Bisexual erasure

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Bisexual erasure (or bi erasure), also called bisexual invisibility, is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or re-explain evidence of bisexuality (or similar identities, such as pansexuality) in history, academia, the news media, and other primary sources.^[1][2][3]

In its most extreme form, bisexual erasure can include the belief that bisexuality itself does not exist, and that individuals who identify as bisexual are either heterosexual or homosexual.^[1][3][4] People who believe that bisexuality doesn't exist typically claim that bisexuals are simply confused, or in denial, about their own sexuality. In the case of bisexual men, this commonly manifests in a stereotype that bisexual men are simply closeted gay men.^[5] Bisexual individuals are also sometimes dismissed or stereotyped as hypersexual.^[6]

Bisexual erasure is often a manifestation of biphobia,^[1][2][3] although it does not necessarily involve overt antagonism. Erasure frequently results in bisexual-identifying individuals experiencing a variety of adverse social encounters, as they not only have to struggle with finding acceptance within general society but also within the LGBTQ community.^[7] Bisexual erasure is a form of stigma and leads to adverse mental health consequences for people who identify as bisexual, or similar.^[8][9]

There is increasing inclusion and visibility of bisexuals, particularly in the LGBTQ community.^{[10][11][compared to?]}