An experimental investigation of the application of binegative stereotypes

Binegativity (the stigmatization of bisexuality) is prevalent in the United States and has a detrimental impact on bisexual individuals' sexual identity and mental health. However, little research has experimentally examined binegative stereotyping or how stereotypes influence assumptions about bisexual individuals. The current experimental study examined the application of binegative stereotypes to hypothetical individuals who varied in gender and sexual orientation among 3 samples: a heterosexual undergraduate sample (HUS), a lesbian and gay community sample (LGCS), and a heterosexual community sample (HCS; ns = 772, 500, and 546, respectively). Results indicated that hypothetical bisexual individuals were rated as more likely to be in noncommitted or nonmonogamous relationships in the future and to change their sexual orientation identity than heterosexual and lesbian and gay targets. Results also indicated that the participants' endorsement of stereotypes about the promiscuity of bisexual individuals and the bisexual target's involvement in a current same-sex or different-sex relationship predicted the participant's expectations regarding the bisexual target's future involvement in a committed or noncommitted, same-sex or different-sex relationship. These expectations about the bisexual target's future relationship type, combined with the participant's endorsement of stereotypes about the instability of bisexuality predicted the participants' expectations about the bisexual target's future sexual orientation identity. Implications of these finding are discussed.