Research presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality annual conference last week found that bisexual people in mixed-gender relationships who are out to their parents have lower rates of sexual satisfaction than if they aren't out.

The study also found that rates of sexual satisfaction and romantic satisfaction were actually higher for the partners of bisexual people who feel "more negative towards their identity."

Researchers suggest that this sexual and romantic dissatisfaction comes from the fear of bi-erasure — or the "unique form of minority stress related to the erasure of their identity" as a bisexual person.

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The myth that bisexual people don't exist might seem absurd, but is more commonly accepted than you may think. And when bisexual people engage in relationships with people of different genders, that myth can contribute to the erasure of their identity entirely.

For example, a bisexual woman dating a man might face a common form of "minority stress" called bi-erasure — or the fear that someone's identity as a bisexual person might be ignored and they might be thought of as straight — just because she is in a relationship with a man.

While bi-erasure can have a variety of negative social impacts on bisexual people, including exclusion from LGBTQ spaces, isolation, and a feeling of invalidation, researchers found that it can have a tangible impact on their sex life as well.

New findings presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality annual conference last week found that for bisexual people in mixed-gender relationships, rates of sexual satisfaction were actually lower if they were out to their family, friends, and partners. However, the study also found that partners of bisexual people in mixed-gender relationships reported higher levels of sexual and romantic satisfaction when their partners were out.

Researchers tie these results to the internal conflict bi-erasure creates for bisexual people in mixed-gender relationships.

Luke MacGregor/ Reuters

Bisexual people in mixed-gender relationships who were out to their families had lower rates of sexual satisfaction than those who weren't

The study surveyed 142 mixed-gender couples, each composed of one bisexual person and one person who does not identify as bisexual. The couples on average had been together for 5 years, were 30-years-old at the time of the survey, and were primarily white.

Participants answered a series of questions about overall levels of sexual and romantic satisfaction with their partners. The results showed that factors such as whether bisexual participants felt their identities were recognized, whether bisexual partners were out to their families and friends, and how they felt about their own identity all had a strong impact on the level of sexual and romantic satisfaction of both partners.

Bisexual participants who felt that their identities were not seen reported lower rates of sexual satisfaction. Those who were out to their families also reported lower rates of sexual and romantic satisfaction.

Researcher Laura Vowels said the link between participants being out to family members and lower rates of sexual satisfaction could possibly be attributed to family members being unaccepting of participants' identity as bisexual, which in turn leads to sexual and romantic dissatisfaction.

The study showed surprising results about the level of sexual and romantic satisfaction for non-bisexual participants

While bisexual participants across the board reported lower rates of sexual satisfaction when they were out to their families and felt that their identity was not seen, Vowels was surprised at the findings about their non-bisexual partners.

"If the bisexual partner felt more negative towards their identity, then their partner experienced higher levels of sexual satisfaction," Vowels said.

Vowel said this might be connected to non-bisexual partners feeling insecure about their partners leaving them due to the stereotype that bisexual people are promiscuous and always looking for another relationship.

While the study is relatively small, the conclusions illustrate the tangible impacts that biphobia may have on the lives of bisexual people and their partners.