Creation and Validation of a Scale to Measure Belief in Performative Bisexuality

Bisexual individuals are subject to prejudice and discrimination of various forms, from within both the heterosexual and gay communities. Stereotypes include views of bisexual individuals as
hypersexual, promiscuous, and confused about their orientation. Experiences with such prejudices can lead bisexual individuals to experience isolation, anxiety, and depression. Belief in performative bisexuality (BPB), the belief that bisexual women perform (or should perform) sexually with other women, primarily for the pleasure of others, is a particularly pernicious stereotype, potentially implying denial of bisexual women’s sexual identity and disregard of their experiences and preferences. Assessing BPB is important for studying the phenomenon; however, to our current knowledge, no validated psychometric instruments exist for measuring it. A pool of 28 Likert-type items created to tap the BPB construct was administered to 457 online survey participants, predominantly university students. Content-based refinement and factor analysis resulted in a 12-item Likert-type scale for measuring BPB. This scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=.84) and predicted associations with subject demographics and scenario-based items assessing BPB. The BPB scale is offered as a reliable instrument with good initial evidence for validity, for measuring BPB in general research populations. Uses, limitations, and implications will be discussed.