Popular culture has long misrepresented what it means to be bisexual. Bi+ characters in film and television have been few and far between over the past few decades, and many of the roles that have made it on screen portray bisexuality as either straight-up confusion or an excuse to be ruthlessly promiscuous, unfaithful, and selfish.
But bi people aren’t “gay people with one foot still in the closet” or “straight people with a freaky side”— bi people are human beings that can fall in love with more than one gender identity, and that’s about the only characteristic that’s consistent across the board. Thankfully, bisexual representation in TV and film has been steadily increasing in recent years, and pop culture is slowly beginning to portray bi people as the complex, unique and loving people we are.
In fact, according to GLAAD, bisexual+ characters made up 28 percent of all LGBTQ characters on television during the 2020-2021 season, a two-percentage increase from last year. But with more than half of LGBT adults in the U.S. (54.6%) identifying as bisexual in 2020, it’s clear we still have a long way to go before pop culture accurately depicts the wide variety of bi people and relationships that exist.
Still, we’re grateful for the characters out there who make bi people feel seen and understood. In honor of Bisexuality Awareness Week, here are 10 movies and shows with authentic bisexual characters.
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Tales of the City
Thanks to the utopic setting of the Tales of the City miniseries, Shawna Hawkins is a queer character who is completely free to be her authentic self. Though she never uses the word bisexual to describe herself, her character pursues several different romantic and sexual connections with both men and women throughout the show.
Watch on Netflix.
Atypical
Casey Gardner is a star athlete, a fiercely protective sister and — like so many of us were — a typical teenager trying to figure out her sexuality. She dates Evan Chapin early on in the series but later breaks it off to explore her strong romantic connection with best friend Izzie Taylor.
Watch on Netflix.
Disobedience
Disobedience centers around a romantic relationship between two women who were raised in an Orthodox Jewish community. The forbidden connection between bisexual exile Ronit and closeted Esti is palpable in the film, and it offers the much-needed perspective of queer people grappling with their sexuality in a traditional, conservative religious community.
Broad City
Ilana Wexler is the definition of out and proud. Though she never explicitly applies a label to her sexuality, she freely explores a number of sexual and romantic relationships with both men and women throughout the hysterical series.
She’s Gotta Have It
Nola Darling identifies as a “sex-positive, polyamorous, pansexual,” but the first season of She’s Gotta Have It just barely touches on her queerness. Thankfully, in Season 2, Nola is given the space she deserves to freely explore her connection with girlfriend Opal — a relationship that ultimately sparks an important period of self-discovery for her character.
Watch on Netflix.
Call Me By Your Name
Though Call Me By Your Name has been hailed as a “modern gay classic,” main character Elio Perlman is actually bisexual. The coming of age film follows the teen as he explores his sexuality with both genders, and it so accurately depicts the angst that comes with being a young person in the throes of queer sexual exploration.
Jane The Virgin
Any Jane the Virgin fan knows Petra is the series’ hard-ass. It’s not until her relationship with JR that we see her more vulnerable side — proving that embracing her bisexuality is what ultimately allows her to open up and become a softer, more compassionate person.
Watch on Netflix.
Feel Good
Mae Martin is one of few (if not the only?) non-binary, bisexual characters on television. They are a queer Canadian comedian living in England who falls in love with Georgina “George” Lawson, and the series explores bi erasure through a particularly progressive and thoughtful lens.
Watch on Netflix.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
In the 99th episode of the series, the audience discovers that badass detective Rosa Diaz is dating a woman, and she later comes out to the entire precinct as bi. Her relationship with Jocelyn Pryce reveals a more tender side than what we’ve seen of her character thus far, and the storyline of her struggle to come out to and be accepted by her parents is one many bi people can relate to.
Kissing Jessica Stein
Though undoubtedly dated by today’s standards, Kissing Jessica Stein’s portrayal of a woman grappling with understanding her sexuality in the early 2000s is painfully realistic. She may not be the poster person for self-acceptance, but Jessica’s connection with Helen and her struggle to embrace a new version of herself is a story many will find relatable.
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