williams Institute 2023
Take this with you. For yourself, for a provider, for someone who needs to see it, the full data overview is available to download and share.
RECEIPTS BY RACE
Bi+ communities of color — what we know by community Two anchor stats for Black and Hispanic bisexual women at top, then three unequal columns disaggregating health data by Black, Hispanic/Latino, and AAPI/AIAN bi+ communities. BI+ COMMUNITIES OF COLOR — WHAT WE KNOW Data disaggregated by community, with honest notation of what doesn’t yet exist. STRONGEST DOCUMENTED FINDINGS — RACE & BISEXUAL IDENTITY DISAGGREGATED SIMULTANEOUSLY HISPANIC BISEXUAL WOMEN 79.1% lifetime contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by a partner CDC NISVS — race + bisexual identity disaggregated Also: 47.8% report being raped in their lifetime BLACK BISEXUAL WOMEN 69.4% lifetime contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by a partner CDC NISVS — race + bisexual identity disaggregated vs. 68.3% non-Hispanic white bisexual women These are the only two data points where race and bisexual identity are measured simultaneously in a nationally representative dataset. BLACK BI+ COMMUNITIES Data: Black LGBTQ+ — bisexual not always isolated HISPANIC/LATINO BI+ Stronger bi-specific data than most groups AAPI · AIAN · MULTIRACIAL Least documented — gaps noted honestly 56% live in low-income households (below 200% federal poverty level) vs. 49% Black non-LGBT adults Williams Institute, Gallup 2012–17 37% experience food insecurity vs. 27% Black non-LGBT adults Women: 41% vs. 29% — gap wider for women Williams Institute 2021 20% of Black LGBT women uninsured vs. 12% Black non-LGBT women Williams Institute 2021 15% reported discriminatory provider treatment in past year 7% had a provider refuse to see them due to sexual orientation Center for American Progress 2022 22% of Black LGBT adults rely on Medicaid as primary insurance Double the rate of white LGBT adults (11%) Williams Institute, BRFSS 2021–23 10% of Hispanic adults identify as LGBTQ+ — highest of any major racial group in the U.S. Driven primarily by bisexual identity Gallup 2021 47.8% of Hispanic bisexual women report being raped in their lifetime CDC NISVS — bisexual + race specific 14% unemployment among Latinx LGBT adults vs. 8% general population Funders for LGBTQ Issues 48% of Latine trans adults live in poverty Highest among all trans subgroups by race HRC / CAP — trans-specific, not bi-isolated 39% of AAPI LGBTQ youth identify as bisexual The largest single orientation within this community Trevor Project 2020 ~1 in 5 AAPI LGBT adults felt unsafe in their communities Williams Institute 2021 Pacific Islander LGBTQ youth report highest anxiety + self-harm rates within all AAPI subgroups Trevor Project / Medical News Today NO DATA AVAILABLE No studies isolate bisexual identity within AAPI or AIAN communities. The model minority myth actively suppresses both data collection and care-seeking. A NOTE ON THIS DATA Most of what appears above is labeled “Black LGBT” or “Hispanic LGBT” — not bisexual-specific. The unevenness of these columns reflects the state of research, not the state of need. The narrowest column represents communities that are least studied, not least affected.
The numbers don’t fully capture what it feels like to sit across from a provider who’s confused, or dismissive, or just uninformed, about who you are. The below conversation is about mental health, bi+ identity, and what it means to navigate care as a queer person of color when the health system requires your silence.
What you can do with this — resources for bi+ people of color Three resource columns: find care that sees you, if you need support now, and share it or push further. Includes a download button with placeholder hyperlink. FOR YOU · FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE · FOR THE ROOM YOU’RE WALKING INTO What you can do with this FIND CARE THAT SEES YOU GLMA Provider Directory glma.org · Free Search for LGBTQ+-affirming clinicians by location and specialty. Filter for providers with bi+ experience. HRSA Find a Health Center findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov · Free Federally qualified health centers serve patients regardless of ability to pay. Many are LGBTQ+-inclusive. SAMHSA Behavioral Health Locator findtreatment.samhsa.gov · Free Find mental health and substance use treatment. Filter for LGBTQ+-affirming providers in your area. IF YOU NEED SUPPORT NOW 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 · Press 3 for LGBTQ+ support Available 24/7. You don’t have to be in crisis to call. LGBTQ+-specific support available when you press 3. The Trevor Project thetrevorproject.org · Under 25 Crisis support for LGBTQ+ people under 25. Text START to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386. Bisexual Resource Center biresource.net · Bi+-specific Peer support and resources written specifically for bi+ people. Not LGBTQ+ generic. Community-rooted. SHARE IT · PUSH FURTHER ↓ DOWNLOAD Bi+ POC Health Overview (PDF) For a provider visit, a family conversation, or a policy meeting. Take it with you. Provider Self-Assessment Bridge Coalition tool · For clinicians Share with a provider who wants to do better by bi+ patients. A practical reflection tool — not a certification. Movement Advancement Project lgbtmap.org · Policy & advocacy Track state-level LGBTQ+ policy, find advocacy resources, and understand what’s at stake in your state. Knowing you deserve better care and knowing you deserve to tell your own story are not separate things.
Knowing you deserve better care and knowing you deserve to tell your own story are not separate things. Are you a provider or researcher?
The Bridge Coalition has tools to elevate Bi+ health
