Bisexual Representation in Media: What Needs to Change

Bisexual representation in media has improved, but bisexual characters are still frequently misunderstood, mislabeled, sexualized, or written as temporary plot devices. A character may show clear attraction to more than one gender while the story avoids the word bisexual. Another may be introduced through cheating, secrecy, instability, or a dramatic “choice” between men and women.

These portrayals matter because media does more than entertain. Stories influence which identities people recognize, which relationships seem possible, and which stereotypes become accepted as common sense.

For someone questioning their sexuality, a bisexual character may provide the first language that makes their own experience understandable. Poor representation can do the opposite by suggesting that bisexuality is only confusion, promiscuity, indecision, or a phase before becoming straight, gay, or lesbian.

Better bisexual representation does not mean every character must be perfect, monogamous, morally good, or free from conflict. It means bisexual characters should be allowed the same complexity, variety, and narrative depth as everyone else without their orientation automatically becoming the explanation for every harmful decision.

This guide explores common bisexual media stereotypes, the erasure of bisexual labels, differences in how bi men and women are portrayed, representation of trans and non-binary people, relationships, tokenism, authenticity, fandom, and what creators can do differently.

You may also find Why Bisexual Visibility Matters, Navigating Bisexuality in a Straight-or-Gay World, and Why Bisexual People Can Feel Lonely in LGBTQ+ Spaces helpful.

Good bisexual representation does not require flawless characters. It requires characters whose bisexuality is recognized without reducing their whole life to a stereotype.

Bisexual Representation in Media: The Direct Answer

Bisexual representation in media matters because stories help shape public understanding of bisexuality.

Meaningful representation can:

help questioning people recognize themselves;
challenge the idea that sexuality must be either straight or gay;
show that bisexual people can build stable relationships and families;
reduce stereotypes about cheating, confusion, and hypersexuality;
make bisexual men, women, trans, and non-binary people more visible;
show bisexual people across different ages, cultures, and life stages;
give partners, relatives, and communities more accurate examples;
make room for bisexuality outside sexual or romantic drama.

The goal is not to create one model bisexual character who represents everyone. Bisexual people have different values, personalities, relationships, histories, and experiences.

Better representation requires variety.

What Counts as Bisexual Representation?

A character can be bisexual even when the story does not use the word. However, repeatedly showing attraction to more than one gender while avoiding the bisexual label can contribute to erasure.

Bisexual representation may include characters who:

identify explicitly as bisexual;
describe attraction to more than one gender;
have meaningful relationships across genders;
use another overlapping label, such as queer or pansexual;
are still questioning but recognize attraction beyond one gender;
have a history that clearly reflects bisexual experience.

Explicit identification is valuable because it gives the audience clear language. Subtle storytelling can also be meaningful when the character’s experience is handled thoughtfully.

The problem begins when creators use bisexual attraction for drama while refusing to acknowledge bisexuality as a legitimate identity.

Showing bisexual behaviour while erasing bisexual identity is not always the same as genuine representation.

Why Naming Bisexuality Matters

The word bisexual can offer recognition that vague descriptions do not always provide.

When characters are only described as:

“not caring about labels”;
“liking people”;
“experimenting”;
“sexually adventurous”;
“confused”;
“open-minded”;
“having a wild past”;

the audience may never understand that bisexuality is a complete orientation rather than a temporary behaviour.

Not every character must use bisexual. Some people genuinely prefer queer, pansexual, fluid, questioning, or no label.

The broader concern is a media pattern in which almost nobody is allowed to say bisexual clearly, even when the story repeatedly depicts bisexual attraction.

The “Confused Bisexual” Trope

One of the oldest bisexual media stereotypes is the character who cannot decide whether they want men or women.

The story may present bisexuality as:

a temporary identity crisis;
evidence of emotional instability;
a stage before becoming gay or lesbian;
a reaction to heartbreak;
a refusal to make adult decisions;
a problem another character must solve.

Real people can feel uncertain about labels, attraction, or relationships. Confusion itself is not offensive.

The stereotype becomes harmful when bisexuality is consistently treated as the source of confusion rather than one possible orientation a person may understand with greater clarity over time.

A questioning storyline can be strong when it allows bisexuality to become a genuine conclusion rather than a temporary obstacle.

The “Just a Phase” Storyline

Some characters express bisexual attraction briefly before the story places them permanently into a straight, gay, or lesbian category.

The earlier bisexuality is then treated as:

experimentation;
attention-seeking;
a youthful mistake;
a step toward the “real” identity;
something no longer worth mentioning.

People can change labels, and some individuals genuinely discover that bisexual no longer fits. Media should be able to tell those stories.

The problem is repetition. When bisexuality almost always disappears, audiences learn that it is inherently temporary.

Long-term bisexual characters challenge that assumption by remaining bisexual through changing relationships, marriage, parenthood, aging, and different life stages.

The Unfaithful Bisexual Character

Bisexual characters are often introduced through cheating, secret affairs, love triangles, or overlapping relationships.

Infidelity can be part of a compelling story. Bisexual characters should not be excluded from morally complicated plots.

The stereotype becomes harmful when bisexuality is used as the reason the character cannot remain loyal.

The implied message is:

one partner can never be enough;
attraction to several genders creates uncontrollable desire;
bisexual people are naturally secretive;
monogamy is incompatible with bisexuality;
cheating reveals the character’s true orientation.

A bisexual character can cheat because of selfishness, immaturity, fear, conflict, or poor choices. The story should distinguish those behaviours from orientation.

Faithful bisexual characters are also necessary, not because bisexual people must appear morally perfect, but because audiences need more than one repeated pattern.

Read Can You Be Bisexual and Monogamous? for more about attraction and commitment.

The Hypersexual Bisexual Trope

Bisexuality is frequently presented as evidence that a character is sexually adventurous, available, excessive, or unable to establish boundaries.

The character may be used to introduce:

threesomes;
group sex;
affairs;
sexual manipulation;
seduction of several characters;
shock value;
a more “dangerous” side of another person.

Bisexual people can enjoy casual sex, non-monogamy, kink, or sexual exploration. Those stories are valid.

Authenticity requires showing that bisexuality does not automatically determine sexual behaviour.

Bisexual characters should also be allowed to be:

monogamous;
asexual or demisexual;
inexperienced;
careful about intimacy;
uninterested in dating;
focused on family, work, friendship, or personal growth;
private about sex.

Sexual visibility without emotional and personal depth is not complete representation.

The Bisexual Love Triangle

Love triangles involving different genders are a common way to signal bisexuality.

The storyline often asks:

Will the character choose the man or the woman?
Which attraction is stronger?
What does the final partner reveal about the character’s “real” identity?
Can the character ever settle down?

A love triangle can be entertaining. The ending should not imply that choosing one individual erases attraction to every other gender.

Choosing one partner resolves a relationship decision. It does not necessarily resolve sexual orientation into one gender.

Bisexual Characters Are Often Written as Mysterious or Dangerous

Villains and morally ambiguous characters are sometimes coded as bisexual to emphasize unpredictability, decadence, or danger.

A bisexual villain is not inherently bad representation. Bisexual people should be allowed to be heroes, villains, side characters, leaders, and complicated antiheroes.

The problem appears when bisexuality itself becomes part of the villainous coding.

Warning signs include:

sexual fluidity presented as moral corruption;
seducing several genders used to show manipulation;
gender nonconformity linked with danger;
bisexual desire portrayed as endless appetite;
a lack of positive bisexual characters elsewhere in the story.

Variety changes the context. One bisexual villain feels different in a media landscape that also contains bisexual parents, friends, heroes, professionals, and ordinary people.

Bisexual Women Are Often Shown Through Male Fantasy

Bisexual women may appear visible in media while being represented primarily for a presumed male audience.

This can involve:

relationships between women filmed mainly for sexual spectacle;
bisexuality introduced to excite a male partner;
female attraction treated as less serious than relationships with men;
threesomes becoming the default bisexual storyline;
women returning to men after “experimenting”;
attraction to women being dismissed as attention-seeking.

Sexual content is not automatically exploitative. The question is whose perspective, emotional life, and desire the story takes seriously.

Bisexual women need stories in which attraction to women has emotional weight and relationships with women are not merely temporary entertainment.

Bisexual Men Are Frequently Relabeled as Gay

Bisexual male characters are often treated as gay once attraction to men becomes visible.

The story may imply that:

attraction to women was false;
relationships with women were camouflage;
bisexuality was only a safer label;
male attraction reveals the character’s final truth;
a bisexual man cannot remain genuinely interested in women.

Some men do initially use bisexual before identifying as gay. That individual experience deserves representation.

It should not be the only bisexual male narrative audiences see.

Bisexual men should also be portrayed as men whose attraction to more than one gender remains real over time.

Non-Binary and Trans Bisexual Characters Are Still Underrepresented

Bisexual media stories often assume the identity involves only cisgender men and women.

That can erase bisexual people who are:

transgender;
non-binary;
gender-fluid;
agender;
attracted to people beyond binary gender categories.

Many people define bisexuality as attraction to more than one gender or to their own gender and genders different from their own.

Stories should not force trans or non-binary bisexual characters to choose between gender authenticity and orientation authenticity.

Representation becomes stronger when gender diversity is integrated naturally rather than introduced only as an educational issue.

Bisexuality Should Exist Beyond Young Adulthood

Many bisexual stories focus on teenagers or young adults discovering sexuality.

Those stories matter, but bisexuality does not disappear after youth.

Media also needs bisexual characters who are:

middle-aged or older;
married;
parents or grandparents;
divorced or widowed;
recognizing bisexuality later in life;
living in long-term relationships;
building careers and communities;
reflecting on bisexual history and change.

Older representation shows that bisexuality can remain part of a full adult life rather than serving only as a coming-of-age plot.

Read Coming Out as Bisexual Later in Life: You Are Not Too Late.

Bisexual Parents and Families Deserve Media Representation

Bisexual characters are often shown while dating but disappear from bisexual narratives once they marry or become parents.

A bisexual parent may be assumed straight or gay according to the gender of their spouse.

Media could explore experiences such as:

being invisible inside a straight-passing family;
talking with children about bisexuality;
remaining connected to LGBTQ+ community;
a partner learning not to erase orientation;
coming out after marriage or parenthood;
raising children in different family structures;
balancing privacy with authentic family life.

These stories would broaden bisexual representation beyond sexual exploration and early dating.

Read Parenting While Bi: Feeling Invisible in a Straight-Passing Family.

Monogamous Bisexual Characters Matter

Media frequently links bisexuality with non-monogamy, love triangles, affairs, or multiple simultaneous partners.

Consensual non-monogamy can be represented respectfully. It should not be treated as the automatic result of bisexual orientation.

Monogamous bisexual characters help show that:

attraction does not require action;
one partner can be a complete relationship choice;
bisexual identity remains present during exclusivity;
commitment does not erase attraction to more than one gender;
orientation and relationship structure are separate.

Representation should include both monogamous and non-monogamous bisexual lives without presenting either as universally correct.

Bisexual Characters Need Lives Beyond Romance

Sexuality often becomes visible through romantic storylines. Bisexual people also exist outside dating plots.

Characters should have:

friendships;
careers;
family relationships;
political or creative goals;
ordinary routines;
personal flaws unrelated to sexuality;
humour;
community roles;
stories in which bisexuality is present without becoming the entire conflict.

Normalization happens when bisexual characters are allowed to participate in every genre and narrative role.

Representation Should Include Ordinary Bisexual Lives

Media often focuses on dramatic coming-out stories or sexual conflict because drama drives narrative.

There is also value in showing bisexual people:

going to work;
raising families;
maintaining friendships;
dating respectfully;
being single without crisis;
aging;
participating in community;
having ordinary disagreements;
living without constant identity conflict.

Ordinary representation does not mean boring storytelling. It means bisexuality no longer needs to function as a permanent shock or twist.

Bisexual Characters Should Be Allowed to Be Flawed

Calls for better representation can create pressure for bisexual characters to become morally perfect.

That would also be limiting.

Bisexual characters should be allowed to:

make mistakes;
end relationships badly;
struggle with commitment;
behave selfishly;
change labels;
experience mental health difficulties;
make decisions audiences dislike.

The key question is whether the story treats those flaws as individual characteristics or as proof that bisexuality itself is unstable and dangerous.

Complexity becomes safer when several bisexual characters exist rather than one character carrying the burden of representing an entire orientation.

One Bisexual Character Cannot Represent Everyone

Token representation places impossible pressure on a single character.

If that character is monogamous, some viewers may feel non-monogamous bisexual lives are erased. When the character is sexually adventurous, others may see another stereotype.

The answer is not one perfectly balanced character. It is more bisexual characters with different:

genders;
ages;
relationship structures;
cultural backgrounds;
personalities;
levels of experience;
political beliefs;
family lives;
forms of attraction;
relationships with labels and community.

Diversity reduces the need for any one storyline to explain bisexuality completely.

Intersectional Bisexual Representation Matters

Bisexual identity does not exist separately from race, culture, disability, religion, age, class, or gender.

Media often defaults to a narrow image of bisexuality. Broader representation should include people whose experiences are shaped by:

racial and ethnic identity;
migration and language;
religious communities;
disability and access;
economic insecurity;
rural or conservative environments;
trans and non-binary identity;
parenthood;
later-in-life discovery.

Intersectional representation should do more than add visual diversity. The character’s wider social reality should have meaning within the story.

Positive Examples Can Make a Real Difference

Some recent television, film, and book characters have been praised for offering more nuanced bisexual or bi+ representation.

Characters such as David Rose in Schitt’s Creek are often discussed because attraction beyond one gender is treated as a stable part of the character rather than a problem that must be resolved.

Series such as Sex Education have also contributed to wider conversations by presenting several forms of sexuality, identity, attraction, and questioning across different characters.

No portrayal will work equally well for every viewer. A character may feel affirming to one bisexual person and incomplete to another.

That disagreement demonstrates why the future of representation depends on greater variety rather than searching for one universally approved example.

Bad Representation Can Still Start Useful Conversations

A flawed portrayal does not always make a film, series, or book worthless.

It may reveal:

which stereotypes remain common;
how audiences interpret bisexual behaviour;
why explicit labeling matters;
where creators lacked lived experience;
how fandoms erase bisexuality;
what viewers want to see handled differently.

Criticism can remain specific.

Instead of saying a character is simply “bad representation,” ask:

Does the story name bisexuality?
Is the character reduced to sex or betrayal?
Are other bisexual characters present?
Does the narrative challenge or reinforce the stereotype?
Does the character have depth beyond orientation?
Who controls the storytelling perspective?

This creates a more useful discussion than expecting every bisexual character to become an educational model.

Fandom Can Erase Bisexual Characters Too

Even when a story presents bisexuality clearly, audiences may relabel the character according to their preferred relationship.

A character dating someone of a different gender may be described as straight. After entering a same-gender relationship, the same character may be called gay or lesbian.

Fandom discussions may also:

treat bisexuality as a threat to a same-gender pairing;
dismiss different-gender relationships as less meaningful;
argue that one relationship proves the character’s final identity;
use “gay” as a broad label when bisexual is established;
question whether attraction to several genders is believable.

Shipping and interpretation are part of fan culture. Respecting an explicitly bisexual character does not prevent enthusiasm for a particular relationship.

A bisexual character does not become less bisexual when the audience prefers one partner.

Marketing Can Hide Bisexuality

Studios, publishers, and platforms may present a work differently depending on the audience they want to reach.

Bisexuality may be minimized when marketing:

describes a character as straight in one market and queer in another;
promotes only the same-gender relationship while ignoring wider attraction;
uses vague terms to avoid controversy;
highlights bisexuality only when it can create publicity;
removes explicit identity language from trailers or summaries.

Marketing cannot communicate every detail of a story. Repeated avoidance still contributes to a culture in which bisexuality remains present but unnamed.

Journalism and Reviews Influence Representation

Media coverage can reinforce or correct bisexual erasure.

Reviews and articles may incorrectly describe bisexual characters as:

straight before a same-gender relationship;
gay after dating someone of the same gender;
sexually fluid without acknowledging an explicit label;
confused because several attractions are shown;
unfaithful because of bisexuality rather than individual choices.

Writers can improve accuracy by checking how the character identifies and separating orientation from the relationship shown in one scene or season.

Reviewers should also avoid treating every bisexual storyline as either perfect progress or complete failure. Specific analysis supports better media literacy.

Why Lived Experience Behind the Camera Matters

Bisexual writers, directors, actors, editors, consultants, and producers can bring insights that are easy to miss from the outside.

Lived experience may help identify:

subtle relationship-based erasure;
the emotional impact of changing labels;
differences between attraction and action;
biphobia inside LGBTQ+ spaces;
the pressure to prove bisexuality;
how bisexuality remains present during monogamy;
why privacy and coming out are complicated;
which jokes repeat harmful assumptions.

Hiring one bisexual consultant does not guarantee perfect representation. It can still reduce avoidable mistakes and introduce perspectives that improve the story.

Bisexual creators should also be allowed to tell stories beyond identity education.

Authenticity Does Not Mean Writing an Autobiography

A creator does not need to copy one real bisexual person exactly.

Authentic fiction can combine imagination, research, lived experience, and narrative purpose.

Useful questions for creators include:

Why is this character bisexual?
Would the same storyline work if the character had another orientation?
Does bisexuality provide depth or only shock value?
Is the label named?
Are common stereotypes being repeated unintentionally?
Does the character have relationships and goals beyond sex?
Are several bisexual experiences represented?
Who has reviewed the storyline for accuracy?

Research should inform the story without turning every bisexual scene into a lesson.

What Better Bisexual Storytelling Looks Like

Stronger bisexual representation may include:

characters who use bisexual clearly and confidently;
questioning characters who are allowed to choose bisexual;
relationships that do not erase orientation;
bisexual people in monogamous and non-monogamous relationships;
bisexual men whose attraction to women is believed;
bisexual women whose attraction to women has emotional depth;
trans and non-binary bisexual characters;
older bisexual adults and parents;
characters with different cultural and religious backgrounds;
storylines unrelated to cheating or love triangles;
flawed characters whose flaws are not blamed on orientation;
several bisexual characters rather than one token figure.

No single production needs to contain every form of representation. The wider media landscape should offer enough variety that bisexuality no longer appears through the same handful of narratives.

What Creators Should Avoid

Creators should be cautious when bisexuality appears mainly through:

cheating;
threesomes;
villainous seduction;
temporary experimentation;
the refusal to choose;
secret homosexuality;
male fantasy;
shock reveals;
relationships that erase the label immediately;
death or disappearance soon after coming out.

Any one of these elements can exist in a nuanced story. Problems arise when the familiar trope is used without awareness, context, or alternative representation.

What Viewers and Readers Can Do

Audiences influence which stories receive attention.

You can support better bisexual representation by:

supporting bisexual writers and creators;
recommending stories with thoughtful representation;
using accurate labels when discussing characters;
challenging relationship-based erasure in fandom;
writing specific reviews rather than vague praise or condemnation;
sharing diverse bisexual stories;
avoiding harassment of actors or creators;
recognizing that bisexual viewers may disagree;
asking platforms and publishers for broader representation.

Criticism is strongest when it explains the pattern and its impact rather than attacking individuals.

Questions for Evaluating Bisexual Representation

When watching, reading, or reviewing a bisexual storyline, consider:

Is bisexuality named clearly?
Does the character remain bisexual regardless of the current partner?
Is attraction to several genders treated as believable?
Does the story separate orientation from cheating?
Is the character sexualized more than others?
Are relationships across genders given equal emotional weight?
Does the character have goals beyond romance?
Are bisexual men, women, trans, and non-binary people treated differently?
Does the story challenge or reinforce common myths?
Are there several bisexual characters or only one?
Were bisexual voices involved in the production?
How does the audience discuss the character afterward?

No portrayal will receive a perfect score. These questions help identify strengths, gaps, and repeated patterns.

Why Representation Matters to Questioning People

Many people do not recognize bisexuality because the examples they have seen do not resemble their lives.

They may believe bisexual people must be:

equally attracted to men and women;
sexually experienced with several genders;
young and visibly queer;
non-monogamous;
constantly dating;
certain from childhood;
unmarried and without children.

Diverse media examples can help someone recognize that bisexuality may also describe a married parent, an older adult, a monogamous partner, an inexperienced person, or someone whose attraction changes over time.

Representation offers a possible mirror. It should not become a test that tells viewers exactly which label they must use.

The Mental Health Impact of Seeing Yourself Represented

Seeing a familiar experience portrayed with respect can reduce isolation.

A viewer may realize:

their attraction is not uniquely confusing;
a relationship does not erase bisexuality;
other bisexual people build stable lives;
they are not alone in changing labels;
community is available;
stereotypes do not define their future.

Media cannot replace personal support, community, or mental healthcare. It can provide language and recognition that make seeking those forms of support easier.

Read Bisexual Mental Health: Why Being Bi Can Feel So Isolating.

How BiFiles Can Support Better Media Conversations

BiFiles can provide space to discuss bisexual representation without requiring every person to agree on which characters are good or bad.

Useful community discussions may explore:

which characters helped people recognize themselves;
where bisexuality was erased;
which stereotypes appeared repeatedly;
how fandom treated an explicitly bisexual character;
which books, shows, films, or games offered something new;
what kinds of stories remain missing;
how representation differs across cultures and generations.

Members should be able to disagree without questioning each other’s bisexuality or treating one reaction as universal.

You can share media observations in the BiFiles Forum or explore personal perspectives through Community Stories.

The Future of Bisexual Representation

The future should not depend on one groundbreaking character appearing every few years.

Bisexuality should become ordinary enough to appear across:

romance;
comedy;
family drama;
science fiction;
fantasy;
crime stories;
children’s and young-adult literature;
historical fiction;
documentaries;
games;
news and cultural journalism.

Some stories can focus directly on bisexual identity. In others, a character can simply be bisexual while dealing with an entirely different plot.

Progress means moving from rare visibility toward sustained variety.

Bisexual Representation in Media: Final Answer

Bisexual representation in media matters because stories influence how people understand attraction, relationships, identity, and belonging.

Older and continuing stereotypes often portray bisexual characters as confused, unfaithful, hypersexual, temporary, manipulative, or unable to choose.

Bisexual women may be sexualized for male fantasy, while bisexual men are frequently relabeled as gay. Trans, non-binary, older, monogamous, disabled, religious, culturally diverse, and parenting bisexual people remain underrepresented.

Better representation does not require perfect characters. It requires variety, explicit recognition, emotional depth, and stories that separate orientation from individual behaviour.

Creators should involve bisexual voices, examine familiar tropes, and allow bisexual characters to exist beyond dating and sexual conflict.

Audiences can support bisexual creators, use accurate labels, challenge fandom erasure, and discuss representation with enough nuance to allow disagreement.

The future of bisexual representation should include many different lives rather than one character expected to represent everyone.