{"id":66614,"date":"2018-03-31T14:25:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-31T18:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/6-things-bisexual-people-are-tired-of-hearing-from-their-doctors\/"},"modified":"2018-03-31T14:25:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-31T18:25:30","slug":"6-things-bisexual-people-are-tired-of-hearing-from-their-doctors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/6-things-bisexual-people-are-tired-of-hearing-from-their-doctors\/","title":{"rendered":"6 things bisexual+ people are tired of hearing from their doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"

6 things bisexual<\/a>+ people are tired of hearing from their doctors<\/b><\/p>\n

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During a check up with a doctor I have never been to before, my nurse went through the usual stream of questions, one of which I, as a pansexual woman<\/a>, had always wanted to answer: \u201cWhat is your primary use of birth control?\u201d My instantaneous answer was: \u201cMy girlfriend<\/a> is my birth control.\u201d The nurse laughed, the moment was funny and wholesome, and I shined proud of my identity. Unfortunately, that’s not usually the case for most bisexual+ (bi, pan, queer, fluid, etc.) people<\/a>, including me, when we go to the doctor.<\/p>\n

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Often times, we\u2019re hit by microaggressions, misinformed assumptions, and invasive \u201csmall talk\u201d about who we are and who we date. This can be really harmful for the bi<\/a>+ community because, when going to the doctor becomes an uncomfortable and offensive experience, bi<\/a>+ folks like me face even greater hurdles to accessing our doctors and having our health care needs understood. This can mean we might not get the full range of medical services we need and puts our health at great risk. Bisexual+ people are already at greater risk than our gay<\/a> and straight peers for things like poor physical and mental health, intimate partner violence, and living in poverty. It takes so much to be able to get to the doctor\u2019s office in the first place and walking in can be just as difficult.<\/p>\n

In honor of #BiHealthMonth,<\/a> the Bisexual Resource Center<\/a>\u2019s social media campaign to both motivate the bisexual<\/a>+ community to make changes to improve their health and also inspire friends of the bi<\/a>+ community to play an active role in improving the health of their bisexual<\/a> friends, family, and community members, here are six things bi<\/a>+ folks are tired of hearing from our doctors:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWow, being bisexual<\/a> must make dating so easy, you\u2019ve got all the fish in the sea.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Being attracted to more than one gender does not mean that you are automatically more sexually active than straight, gay<\/a>, or lesbian<\/a> counterparts. Regardless of how many sexual partners you had or currently have, your doctor\u2019s job is not to slut shame you, let their misconceptions about your identity impact your treatment, or ask if you\u2019re lying about the number of partners you\u2019ve had. Doctors have a duty to indiscriminately treat you with the best level of care if you have one, two, or 37 sexual partners. Bi+ individuals are also at higher risk of interpersonal violence from partners, with 61% of bisexual<\/a> women<\/a> and 37% of bisexual<\/a> men<\/a> having reported experiencing Intimate Partner Violence according to MAP\u2019s report<\/a> on disparities that bisexual<\/a> people face and the more aware your doctor is of this reality, the more prepared they may be to treat you.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure there is no way you could be pregnant?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bisexual+ people have the capactiy to be attracted to people of more than one gender, so sometimes we are with people who can get us pregnant, and sometimes we\u2019re not. . You may know if unintended pregnancies are a risk for you, but your doctor may not be well-versed enough in different gender identities, relationship models, and types of sex<\/a> to know if you need birth control.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need STD\/STI testing because you\u2019re in a same-sex<\/a> relationship, right?\u201d or \u201cI think we should run some STD\/STI tests, just in case.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bisexual+ people\u2019s doctors \u00a0may insist on unnecessary STD\/STI testing because of their misconceptions about bisexuality+, \u00a0OR they assume you don\u2019t need STD\/STI testing based on how they perceive your identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was the last time you had sex<\/a>? I mean\u2026 real <\/em>sex<\/a>?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s so invalidating for a medical professional to think there\u2019s only one way to have sex<\/a>. Sex with partners of the same sex<\/a> is still…sex<\/a>. You are still sexually active and the sex<\/a> of your partner is not in question. The doctor\u2019s job is to figure out how to best secure your health despite their heteronormative understanding of sex<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ve been in a relationship for a while now. You\u2019re not bisexual<\/a> anymore? Finally picked a side?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019re still bisexual<\/a> no matter the gender of your first, last, current, previous, or future partners. You haven\u2019t \u201csettled on one\u201d and should never have to because it is perfectly valid to be attracted to more than gender. And not only is it valid, but it\u2019s very common, with bisexual<\/a>+ people making up the majority of the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, many people have the false notion that bisexuality+ is not a real identity, but rather a layover between coming out as gay<\/a> or straight. If your doctors takes your word on who you are and what your experiences are, they are better equipped to treat you as a whole person.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I experimented some back in college too, I know how it is\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First of all, my identity \u00a0is not an experiment. Second of all, I came in for your medical expertise, not to hear about your college adventures. Please go back to taking my blood pressure.<\/p>\n

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Check out more Bi+ Health Awareness Month posts by GLAAD!<\/p>\n

GLAAD Campus Ambassador Miles Joyner at University of South Carolina captured their personal experiencces<\/a> of struggling with trauma, anxiety, and more throughout #BiHealthMonth.<\/p>\n

Olivia Zayas Ryan, a GLAAD Campus Ambassador at Elon University, wrote about the sexualization and the delicate intersectionality of of being a queer woman<\/a> of color. Read\u00a0her story\u00a0about the gaping disproportions of sexual violence that queer women and femmes of color face.<\/a><\/p>\n

GLAAD Campaigns intern\u00a0Micah Prussack\u00a0also introduces Bisexual Resource Center\u2019s 5th annual Bisexual Health Awareness Month. Learn about the research that BRC has compiled on the health disparities that bi+ community faces. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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March 31, 2018<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Issues:\u00a0<\/div>\n