The Power of Bisexual Visibility for Bi Health Awareness Month

by HRC Staff

Over the past year, we have seen more and more celebrities come out as bisexual.

Over the past year, we have seen more and more celebrities come out as bisexual. While bisexual individuals comprise nearly half of all the LGBTQ community, many struggle with coming out and a wide variety of health issues. In honor of Bisexual Health Awareness Month, HRC continues to tackle the many issues still facing the bisexual community and spotlights several public figures who are living openly and authentically, giving the bisexual community more voices than ever before.                                                                                                                             

1.    Aubrey Plaza
In July, actress Aubrey Plaza sat down with The Advocate to discuss her various acting roles, in addition to her relationship with the LGBTQ community, and in turn ended up coming out as bisexual.

When asked if women ever hit on her, the Parks and Recreation star responded, “Oh, yeah. I don’t mind. I know I have an androgynous thing going on, and there’s something masculine about my energy. Girls are into me - that’s no secret. Hey, I’m into them too. I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it.”

2.    Mara Wilson
Following the horrific shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, actress, author and former child star Mara Wilson opened up about her sexual orientation in a series of tweets after expressing heartbreak about the tragedy.

Shortly after, Twitter users began questioning Wilson about her statement and she responded:

3.    Kristen Stewart
While the media has gone on for months questioning Stewart’s private life, the actress took a stand while hosting Saturday Night Life earlier this year.  In a monologue on the show, she spoke about how President Trump wouldn’t like her, “Because I’m, like, so gay, dude.”

“Considering I had so many eyes on me, I suddenly realized [my private life] affects a greater number of people than just me,” Stewart told The Sunday Times of London. “It was an opportunity to surrender a bit of what was mine, to make even one other person feel good about themselves.”

“You’re not confused if you’re bisexual. It’s not confusing at all,” she told The Guardian. “For me, it’s quite the opposite.”

4.    Bella Thorne
In August, actress Bella Thorne shared photos and a video on Snapchat where she was kissing a girl, immediately prompting questions from fans.

When asked on Twitter if she was bisexual, Thorne replied:

She received an outpouring of love and a few hours later tweeted:

On Celebrate Bisexuality Day in September, Thorne posted a photo on Instagram a photo celebrating the community on Instagram:

5.    Sara Ramirez
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sara Ramirez, a longtime HRC supporter and 2015 Ally for Equality honoree, made the brave decision to speak her truth in a speech at the 40 to None summit just days before National Coming Out Day 2016.

“Because of the intersections that exist in my own life — woman, multiracial woman, woman of color, queer, bisexual, Mexican-Irish American, immigrant and raised by families heavily rooted in Catholicism on both my Mexican and Irish sides — I am deeply invested in projects that allow our youth’s voices to be heard, and that support our youth in owning their own complex narratives so that we can show up for them in the ways they need us to,” Ramirez said.

Since coming out, Ramirez has served as a vocal leader of the LGBTQ community, and has continued to advocate for HRC, BiNet USA, the Bisexual Organizing Project, and the Bisexual Resource Center.