Lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGBTs) are still more likely to be victims of violence and related disrespectful behavior than heterosexuals. This is the opinion of the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) based on research. While the situation for lesbian and gay people has improved over the past ten years, that for bisexual people has not, according to the institute.
Bisexual women in particular still run a greater risk than heterosexuals of becoming victims of, for example, sexual violence and intimidation. Almost half of them had to deal with this last year. “The experiences are also more often of a long-term nature and most often have psychological, physical or social consequences for their lives,” according to the SCP.
Bisexual people are also three times more likely to be psychologically unhealthy and more than twice as likely to suffer from depression as heterosexuals. The data from the study comes from 2020, before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. One in three bisexual people say they are psychologically unhealthy, compared to one in nine heterosexuals. According to the SCP, lesbian and gay people are not psychologically unhealthier than heterosexuals. The SCP has not investigated the reason for the difference.
Lower income
The study also did not look at the safety and well-being of trans people. The SCP does say something about their socio-economic position. Trans people are less likely to have a job and a lower income, have less wealth and are less likely to own a house than non-trans people. The position of trans women in particular is “extra precarious”, according to the planning agency.
“It is important that the safety of LGBTI+ people improves,” says the SCP. The best place for this is school, according to the planning office. “Sexual and gender diversity should be given more attention in the teaching materials. And not only in the form of emphatic attention to the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTI+ people, but also implicitly showing in teaching materials that a diverse and inclusive society is the norm.”
Interest organization Bi+ Netherlands recognizes the difference in the experiences of bisexual, gay and lesbian people. “This research shows that LGBT people are not one group,” said Jantine van Lisdonk of the organization. According to her, an explanation for the greater psychological vulnerability among bisexual people may be that they experience ‘double minority stress’.
“You do not meet the heterosexual norm, but you also do not meet the monosexual norm: the expectation that you fall for one gender.” It is also possible, according to her, that bisexual people are stereotyped as ‘boundless’, because they are based on multiple genders. – and that they are more likely to become victims of sexual violence as a result. “We want better research into violence against bi+ers, and especially their own experiences.”
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