"It scares me how people will react," he says. "It feels like I have a dark secret that I haven't aired fully. One girl I was dating suddenly said that the thought of me being with a man made her physically sick. Then she blocked me on everything.”

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"Ironically, it would end up limiting my potential partners to a near-zero as far as I can tell. Heterosexual (and bisexual!) women are disgusted by the idea almost universally,” says Nathan.

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Women’s Binegativity towards Bisexual Men

Women exhibit greater levels of binegativity than gay men and straight men. That includes bisexual women. They consistently rate bisexual men as less sexually and romantically attractive, less desirable for dating and sex, and less masculine compared to straight men, with their insecurity increasing as the commitment level of the relationship with a bisexual man grew. Even when women expressed fluid views on sexuality, a substantial portion wouldn't date a man who had been with another man, reinforcing a binary perspective on men's sexuality. This discrimination extends to real-life experiences, where bisexual men may have to hide their sexuality due to negative reactions, as some women find the idea of them being with another man repulsive. In contrast, the bias against bisexual women is less pronounced, with men showing lower levels of insecurity and more willingness to consider dating a bisexual partner, despite women expressing interest in sexual experiences with other women at a higher rate than men's interest in same-sex experiences. These findings highlight the stigmatization of bisexuality in men, which is frequently ignored.

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Peer-reviewed Research

Preferences against dating bisexual men appeared particularly strong, even among bisexual women. (pg.1461)

Ess, M., Burke, S. E., & LaFrance, M. (2023). Gendered anti-bisexual bias: Heterosexual, bisexual, and gay/lesbian people’s willingness to date sexual orientation ingroup and outgroup members. Journal of Homosexuality, 70(8), 1461–1478. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2022.2030618

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Results indicated that heterosexual women rated bisexual men as less sexually and romantically attractive, less desirable to date and have sex with, and less masculine compared to straight men. No such differences were found for heterosexual and gay men’s ratings of female and male profiles, respectively. These results support previous research findings that indicate more negative attitudes toward dating bisexual men than bisexual women. (1/19)

Taken together, these results support previous research indicating that heterosexual women demonstrate more negative attitudes toward bisexual men than heterosexual men do toward bisexual women (Armstrong & Reissing, 2014; Callis, 2013; Feinstein et al., 2014)… Women’s ratings of bisexual men in particular provide novel findings that add to the existing literature. While previous studies have indicated widespread negative attitudes toward bisexual men in general (Dodge et al., 2016; Eliason, 2001; Herek, 2002; Mohr & Rochlen, 1999; Mulick & Wright, 2011; Steffens & Wagner, 2004) and women’s negative attitudes toward dating bisexual men (Armstrong & Reissing, 2014; Callis, 2013; Feinstein et al., 2014; 2016; Rust, 1995), the findings of this study indicated that women may also find bisexual men less sexually attractive… The uniquely stigmatized status of bisexuality in men is further highlighted by the finding that heterosexual women viewed bisexual men as less masculine than straight men (12-13/19)

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Gleason, N., Vencill, J. A., & Sprankle, E. (2018). Swipe left on the bi guys: Examining attitudes toward dating and being sexual with bisexual individuals. Journal of Bisexuality, 18(4), 516–534. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2018.1563935

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Also consistent with hypotheses, heterosexual women were less willing than lesbians to engage in romantic/sexual activities with bisexual partners, but this was not the case for heterosexual versus gay men. The difference between heterosexual women and lesbians may reflect concerns among heterosexual women about bisexual men being at increased risk for sexually transmitted infections. Alternatively, even though negative attitudes toward bisexuals have been documented among heterosexuals and sexual minorities, it is possible that heterosexual women have more binegativity than lesbians, making them less willing to be with a bisexual partner. (pg.260)

https://i.imgur.com/68thZSf.jpg

Feinstein, B. A., Dyar, C., Bhatia, V., Latack, J. A., & Davila, J. (2014). Willingness to engage in romantic and sexual activities with bisexual partners: Gender and sexual orientation differences. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(3), 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000047

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Female participants expressed moderately high levels of insecurity (e.g., worry, pressure, jealousy) toward relationships with bisexual male partners; insecurity tended to increase with the commitment level of the considered relationship. Male participants reported low to moderate levels of insecurity toward relationships with bisexual female partners (pg.236)

Consistent with the first two hypotheses, participants expressed negative attitudes toward relationships with bisexual partners and reported more negative attitudes as the commitment level of each relationship being considered increased. Female participants expressed moderately high levels of insecurity (e.g., worry, pressure, jealousy) when asked to consider relationships with a bisexual male partner and these attitudes were associated with higher levels of binegativity… Male participants reported low to moderate levels of insecurity… female participants reported greater insecurity and more negative attitudes than male participants over the prospect of having a casual, dating, or committed relationship with a bisexual partner. (pg.255-256)

https://i.imgur.com/9sV8wKA.jpg

Armstrong, H. L., & Reissing, E. D. (2014). Attitudes toward casual sex, dating, and committed relationships with bisexual partners. Journal of Bisexuality, 14(2), 236–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2014.902784

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Internet Articles and Surveys

In a survey conducted by Glamour, 63% of women, say that they wouldn't date a man who has had sex with another man. This is a rather high percentage of women considering that 37% of the women interviewed said that they have had a sexual experience with another woman and 63% believed that sexuality is fluid. Sexuality professor Ritch C. Savin-Williams told Glamour that women saying that they would not date a bisexual man "suggests that these women hold on to the view that while women occupy a wide spectrum of sexuality, men are either gay or straight."

Mashego, L. (2018, April 20). Biphobia - why are women afraid of dating bisexual men? W24. https://www.news24.com/w24/SelfCare/Wellness/Mind/biphobia-why-are-women-afraid-of-dating-bisexual-men-20180420

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Ritch Savin-Williams is a Ritch C. Savin-Williams is a developmental psychology professor emeritus of Human Development at Cornell University.

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47% of women say they've been attracted to another woman. In other words, "only about half of all women report that they are absolutely only attracted to the opposite sex, especially if we include crushes and romantic or nonsexual feelings," says Savin-Williams. 31% of women have had a sexual experience with another woman… 63% of women, however, say they wouldn't date a man who has had sex with another man. "This suggests that these women hold on to the view that while women occupy a wide spectrum of sexuality, men are either gay or straight," says Savin-Williams.

Tsoulis-Reay, A. (2016, February 11). Are you straight, gay, or just...You? Glamour. https://www.glamour.com/story/glamour-sexuality-survey

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Thirty-four percent of women anticipated or had already experienced having sex with another woman, compared to only 20 percent of men who desired to have sex with another man. However, women were less willing to consider dating a bisexual person than male respondents.

Sexual Journeys: 1,000 People Evaluate their Sexual Evolution. (2018). ZAVA UK. https://www.zavamed.com/uk/sexual-journeys.html