Navigating Bi+ Health in an Uncertain World

Rachel Chickerella, PhD

Being bi+ in 2025 is a delicate bind. I have devoted a subset of my career to promoting bi+ research. This has felt important, given how bi+ individuals have been historically marginalized within LGBTQ+ spaces.¹ But with LGBTQ+ rights under siege, the question of who should take up space in the LGBTQ+ community feels fraught. I can feel my internalized biphobia telling me to back off bi+ concerns. In my research and activism, is it better to think about the rights of sexually and gender-diverse folks at large or to home in on bi+ people who have disproportionate health concerns?¹  

Such a difficult question can be confounding, but, as bisexual activists throughout history have shown us, when confronted with a paralyzing paradox, the remedy is nuance. And so, prompted by this impulse, I went searching for the answer, reflecting on bi+ individuals’ role in queer liberation historically.

Bisexual activists have been publicly involved in LGBTQ+ liberation since at least the 1960s.² Brenda Howard coordinated a seminal event a month after Stonewall in New York City known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, which became the first NYC Pride.² Bill Beasly, a bisexual activist, organized the first “Gay Pride” parade in Los Angeles.³ ABilly S. Jones-Hennin was the co-founding member of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, helped organize the first meeting with President Carter’s White House Staff, and organized the 1979 March on Washington for LGBTQ+ rights.^2,3 

Bi+ activists have also taken on important roles in the sexual and gender diversity movement to enhance protections and engage in education about HIV/AIDS. Bi+ activists also championed the rights of LGBTQ+ people at the state and national levels and engaged in countless other forms of activism to promote LGBTQ+ visibility, community, safety, and joy in the US and abroad.^2,3

While bi+ activists have remained entrenched in supporting the larger LGBTQ+ community, they have also dedicated their work to increasing bi+ visibility and support. Such activism has occurred through increasing bi+ visibility in LGBTQ+ spaces, enhancing knowledge of bi+ health within HIV/AIDS research and education, advocating for increased bi+ roles within LGBTQ+ organizations, and promoting bi+ individuals finding community.^2,3 Bi+ researchers have also worked to highlight the health disparities that, from a population health perspective, make focusing on the well-being of bi+ individuals pivotal.⁴

We are living in what I would consider to be an unprecedented time. Since Trump’s administration is committed to putting so much out daily that no one person or news cycle can track it all, it feels important to highlight some relevant policies here. President Trump’s actions against LGBTQ+ people have been multifaceted and widespread

Also, on day one, he issued an order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”^5,6 This action essentially stops all federally funded programs from discussing gender under the guise of “protecting women.” This order manages to be both transphobic and paternalizing. Trump’s administration also ordered that government agencies define people by their reproductive capacity, prioritizing sex instead of gender.^5,6 His efforts have included removing protections for LGBTQ+ people (and in particular transgender children) in schools.⁵

Another order crassly titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” bans youth from receiving gender-affirming care until the age of 19, despite this being contraindicated by research supporting improved mental health outcomes for youth after receiving gender-affirming care.⁷ Further, Trump put forth an executive order to ban transgender individuals from being in the military.⁵

Trump also issued an executive order to “limit diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) activities in government and by government contractors and grantees.”⁵ This action severely limits any compensation for research to support the health outcomes of sexually and gender-diverse individuals.

It is convenient for this administration that as they are actively oppressing transgender and nonbinary folks, they are taking away any research that can highlight the importance of gender-affirming care in saving transgender and nonbinary lives.⁸ Trump’s administration is also proposing a rule aiming to remove gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit (EHB) beginning in 2026.⁵ This would have unthinkable implications for trans and nonbinary people living in the US.

The Trump Administration’s actions thus far represent devastating blows to the rights and health of LGBTQ+ Americans. This is not a time for infighting and siloing our individual communities – we need each other. Supporting and championing the work and ideas of trans and nonbinary activists is essential. This does not mean that bi+ individuals should forget about our individual work and activism related to bi+ health and joy. All this work needs to be championed.

The good news is that bi+ individuals are skilled at holding multiple truths at the same time. Reviewing the history of bi+ activists and researchers championing community and group-specific causes gives me hope for the work of bi+ individuals in the present. I suppose my wish is that the greater community will continue to make space for bi+ folks, not if, but when the rights of sexual and gender-diverse individuals will be championed again in the future.

References

1. Feinstein, B. A., & Dyar, C. (2017). Bisexuality, minority stress, and health. Current sexual health reports, 9, 42-49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-017-0096-3
2. BiNet. (n.d.). A brief history of the bisexual movement. BiNet USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103002516/http://www.binetusa.org/bihistory2.html 
3. Farrow, H. (2016). The bisexual warriors of the “gay” movement. Bi.org. https://bi.org/en/articles/the-bisexual-warriors-of-the-gay-movement
4. Bostwick, W. B., & Dodge, B. (2019). Introduction to the special section on bisexual health: Can you see us now?. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(1), 79-87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1370-9
5. Dawson, L. & Kates, J. Published: Mar 26, 2025. (2025, March 26). Overview of president Trump’s executive actions impacting LGBTQ+ Health. KFF. https://www.kff.org/other/fact-sheet/overview-of-president-trumps-executive-actions-impacting-lgbtq-health/
6. Martinez, R. (2025, February 10). Making sense of the Trump administration’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Executive Orders. GLAD Law. https://www.glad.org/making-sense-of-the-trump-administrations-anti-lgbtq-executive-orders/
7. Tordoff, D. M., Wanta, J. W., Collin, A., Stepney, C., Inwards-Breland, D. J., & Ahrens, K. (2022). Mental health outcomes in transgender and nonbinary youths receiving gender-affirming care. JAMA network open, 5(2), e220978-e220978. tordoff_2022_oi_220056_1658508882.09639.pdf
8. Green, A. E., DeChants, J. P., Price, M. N., & Davis, C. K. (2022). Association of gender-affirming hormone therapy with depression, thoughts of suicide, and attempted suicide among transgender and nonbinary youth. Journal of adolescent health, 70(4), 643-649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.036