Australian drag superstar Courtney Act has spoken out about bisexual erasure ahead of her new reality dating show, The Bi Life.
The 10-part show, which premiers in the UK on October 25th, sees Act join a group of romantic hopefuls on the adventure of a lifetime - but with a twist.
"We got a group of bisexual, pansexual and questioning British singletons, took them to Barcelona, and put them all in a villa where they lived together," Act said in an interview with Dazed.
She added: "We then matched them up with dates or selected dates for them to choose from."
"Because bisexual people almost have a foot in the gay and the straight world, their friends can misunderstand them too," she said.
"Like if a bisexual man starts dating another man, people are like ‘Ah, he’s gay’, but you know, bisexual people remain bisexual, and their attractions can change and flux over time. They can be a lot into men and a little bit into women, or any combination."
"I think the biggest struggles are other people's perceptions and understandings, unpeeling that socialisation and realising whoever you’re attracted to is correct."
Saying that she was driven to work on the show by a notable lack of bi-representation in the mainstream media, Act admitted she was shocked by just how many gay man claim bisexuality 'does not exist'.
"I think it’s because a lot of gay men do use bisexuality as a stepping stone, as a transition sexuality, because it is a safer place for them to identify before coming out as gay," she explained.
"That’s fine, but it’s really unfortunate when they then erase the bisexual identity based on their own experience."
She added: "I think that gay men in particular need to just listen to bisexual people and believe them when they say they’re attracted to different genders."
The Bi Life premiers in Australia Tuesday, October 30, at 7pm on E!.
