From screen to society: how bisexuality is portrayed in Hollywood and what it means today
Freddie Mercury shares a moment with his girlfriend, who insists she is bisexual, and her blunt response is, “Freddie, you’re gay.” The scene from the hit film Bohemian Rhapsody, released in 2018, highlights a long-standing invisibility of bisexuality in cinema. A scholar who has studied gender and sexuality in a thousand top-grossing Hollywood films over twenty years notes that this moment underscores a persistent misrecognition: bisexuality is rarely acknowledged as a distinct identity in media and society.
Statistics from a broader study of popular games and films reveal a stark imbalance. Across eight thousand character portrayals between 2000 and 2019, heterosexual characters accounted for 97.7 percent, while gay men represented 1.6 percent, lesbians 0.4 percent, and bisexuals 0.3 percent. Together, bisexuals comprised about thirty characters in the span studied. This snapshot points to a broader pattern of underrepresentation and mischaracterization that continues to echo in contemporary cinema.
Commentary from the scholar emphasizes that there has been some progress, but sustained change remains elusive. Most of the thirty non-heterosexual characters are not the leads. They frequently appear in single scenes or deliver a single line, with gay and lesbian roles sharing a similar issue and bisexual characters remaining virtually invisible. This reflects a broader tendency in which sexuality is used as a plot device rather than a stable identity with depth and agency.
Among the non-heterosexual characters identified in the study, only ten took on leading roles over two decades. The majority—sixty or more—were secondary, while many more appeared as minor fragments. The analysis argues that Hollywood often treats sexual orientation as superficial, with gay and bisexual characters rarely treated as three-dimensional. Focusing on three films, Forbidden Beauty, Disobedience, and Moonlight, the author argues that bisexual stories often remain undiscovered or underdeveloped.
The portrayal trend tends to keep sexuality as a defining trait rather than a facet of character. While there has been some increase in representation in recent years, leading roles for bisexual characters remain scarce. When they do appear, it is common for these characters to feature in comedies or as archetypal figures. In many cases, bisexual characters are used to provoke humor or to reinforce stereotypes about gender expression.
Beyond Mercury, other bisexual characters are cited in film history, including Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain, Nina Sayers in Black Swan, and Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The analysis calls attention to how society’s lack of recognition for bisexual identities contributes to their invisibility on screen, shaping audience perception.
One key finding is the risk that audiences interpret bisexual characters as simply gay or lesbian. The famous Brokeback Mountain example shows viewers describing the protagonists as gay cowboys, while a character who mentions past same-sex experiences may be read as heterosexual. If public assumptions do not acknowledge a spectrum of sexual identities beyond heterosexual and homosexual, bisexuality risks remaining unseen in film narratives.
A related dimension examines race and ethnicity among non-heterosexual characters. The study finds that about seventy-three percent are white, suggesting that diversity is portrayed in a narrow frame. While visibility is increased, it often comes at the cost of representing other identities less often, which can render those identities invisible.
The focus is primarily on American cinema for its global influence, though the researcher suggests expanding the lens to include European and Spanish cinema. The argument is that the Hollywood model may involve more gatekeeping and profit-driven choices, whereas other markets could allow greater freedom to explore diverse themes and more complex stories about sexuality.
The research is international in scope and has connected with faculty from several universities. The author has long studied films and television through the lens of gender theory and feminism, drawing on the work of recognized mentors and scholars as touchstones for the analysis. This line of inquiry reflects a commitment to deeper understanding of how media reflects and shapes social norms.
It took 23 years to realize a bisexual identity
The development of the research coincides with a personal realization about bisexuality. The author describes a personal journey of recognizing bisexuality only after years of uncertainty, challenging the assumption that bisexuality is merely a behavior or a phase. The work explains how such misperceptions can hinder the formation of a stable identity, and how intellectual inquiry can help people find clarity and belonging. The experience is described as discouraging at times, but also empowering as a network of others working on related issues emerges.
The thesis argues for abandoning binary thinking and embracing the diversity present in society, a diversity mirrored in cinema. It emphasizes the importance of the audiovisual world as a space where people learn about different realities and see them reflected on screen. The conclusion calls for more intentional portrayals that diversify both stories and characters, inviting audiences to question stereotypes and to recognize a broader spectrum of human experience.