Bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, questioning, heteroflexible, homoflexible, multi-gender attracted — however people describe it, bi+ people have always been here. But when it comes to sexual health and HIV research, bi+ people have too often been folded into other groups, partially seen, or missed altogether.
This week on Hide and Seek, Jon and Jonas are joined by Steve Spencer from NAPWHA and Bella Bushby from the Kirby Institute to talk about the Bi+ Sexual Health and HIV Study — or BiSHH — the first national survey of sex, health and relationships designed specifically for bi+ people in Australia.
Steve first joined us back in 2023 when BiSHH was still being shaped. Now, the study has been completed, the data has landed, and the findings are big. More than 2,000 bi+ people across Australia shared their experiences of sex, relationships, healthcare, HIV, PrEP, U=U, stigma, sexual violence, community connection and what it means to feel properly seen in research.
Bella takes us through why the study was needed, how community shaped the survey from the ground up, and what the findings reveal about the diversity of bi+ lives. Steve brings the community advocate lens, talking about bi+ erasure, HIV stigma, the need for services to stop assuming everyone fits neatly into gay or straight boxes, and why bi+ people need to be involved in designing the systems that are supposed to support them.
Along the way, we talk about why “same-sex attracted” data is not enough, why asking the right questions matters, how stigma can compound across sexuality, gender, HIV status, disability, drug use, sex work and other experiences, and what sexual health services, HIV organisations, LGBTQIA+ spaces, policymakers and funders need to do next.
For any bi+ listeners who hear themselves in this episode: you are not alone, your experiences are real, and there is finally data behind what so many people have known and lived for years.
Links and resources mentioned in this episode
Follow Jon instagram.com/barbarylion/
Follow Craig instagram.com/white.dragon.339/
Follow Joenas instagram.com/thisisjoenas/
Follow Tim instagram.com/beatzradio/
This episode was recorded on the lands of the Yalukut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
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