isexual youth face a unique set of challenges that affect their ability to flourish in their families, schools and communities. Produced in Bpartnership with BiNet USA, Bisexual Organizing Project and the Bisexual Resource Center, this new report Supporting and Caring for our Bisexual Youth helps paint a clearer picture of the lived experiences of bisexual youth. Learning more about these youth will allow parents, caregivers, social workers, teachers and other youth-serving professionals to more effectively nurture and WHO ARE guide them toward successful and happy futures. YOUTH 1 SUPPORTING AND CARING FOR OUR This report draws on results from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s BISEXUAL BISEXUAL 2012 groundbreaking survey of more than 10,000 LGBT youth, ages 13 – 17, ThisFINDINGS report is available electronically at: in the United States. This report focuses on the nearly 40 percent of survey AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES 7% YOUTH?HRC.ORG/BI-YOUTHHOME & FAMILY participantsPERSONAL“I who WISH identifiedTHAT MORE PEOPLE as bisexual. INSIDE “WHEN I TELL MALES ABOUT PHYSICAL THE GAY COMMUNITY ITSELF WOULD MY SEXUALITY, I GET MANY FINDINGSSUPPORT MY DECISION TO CALL MYSELF BISEXUAL.A I much AM NOT smaller BEING percent SELFISH. of I REMARKS LIKE ‘THAT’S SO HOT’, ACCEPTANCE AM NOT A LIAR.bisexual I AM youth NOT reported GAY. I AM being NOT WHICHPERSONAL I FEEL FETISHIZES MY physicalySTRAIGHT. assaulted I AM BISEXUAL frequently .” SEXUAL ORIENTATION.” “I’m afraid they Youth were asked to rate their WELL-BEINGor often at school (7 percent) Who Are Bisexuals? Findings“I CAME OUT TO MY FAMILY5 percent AND will no longer love level of acceptance within The activities with the highest and outside of school ( ). “I’M TIRED OF BEING participation rates for all surveyTHEY DIDN’T BELIEVE ME.” me the minute I their community, family, peer TOLD IT’S A PHASE.” group and schools. In several respondents were the after- While the rates of harassment WELL-BEING tell them.” areas, bisexual youth reported school“I WOULD activities such LIKE as drama, THE PRESSUREthat bisexual youth TO reported slightly less acceptance than debate, band or academic clubs. both in school and outside of “I’VE HAD PEOPLE Many bisexual adults have embraced the definition TELL ME THAT MY In simplest terms, a bisexual person is someonetheir who lesbian can be and attracted gay peers. The same is true for bisexual, school were comparable to FAMILY ACCEPTANCE OF LIFE IS WORTHLESS to moreproposed than one gender;by longtime but adults bisexual and youth leader, Thewho most identify national pronounced as bisex differ- - pansexual, queer and the “other” those reported by lesbian and BECAUSE I’M ual sometimesBISEXUAL describe themselvesYOUTH differently. Many bisexual adults BISEXUAL, AND THAT speaker and award-winning activistence Robyn was in Ochs:the level of accep- bisexual-identified youth. More gay youth, the open-ended I’M NOTHING.” have embraced the definition proposed by longtimetance amongbisexual their leader, families. than one third of these youth responses revealed that bisex- The surveyNOT findings demonstrate that This‘PICK lack of support is reflected A SIDE’ national speaker and award-winning activist Robyn Ochs: reported participating in these ual teen girls reported TO STOP. IT’S VERY FRUSTRATING.” APPLICABLE in the ways that bisexual youth “BEING GAY IS bisexualNOT youth struggle withSlightly manymore than of a quarter the activities“THE “very ONE often.” TIME I BROUGHTbeing subjected to sexual AT ALL VERY ACCEPTING UNDERSTOOD rated theirTHE happiness ISSUE and UPtheir WITHharassment MY related to their “I TRIED COMING OUT TO “AS A BISEXUAL, I “I callsameACCEPTING myself issues facedbisexual by their(27 because percent lesbian) of bisexual and IN MY FAMILY, MY MOTHER, BUT SHE optimism aboutMOM, the SHEfuture. SAID bisexual THAT identities. I BUT BEING 7% youth reported that their ThisEXCLUSION lack of support is reflected ADAMANTLY CLAIMED FEEL SHUNNED ThegayI acknowledge surveypeers around findings coming that demonstrate out,I have bullying that and BISEXUAL IS THAT YOU COULD ONLY 27% families were “very accepting” AND HARASSMENTWOULD GROW OUT OFSTRAIGHT IT, 21%NOT.” BISEXUAL 5% BY THE GAY 17% in the ways that bisexual youth VERY HAPPY VERY HAPPY BE GAY OR STRAIGHT AND bisexualinharassment, myself youth the struggle and potential family with comparedand many to community tobe 33 of percent the of AND THENHAPPINESS IGNORED“I have IT.” guys ask me THAT CARINGTHERE WAS NO ADULTS AND LESBIAN lesbian and gay youth. Queer rated their happiness and their IN-BETWEEN.” HAVE AN sameacceptance, issues as faced well byas theiradditional lesbian challenges and ifThey they“MY reported PARENTScan watchmuch AREN’T lower levels COMMUNITY.”ADULT TO attracted – romantically optimism about the future. TALK TO youth, however, had the high- “I FEEL LIKE IF I WERE HOMOPHOBIC, BUT, WHEN unique20% to their bisexual identities. TO COME OUT AS ofme happiness, with a girl.and were I less "MY MOTHER SAID: gayand/or peers aroundsexually coming – to out,peopleest rates bullying of family of acceptance and STRAIGHTIT COMES 21% TO ME,BISEXUAL THEY 5% HAPPINESS CARING ADULTS 29% BISEXUAL, PEOPLE AREN’Toptimistic ACCEPTING about their AT ALL. potential ‘YOU’RE SAYING YOU’RE44% HAVE AN harassment,Throughout and this family section and withwe community36 compare percent saying the that WOULD JUST THINK getVERY inappropriately HAPPY VERY HAPPY BISEXUAL ADULT TO more than one sex THEY SAY I CAN’T BE BI. TALK TO NOT VERY SOMEWHAT their families were “very for achieving their ambitions BISEXUAL, WHAT IS THAT?! experiences of bisexual youth with their Nearly 1 in 4 bisexualI’M youth A SLUT.” touched.” acceptance,and/orACCEPTING gender, as well asnotACCEPTING additional necessarilyaccepting.” challenges Bisexual youth were much Theyincluding reportedI HAVE establishing much TO lower life-long levels * (24 percent) reported5% fre - 5% 4% 8% 21% BISEXUALITY ISN’T REAL.’” 54% 44% uniquestraight to theirand lesbianbisexual and identities. gay peers. less likely to be outBISEXUAL to their PANSEXUALofromantic happiness, QUEER relationships, andLESBIAN were attendlessSTRAIGHT - LESBIAN/GAY BISEXUAL at the same time, not quently or often being excluded & OTHER“People BE GAY call me &OR GAY “THEY JUST THINK I’M families, friends, peers, and BISEXUALoptimisticing college about and having their successpotential- Throughoutnecessarily this in section the same we compare way, the by their peers because they a whoreSTRAIGHT because .” CONFUSED.” “Though my parents are accepting communities. forful achievingcareers. their ambitions 5% 5% 4% 8% 21% 54% are12 different. Thirty-twoAcross the board, LGBT youth report troublingly low 13 LESBIAN/GAY experiences of bisexual youth with their I’m bi.” BISEXUAL PANSEXUAL QUEER LESBIAN STRAIGHT and nottowards necessarily gays andNOT AWARE lesbians, to OF the my mom Bisexualpercent youth of the were pansexuallevels much of happinessincluding. Only 5 percent establishing of bisexual life-long youth Only 44 percent& OTHERof bisexual youth responded& GAY that there was an * PEOPLE AND BISEXUAL NO straightsame and lesbian degree.”INSTITUTIONS and gay THAT peers. youth reported thereported same – beingin “very happy.” Five percent of the pansexual adult in their family they could turn to if they were sad compared toldNOT me AWARE she thought bisexualSUPPORTIVE people lessWhile likely all youthto be whoout toidentify their as LGBTromantic have distinct relationships, issues and attend - COULD HELP THEM fact, pansexual youthand reportedthe “other” bisexual youth also said they were “very happy” Acrossto slightly the more board, than halfLGBT (54 youth percent report) of lesbian troublingly and gay low youth. shouldOF SAFE–Robyn just make Ochs up their minds.ADULT That families, friends, peers, and ing college and having success- SPACES concerns,slightly higher it is levelsclearand ofthat only exclu bisexual4 percent- youth of queer-identified have needs youth that said are the unique, same. This levelsOnly 56 of percent happiness of bisexual. Only 5 youth percent knew of such bisexual a trusted youth adult Only 44 percent of bisexual youth responded that there was an communities. 8 percentful careers. made me unsure of whether or not I duesion to and myths, harassment stereotypes,is compared in several and to stigma surrounding of lesbian and bisexuality.gay youth surveyed reportedoutside of being their “very families, happy.” much Five less percent than the of 65 the percent pansexual of les- adult in their family they could turn to if they were sad compared 2 FAMILY NOT AWARE OF who characterized themselves as “very happy.” More than four bian and gay youth who reported knowing a caring adult outside could tell them.” NO ONE TO Interestingly,areas including many exclusion of these by findings mirror the challenges facing and the “other” bisexual youth also said they were “very happy” to slightly more than half (54 percent) of lesbian and gay youth. ACCEPTANCE PEOPLE ANDNOT AWARE 76% NO times as many straight youth than bisexual youth (21 percent) andtheir only families. 4 percent of queer-identified youth said the same. This Only 56 percent of bisexual youth knew such a trusted adult INSTITUTIONS OFTHAT STATE TURN TO transgenderpeers and being and called other names gender-expansive A Williams youth,Institute which study are explored NOT AWARE SUPPORTIVEFOR HELP While all youth whoreported identify they as were LGBT “very have happy.” distinct issues and ACCESS COULD HELPGOVERNMENT, THEM is compared to 8 percent of lesbian and gay youth surveyed outside of their families, much less than the 65 percent of les- OF SAFE ADULT involving anti-gay slurs. shows that most people who TO SOCIAL DOCTORS, concerns,in an earlier it is report clear thaton the bisexual almost youth 1000 transgenderhave needs thatand otherare unique, who characterized themselves as “very happy.” More than four bian and gay youth who reported knowing a caring adult outside SPACESSUPPORT 7 OR LOCAL gender-expansive youth in the surveyidentify ( as bisexual are women; ). 21 percent SYSTEMS due to myths, stereotypes, and stigma surroundingwww.hrc.org/youth-gender bisexuality.