11 bisexual icons who’re loud, proud and making the world a better place

Bisexual Visibility Day has been celebrated internationally on 23 September every year since 1999.

The day aims to promote bisexual equality, celebrate those working to make life better for bi people and highlight the challenges posed by biphobia and bi-erasure.

The bi community consistently faces stigma and erasure, even within the queer community. According to Stonewall research, bisexual people are three times less likely than gay people and lesbians to be out to all of their family, and are at a much higher risk of poor mental health.

So what better way to mark Bisexual Visibility Day than by celebrating incredible bisexual icons who are proud, visible and making the world a better place for all queer people?

Phoebe Bridgers

Music icon and trans ally, Phoebe has spoken openly about the difficulties she faced in coming out as bisexual to her family.

Jack Dunne

Irish rugby pro who came out publicly last year, sharing how years of biphobia discouraged him from being his true self.

Evan Rachel Wood

Bisexual actor who has bravely spoken out about intimate partner violence.

Cardi B

The rapper, who came out publicly as bisexual in 2018, and who in response to biphobic criticism recently confirmed she has been “eating bitches out before you was born”.

Nico Tortorella

The Walking Dead star who famously told the world: “There’s nothing more masculine than bottoming.”

Halsey

This the singer year gave a powerful on-stage speech calling on her fans to fight for reproductive rights following the scrapping of Roe v Wade.

Susan Sarandon 

The legendary actor casually confirmed she is bisexual this year while speaking to Jimmy Fallon about cats.

Kayla Braxton

This WWE star opened up to fans last year about being forced into a box, tweeting:  “Tonight, I choose to be over having to choose. Hello, world. I’m Kayla. Oh. And yeah – I’m bi.”

Alan Cumming

He bravely opened up this year about growing up with an abusive father, and how it shaped who he is today.

Lady Gaga

This queer icon has been a staunch advocate for queer and women’s rights throughout her career, and warned Republicans during a 2022 gig that they “better not mess with gay marriage”.

Jen Yockney MBE

Jen Yockney is the bisexual activist who coined the term “Bisexual Visibility Day” more than two decades ago, and in 2016 became the first person to ever be awarded an MBE for services to the bisexual community and the first to use the title Mx in the Queen’s 90th birthday honours list.

In a statement marking this year’s Bisexual Visibility Day, Yockey said: “I’ve been organising events celebrating Bisexual Visibility Day since 1999 and the transformation in that time is huge. We are more talked about and more heard as bi people than ever before; yet also the challenges and particular needs of bisexuals have been thrown into sharper relief over that time.

“Back then, bi was often seen as a kind of ‘gay lite’ with the assumption bis are less impacted by legal and social homophobia, but research increasingly shows bi people have greater mental and physical health challenges than gay or straight people.

“We’re more likely to experience domestic violence from our partners, too. And bi people have lower earnings than their straight and gay co-workers.

“Far from the ‘best of both worlds’ cliche, the challenge of either persistently reasserting your bisexuality or having part of your life erased proves wearing for many bi people. Where lesbians and gay men have one closet to escape, many bi people find that leaving one closet just leads to being put in another.

“Greater bisexual visibility is the best solution to that problem, helping more bis find a space where they are neither in the ‘straight closet’ nor the gay one.”