One of the biggest issues facing the bisexual community is poverty, but why are LGBTQ+ groups so reluctant to acknowledge this? Stephanie Farnsworth argues that we cannot continue to exclude issues of class and poverty from our activism.
One thing that has always struck me about LGBTQ+ activism is how little is made of poverty. Lots of things are talked about in the frame work of human rights: the autonomy to have sex, the autonomy to be granted access to abortion, the freedom to not be abused but yet poverty is rarely ever spoken about even though it plays a major factor on all of these issues. Poverty is a violation of human rights. All people should have access to a roof over their heads, education and healthcare. Issues of class are also predictably ignored when it comes to bisexuality. As I recently wrote, unless it’s a fluff piece then you can forget analysis of what bisexual people are experiencing.
Poverty is a violation of human rights.
Yet as far as analysis on sexuality goes, bisexual people are more likely to be in poverty (this is especially true if a bisexual person is trans, disabled, neurodivergent and/or a woman of colour). This is a huge factor in why bisexual people are often marginalised and isolated. There are very few events especially for bisexual around the United Kingdom: the major one being BiCon but if you’re in poverty how exactly are you supposed to be able to pay for a hotel and travel? BiCon is an absolutely fantastic event but for so many it is the only event on option in the yearly calendar for a bisexual meet up and even that is off the cards if one is in poverty.
There are very few events especially for bisexual around the United Kingdom: the major one being BiCon but if you’re in poverty how exactly are you supposed to be able to pay for a hotel and travel?
This problem is exacerbated for anybody in a rural area. Groups for bisexual people in urban areas are rare, and at least there are often LGBT groups, but bisexual groups in rural areas are practically unheard of. Travel therefore once more becomes an issue, and taking a train into the city may not be possible for many. It seems then that the prerequisite for access to these groups then also depends on class and income (and let’s not forget that people of colour and disabled people are at greater risk of living in poverty).
Poverty also plays a massive role in mental health. Bisexual people are particularly at risk of experiencing a mental health condition- from depression, anxiety to substance addiction. They’re also at risk of suicidal ideation and self harm. Mental health access is therefore vital, but not only are bisexuals often not recognised as an at risk group by healthcare providers, but mental health services themselves are often inaccessible. The narrow treatment options available do not suit everyone; some cannot take medication and talking therapies work on a limited number of individuals. That’s not to mention the fact that if you seek help for anxiety you have to make a series of phone calls to different groups which is quite possibly the hardest task that could possibly be set for anybody with social anxiety.
Furthermore, even receiving treatment is somewhat of a lottery due to prolonged waiting times. For those in poverty, tracking down a counsellor (and one that has good knowledge with tackling and understand specific issues facing bisexual people) or private service that would work for them (whether for hypnotherapy, CBT etc) is just not possible due to their charges. The compounding problem of poor NHS coverage and expensive private coverage means that bisexual people who are far more likely to need support or even less likely to be able to receive it.
The compounding problem of poor NHS coverage and expensive private coverage means that bisexual people who are far more likely to need support or even less likely to be able to receive it.
There’s an isolation that comes with living in poverty that dominates people’s lives. It manifests itself in many forms from not being able to talk about the pressures to having every moment focussed upon how to pay the next bill. Bisexuality too is a silenced issue. Too many times bisexual people simply aren’t welcome or safe in LGBT spaces and while the labels of ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ are receiving more support than ever, the only time people reject the need for labels is when the conversation turns to bisexual people. The immediate dismissal of bisexuality demonstrates that bisexual people are simply invisible. They are not recognised within the LGBTQ+ world and at times are treated as unwanted.
The stats show a bleak picture for any bisexual person in poverty (and clearly there are many). We talk about the loneliness crisis with the elderly (as we should), but what about bisexual people being left behind of all ages? The freedom to love or be (whichever line is being used right now) doesn’t fulfil its remit if it ignores a large chunk of those it is supposed to be fighting for, and ignores the issue of poverty.
Too many times bisexual people simply aren’t welcome or safe in LGBT spaces and while the labels of ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ are receiving more support than ever, the only time people reject the need for labels is when the conversation turns to bisexual people.
The overwhelming rates of poverty are a bisexual issue, and an issue for the wider LGBTQ+ community. The community however, has been inclined over the years to reject all analysis of class and/or poverty. Perhaps this is due to the more prominent presence of banks at Pride and the fact that LGBTQ+ orgs have to scrabble around for private donations so any kind of analysis of capitalism is crumbling around us.
Whatever the reason though, it isn’t enough to just focus on issues such as same sex marriage which won’t offend anyone new. The churches were always going to oppose any kind of legislation giving greater rights to LGBTQ+ people just like they always have and so in a way, the great legislative battle (at least in the media) was never going to isolate anybody within the movement because it was about taking on the same people we always have.
Poverty requires different demands because the LGBTQ+ organisations that dominate are ones which are ran by white, cis and middle class people who are having to chance private companies and donors for funding. Being LGBTQ+, and especially bisexual , is about more than attractions and identity; it’s about experiences. What links us all is the experiences of oppression and if we don’t fight these unique inequalities and prejudices we face then we have failed. It isn’t enough to just focus on hate crimes.
Perhaps this is due to the more prominent presence of banks at Pride and the fact that LGBTQ+ orgs have to scrabble around for private donations so any kind of analysis of capitalism is crumbling around us.
It’s time to move beyond writing articles about bisexual people which are merely concerned with who we go to bed with. Poverty is one of the biggest issues bisexual people face and it is a huge issue for the general LGBTQ+ community. It dictates access to health care (particularly if looking to transition), risks of homelessness, employment options and future financial stability. We can’t campaign for better access to health care without acknowledging the link to poverty, we can’t say LGBTQ+ homeless youths are being left behind without demanding the community make poverty a top priority for its activism and we certainly can’t claim to be representative if we talk about everything except poverty. People of colour and disabled people are especially likely to be living in poverty so why on earth would they feel safe or represented in the LGBTQ+ community if that’s something that we never pay any attention to?
It’s time to move beyond writing articles about bisexual people which are merely concerned with who we go to bed with.
The activism that LGBTQ+ people carry out cannot be effective if it skirts around the root of so many problems. It isn’t enough that we ask banks to help fund pride or sponsor a charity event. We need to decide what we want more: the politics of respectability or real change.
Follow Stephanie on Twitter (@StephFarnsworth)
The Queerness 
Reblogged this on Fairy JerBear's Queer/Trans News, Views & More From The City Different – Santa Fe, NM and commented:
There is an often ignored reality; bisexuals have higher rates of poverty and the many health and other issues that poor bisexuals face.
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