In many parts of Asia, bisexual individuals face an often-overlooked struggle for visibility and acceptance, even within the LGBTQI community. Marginalised by societal expectations of binary sexual orientations and misunderstood within queer spaces, their identities are frequently erased. These challenges are particularly acute for those living at the intersections of age, economic vulnerability, disability, and displacement.
Through their work, Equal Asia Foundation highlights the critical need to address these layered experiences, ensuring bisexual individuals are not only seen but fully supported. Here, Ryan Figueiredo, the Founder and Executive Director of Equal Asia Foundation, delves into the complex realities faced by bisexual communities across Asia and explores how advocacy, intersectional support, and public awareness can create meaningful change.
Do bisexual individuals in your region experience erasure or invisibility? If so, how do they experience this?
Bisexual individuals in Thailand and across Asia experience erasure and invisibility in deeply intersectional ways. They are often excluded from broader LGBTIQ+ spaces, where their identities are misunderstood or dismissed, and from society, where the pressure to conform to binary sexual orientations is pervasive.
This invisibility is even more pronounced for those living at the margins. Older bisexual individuals face ageism that compounds their erasure, leaving them doubly isolated in a society that values youth and binary expressions of sexuality. Economically vulnerable bisexual people, particularly those displaced by conflict or climate change, are often left out of conversations, forced to navigate a world that denies their queerness and their immediate survival needs.
At Equal Asia Foundation, we’ve seen how this denial of identity amplifies struggles for bisexual individuals with disabilities or mental health challenges. The intersections of poverty, displacement, and disability create layers of invisibility, making it nearly impossible for these voices to emerge in the mainstream. The work we do at Equal Asia Foundation strives to push back against these layers of erasure, ensuring that bisexual individuals, especially those who live at these intersections, are seen, heard, and supported.
“At Equal Asia Foundation, we’ve seen how this denial of identity amplifies struggles for bisexual individuals with disabilities or mental health challenges. The intersections of poverty, displacement, and disability create layers of invisibility, making it nearly impossible for these voices to emerge in the mainstream”
What role do local LGBTQI organisations play in supporting bisexual communities?
Local LGBTI organisations play a crucial role in supporting bisexual communities, but there’s often a gap in fully addressing their unique experiences. Across Asia, bisexual individuals are still frequently marginalised, even within queer spaces.
At Equal Asia Foundation, we’ve seen that when organisations adopt an intersectional approach, they make an enormous difference. Spaces must be built where bisexual people, especially those on the margins, can find community and access resources without justifying their identity.
Local organisations need to go beyond mere representation — they should challenge harmful stereotypes and advocate for policies that ensure bisexual people have access to mental health care, legal protections, and economic opportunities.
How does cultural or religious context influence the visibility and acceptance of bisexual individuals in your region?
Cultural and religious contexts in Thailand and across Asia play a significant role in both the visibility and the acceptance—or lack thereof—of bisexual individuals. Cultural expectations around family and gender roles create environments where bisexuality is misunderstood or suppressed. There’s an assumption that people must fit into binary categories, either straight or gay, and bisexuality is often dismissed as confusion or experimentation.
Religious fundamentalism complicates this further. In countries where religion shapes social norms, bisexuality is often seen as immoral or sinful. This creates profound feelings of guilt and shame, especially for those in conservative or religious families. And the fear of rejection from both society and family can lead to internalised biphobia and long-term trauma.
Xenophobia and racism also exacerbate the experiences of bisexual people from marginalised ethnic or immigrant communities. They face dual layers of discrimination for both their ethnicity and sexual identity. These pressures often mean bisexual individuals live in silence, hiding their identities to avoid conflict or ostracisation. This silence contributes to mental health struggles, emotional trauma, and a persistent sense of invisibility.
“More than ever, this week is about amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced and ensuring that bisexuality is recognized as a legitimate, valid identity—one that is not up for debate or erasure.”
Why is celebrating Bisexual Awareness Week important in your context?
Celebrating Bisexual Awareness Week is vital because it shines a light on a community vulnerable to harmful practices like corrective rape, gender-based violence, forced marriages, and conversion practices. These are not abstract concepts—they are lived realities for many bisexual individuals in Thailand and across Asia, particularly those marginalised due to poverty, race, or social status.
Bisexual people are often seen as needing “correction” or being “confused,” leading to violent practices. Corrective rape and forced marriages are tactics used to force bisexual individuals into conforming to heteronormative roles. These violent practices are rooted in the belief that bisexuality can—and should—be fixed, disregarding the legitimacy of their identities. Beyond physical violence, emotional trauma is inflicted through conversion practices aimed at erasing their sexual identity. These harmful practices leave deep scars, contributing to mental health crises, substance abuse, and suicidality.
Celebrating Bisexual Awareness Week isn’t just about raising awareness—it’s about standing in solidarity with bisexual individuals under these threats. More than ever, this week is about amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced and ensuring that bisexuality is recognised as a legitimate, valid identity—one that is not up for debate or erasure.
“Truly showing up for our bisexual siblings means standing with them not just in solidarity but in action. It means listening to their experiences, amplifying their voices, and working collectively to dismantle the systems that seek to erase them.“
How can we effectively support and be allies to bisexual people in your region and globally?
Supporting bisexual people requires a multi-faceted approach involving advocacy, research, and communication.
Advocacy should focus on policies that explicitly protect bisexual people from discrimination and violence, addressing vulnerabilities like gender-based violence, corrective rape, forced marriages, and conversion practices. At Equal Asia Foundation, we’ve seen local governments and international bodies often overlook bisexual communities. Our role as advocates is to hold these institutions accountable and ensure bisexual voices are included in policy discussions.
Research must focus on the specific challenges bisexual individuals face, especially those living at the intersections of other marginalised identities. The data gap around bisexual people contributes to their erasure, making it harder to advocate for meaningful change. We need research that reflects the full diversity of bisexual experiences to develop targeted interventions.
Finally, we must change the narrative around bisexuality. Too often, bisexual people are erased from public conversations or misrepresented in media and advocacy campaigns. Communication efforts should focus on visibility and dismantling harmful stereotypes. We need to create safe spaces where bisexual people can access mental health support, legal assistance, and community without fear of judgement or violence.
In the current context of culture wars and the rise of anti-gender movements globally, the need for bisexual awareness has never been more urgent. We must show up for our bisexual siblings—not just by acknowledging their existence but by actively fighting alongside them.
Truly showing up for our bisexual siblings means standing with them not just in solidarity but in action. It means listening to their experiences, amplifying their voices, and working collectively to dismantle the systems that seek to erase them.