LIFE IN
SCOTLAND
FOR LGBT
YOUNG
PEOPLE
BISEXUAL
BRIEFING
LIFE IN SCOTLAND FOR LGBT YOUNG PEOPLE: BISEXUAL BRIEFING
This briefing is drawn from the 2012 Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People survey with 350
young people ages 13-25. It brings together the responses of bisexual young people published in
our Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People series of reports1 and in some cases, revisits the data
to provide additional information. Forty six respondents said that they identify as bisexual.
A key trend that emerged across the reports is far lower confidence levels for bisexual
respondents to be out to public services and to report bullying in education.
EDUCATION
Confidence levels to report homophobia and biphobia were low at 44.4% in school, matching
levels reported by all LGBT young people.
Bisexual young people were less likely to feel confident reporting homophobia or biphobia in
college (31.1% compared to 68.7%), and university (35.6% compared to 72.6%) than LGBT
young people overall.
Half (51.11%) of bisexual respondents thought that the school experience for LGBT young
people was bad and 33.33% thought it was okay.
In school, 60% of bisexual young people had experienced homophobic or biphobic bullying.
HEALTH
Bisexual young people were less likely (46.6%) than their LGBT peers (56.5%) to feel safe and
supported by the NHS in regards to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Over a third
(36.9%) of bisexual young people did not know whether they felt safe and supported by the NHS
and 19.4% did not.
While 56.5% of bisexual young people said that they would feel confident coming out to their
doctor, only 15.2% had already done so.
19.6% of bisexual young people would not feel comfortable coming out to their doctor, which is
a higher percentage than those who already had. 24% did not know whether they would feel
comfortable coming out to their doctor.
Bisexual men were less likely to be out to their doctors than gay men at 31.3%, with a quarter
reporting that they would feel comfortable coming out. Bisexual women were the least likely of
all groups to be out to their doctor at 7%, although half felt that they would be comfortable
coming out (50%).
Just over half felt comfortable talking about sexual health with a doctor (53.5%) and less than
one third (28.2%) said that they did not.
Bisexual women were the second most likely group (63%) (after transgender young people
[66.7%]) to say that they had a mental health problem.
1/ Lough Dennell, Brandi Lee and Caitlin Logan (2012) Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People: Education. LGBT Youth
Scotland; Lough Dennell, Brandi Lee and Caitlin Logan (2013) Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People: Health. LGBT Youth
Scotland; Lough Dennell, Brandi Lee and Caitlin Logan (2015) Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People: Community and
Identity. LGBT Youth Scotland; Lough Dennell, Brandi Lee and Caitlin Logan (2015) Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People:
Safety. LGBT Youth Scotland.
LIFE IN SCOTLAND FOR LGBT YOUNG PEOPLE: BISEXUAL BRIEFING
When asked what they thought makes or would make them feel safe and supported by the health
service, bisexual young people said the following:
I may just be lucky but my GP seems quite okay with it. You know it’s okay when
there’s none of the awkward… ‘oh’, after you tell them.
Young people friendly services.
Visible information about sexuality.
SAFETY
Bisexual young people reported low levels of awareness of their rights under hate crime
legislation (47.8%) with 39.1% stating that they were not aware of their rights and 13% responding
that they did not know. The percentage rose for bisexual respondents when they were asked
whether they would feel confident reporting hate crime to the police, with half confirming (50%)
that they would. A further 28.2% stated that they did not know whether they would feel confident
reporting hate crime.
Bisexual women were the least likely (46.3%) of all LGBT identities to feel confident reporting
hate crime to the police.
Bisexual men (68.8%) and bisexual women (67.9%) were the most likely to feel safe and
supported by the police.
I don’t know I’m too scared to even think about coming out.
I’ve let other things happen to me without being reported because it is easier to
forget rather than to explore the matter so I don’t know how I’d feel in the future.
COMMUNITY AND IDENTITY
Respondents who had come out as bisexual did so at 16, on average, which was roughly 2 years
after they thought they may be bisexual.
71.8% of bisexual respondents thought biphobia was a problem for Scotland and 74% thought
it was a problem for their local area.
LGBT young people overall rated biphobia and transphobia as less of a problem than did
bisexual and trans young people, showing continued lack of awareness of biphobia and
transphobia, even within the LGBT community.
Half (50%) of young bisexual men and women feel there are enough spaces to socialise where
they can be out about their sexual orientation or gender identity.
53.5% of LGBT young people aged 18-25 agreed, while 28.8% of LGBT young people ages 1317 agreed that there were sufficient spaces.
LIFE IN SCOTLAND FOR LGBT YOUNG PEOPLE: BISEXUAL BRIEFING
When asked where they face the most discrimination, LGBT young people overwhelmingly named
education. There were, however, comments illustrating biphobia, bi invisibility, and concerns over
coming out. Young people shared the following:
Primary/secondary school education, media – bisexuality is rarely portrayed
realistically and positively in the media or talked about to school children. This
made growing up as a bisexual teenager very confusing and difficult and
contributes to bisexual erasure in our society. Services that could benefit bisexual
people aren’t set up to include us. Instead they are aimed at gay and lesbian
people. Recent discussion of same-sex marriage legislation is more often talked
about as a gay issue – ‘gay marriage’, further excluding bisexuals and others from
the debate.
I’m not comfortable to tell my male work colleagues of my bisexuality yet. But I
don’t know if I feel discrimination. Mainly from throw away comments from
ignorant people.
Work: generally accepted but recently started dating a woman – many...
comments, claiming it’s hot or more acceptable.
In social circles where people make assumptions about my relationship history or
my sexual conduct. Particularly when they don’t recognise bisexuality as being a
valid and existing orientation or choose to define my orientation in a way that suits
them or others.
I find that the worst discrimination is in my household. My parents have been the
only people who have really reacted badly to my sexuality, with the exception of
around 2 of my friends. I find that in the wider community, my sexuality is not a
problem.
www.lgbtyouth.org.uk
LGBT Youth Scotland is the largest youth and community-based organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) people in Scotland.
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LGBT Youth Scotland 2015