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.

Keywords:

• Contested identities
• stigma
• bisexuality
• LGBTQ+
• bi+
• identity disclosure

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data and survey materials can be found on the OSF (link: https://osf.io/7bgp4/?view_only=6d312cd2c7794eaf8fc513b30553c9d0).

Notes

1 Some identity contestedness items referred to the participant’s bisexual identity, as all bi+ participants across the studies identified as bisexual on Prolific’s screening survey. Some of them identified with a different bi+ identity in the demographics section of our studies.

Additional information

Funding

The present work was partly funded by a small graduate student research grant awarded to the first author by the American Psychological Foundation (CODGOP research scholarship).

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Cipollina

Rebecca Cipollina, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University. Dr. Cipollina’s research program focuses on how belonging to a socially derogated group influences marginalized group members’ interactions with others in varied contexts (e.g., in interpersonal relationships, disclosure experiences, interactions with healthcare professionals). Her research often explores when and why discussions of stigmatized topics and identities are avoided yet beneficial to individuals with marginalized identities.

Zoey Eddy

Zoey Eddy, BS, is a doctoral student in social psychology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. Her research aims to contribute to the literature on individuals who are stigmatized by both majority and minority group members, with a focus on people from biracial or multiracial backgrounds. To date, her research has documented social predictors of multiracial students’ sense of belonging on campus and has examined how thinking about identity constructs with a less essentialist frame can reduce prejudice.

Diana T. Sanchez

Diana T. Sanchez, PhD, is a professor of psychology and current chair of the Department of Psychology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. Her research explores the complexities associated with close relationships, identities, and stigma. Within these themes, her work on dual identities (e.g., those possessing multiple identities in a singular social category), stigma and coping, and gender dynamics in close relationships has received wide recognition. Her laboratory utilizes a diversity science approach to identify the factors that promote relationship satisfaction, belonging, and psychological health for individuals who are targets of discrimination (e.g., women, racial and ethnic minorities, sexual minorities).