In what is still a relatively rare occurrence, a man in the public eye has come out this week as bisexual. Love Island’s Curtis Pritchard, who is dating fellow contestant, Maura Higgins, has spoken about his sexuality – which he hasn’t specifically labelled: “I can never ever say what will happen in the future. I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Male bisexuality is often met with prejudice. Sometimes it is reduced to being a phase or is met with an assumption that a man is, in fact, gay. Others traduce bisexual men as greedy or more likely to cheat. According to a Pew Research Center social study in the US, only 12% of bisexual men are out.

Biphobia also exists towards women, but progress has been made at a quicker pace, although common ground can be found in how bisexuality is erased for all genders. A bisexual woman or man walking hand-in-hand with a same-sex partner will often be assumed to be gay, for example.

Then there is the issue of straight women ruling out sex or relationships with bisexual men. Pritchard has said Higgins does not have a problem with his sexuality, but that didn’t stop news outlets publishing stories that suggested the exact opposite. However, to take one example, in a 2016 survey, 63% of Glamour readers said they would not sleep with a man who had had sex with men.

Lewis Oakley, who is bisexual, has had firsthand experience of this. He says he has lost count of the number of women who have “ghosted” him after he mentioned his attraction to men as well as women. “Part of being a bisexual man in 2019 is having to educate people as you go through life,” he says.

It still seems as though society has a way to go, even though it has been years since half of the boyband Blue came out as bisexual. In fact, everyone would do well to follow the example of band member Lee Ryan’s mum who, when she found out that Ryan was frequently making sweet, sweet music with fellow member Duncan James, remarked: “I would support him in any choice he made in life.” Legend.