Use of different strategies to make one's bisexual+ identity visible: Associations with dimensions of identity, minority stress, and health

A Developmental Model of the Sexual Minority Closet: Structural Sensitization, Psychological Adaptations, and Post-closet Growth

Across the lifespan, most sexual minority individuals experience the closet-a typically prolonged period in which no significant others know their sexual identity. This paper positions the closet as distinct from stigma concealment given its typical duration in years and absolute removal from sources of support for an often-central identity typically during a developmentally sensitive period. The Developmental Model of the Closet proposed here delineates the vicarious learning that takes place before sexual orientation awareness to shape one's eventual experience of the closet; the stressors that take place after one has become aware of their sexual orientation but has not yet disclosed it, which often takes place during adolescence; and potential lifespan-persistent mental health effects of the closet, as moderated by the structural, interpersonal, cultural, and temporal context of disclosure. The paper outlines the ways in which the model both draws upon and is distinct from earlier models of sexual minority identity formation and proposes several testable hypotheses and future research directions, including tests of multilevel interventions.

Recent developments in research with bisexual women

This article is organised into sections that explore three key themes. The first is overarching and cuts across the literature, where within recent bisexuality research there has been increased inclusion of those whose identities are defined by attraction to multiple genders (e.g., pansexual, queer, and others). This has sometimes been in the form of an amalgamated bisexual+ category, but recent attention has also been given to definitions of bisexuality and pansexuality and how bisexual and pansexual identities might compare. The second theme explores mental health including substance use/abuse and sexual violence/victimisation. The third section notes that there has, to some extent, also been an interest in bipositivity and positive aspects of bisexual identification.

Religiosity and Conversion Therapy is Associated with Psychosocial Health Problems among Sexual Minority Men (SMM) in Nigeria

We investigated the associations between social marginalization, psychosocial health, and religiosity among sexual minority men (SMM) in Nigeria (N = 406). We conducted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Factors associated with reporting a history of conversion therapy at a religious institution were: being HIV positive, having depressive symptoms, reporting suicide thoughts, and reporting inability to access medical care. Factors associated with increased odds of agreeing that sex between two men was a sin were: residing in Plateau, being Muslim, and higher levels of internalized homophobia. Our findings support the need for LGBT-affirming religious doctrine, which has implications for the health of LGBT communities.

Bisexual+ visibility attempts: Associations with minority stress, affect, and substance use in a daily diary study

The efforts of bisexual+ people to make their sexual orientation visible are associated with positive and negative outcomes, but little is known about the temporality or directionality of these associations. Using data from a 28-day diary study with 208 bi+ individuals, we found that bi+ visibility attempts were concurrently associated with more positive affect, higher identity affirmation, less depressed/anxious affect, as well as more anti-bisexual experiences and rejection sensitivity. Prospectively, the likelihood of consuming alcohol (but not marijuana) was higher the day after making a visibility attempt, and positive affect was higher the day before making an attempt. Making visibility attempts in contexts that may have been more supportive (e.g., with friends, partners, and lesbian/gay individuals) was associated with more positive outcomes (e.g., more positive affect), while making attempts in contexts that may have been less supportive (e.g., with family, strangers, people who are unaccepting of bi+ identities, and heterosexual people) was associated with more negative outcomes (e.g., higher rejection sensitivity and more discrimination). These findings suggest that the contexts in which visibility attempts are made may play an important role in the impact that bi+ visibility attempts have on stigma-related stress and wellbeing.

How, When, and Why do Bisexual+ Individuals Attempt to Make Their Identity Visible?

There is ample evidence of and concern about the invisibility of bisexual+ individuals, which results from the tendency to deny or ignore their identities. Recent research has begun to examine whether and how bisexual+ individuals (an umbrella term that includes all individuals who are attracted to more than one gender, regardless of the specific identity label they use) attempt to make their identity visible to others. This study builds on prior research by exploring novel questions regarding how, when, and why bisexual+ individuals attempt to make their identity visible, using data from an internet survey of 715 individuals who reported attractions to more than one gender. Results indicated that participants were most likely to use bi+ visibility attempt strategies involving indirect forms of communication (e.g., sharing things related to their identity on social media) and direct forms of communication (e.g., telling others in person), though they perceived indirect communication as less successful at communicating their identity to others than direct communication. They were most likely to make bi+ visibility attempts in situations with other bisexual+ individuals or in LGBT contexts, as well as with partners or when single, and they did so for reasons related to a sense of activism or pride. Future directions for research and barriers to bi+ visibility are discussed.