There has been an increasing awareness of the existence and importance of bisexual individuals in society.
They continue to be invisible or underrepresented in many areas of public life, including healthcare policies, social welfare programs, and scientific studies. This paper examines the ethical implications of this phenomenon within these different contexts.
Public Health Policies
In terms of public health policies, the neglect of bisexual people is particularly problematic.
When developing HIV prevention strategies, it is essential to consider the specific needs of all groups at risk, including gay men, heterosexuals, and bisexuals. By excluding bisexual individuals from such initiatives, policymakers may miss out on crucial opportunities for intervention. In addition, it can lead to false assumptions about bisexuality's prevalence and impact on disease transmission. As a result, resources are misallocated, leaving bisexuals disproportionately affected by certain diseases. Another issue arises when researchers fail to acknowledge bisexual identities when designing studies or collecting data. Without accurate information, health authorities cannot develop appropriate measures to meet their unique needs.
Some medical professionals remain uninformed or ignorant of the challenges faced by this population. They might not understand how to diagnose and treat conditions that bisexuals experience differently than other sexual orientations. All of these factors contribute to unequal access to quality care and negative health outcomes.
Social Research Frameworks
The lack of representation in social research frameworks has consequences too.
When studying intimate partner violence (IPV), many surveys only ask participants whether they have been abused by someone of the same sex or opposite sex. This approach overlooks those who identify as bisexual or polyamorous. Such oversights skew the data and limit our understanding of IPV patterns among marginalized communities. Similarly, when examining mental health issues, researchers should account for the distinct experiences of bisexual people. Failure to do so risks generalizing findings across all groups and missing important insights into factors contributing to psychological distress.
Public policy makers need data to inform their decisions about laws and regulations affecting LGBTQ+ populations. By ignoring bisexuals, policymakers may craft policies based on incomplete information, which could further exacerbate existing disparities.
The erasure of bisexual individuals from public life has ethical implications in multiple contexts. In healthcare, it leads to suboptimal treatment options and limited access to services. It also perpetuates misconceptions and stereotypes within scientific studies. In social research, it hinders our ability to understand different forms of oppression and how best to respond to them. As such, it is essential that we recognize and address this issue moving forward.
What are the ethical implications of bisexual invisibility in public health, policy, and social research frameworks?
Bisexuality has been an understudied sexual orientation for decades due to its stigmatization in society. This results in limited knowledge about bisexual people's experiences with health issues, accessibility to care services, social policies, and impact on mental health outcomes. The lack of visibility leads to disparities between bisexuals and heterosexuals and homosexuals that affect their physical and mental well-being.