Bi+ Sexual Health and HIV (BiSHH) Study
The results of this study will help ascertain the current sexual health and HIV experiences of bi+ people in Australia. These up-to-date and specific findings will be used to inform future research and advocacy on the unique needs of bi+ people in Australia.
Despite large numbers of people identifying as bi+, there is a limited amount of bi+ specific research focusing on the sexual health and HIV needs of bi+ people in Australia. Bi+ is an umbrella term for people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to more than one gender, although not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or to the same degree. Bi+ identities include, but are not limited to, terms such as bisexual, pansexual, queer, multi-gender attracted, fluid, omnisexual, plurisexual, polysexual, bicurious and so on. Available research often combines bi+ people with either lesbians or gay men or under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. The distinct experiences of bi+ people are therefore often missed. This study aimed to address these gaps and was the first national survey on bi+ sexual health and HIV needs in Australia.
Researchers partnered with the bi+ community to run the first national survey that asks bi+ people in Australia about their sex, health and relationships. The survey was open to anyone who was 18 years and over, lived in Australia and identified with a bi+ identity or had sex/attraction to more than one gender. We recruited over 2,000 participants across Australia between September 2024 and February 2025.
This study was an anonymous, online, national, cross-sectional survey of bi+ people living in Australia.
- Most (89%) participants had accessed a sexual health-related service in Australia at least once in their lifetime, with general practice (82%) most common, followed by a sexual health clinic (47%).
- In the past 12 months, roughly half of participants had been tested for STIs (51%) and HIV (42%), and 7% were currently using PrEP. Over one-third (36%) had been diagnosed with an STI in their lifetime, 8% in the last 12 months,
- Bi+ people reported a range of barriers to feeling included within LGBTQ+ and general sexual health services. Less than half (47%) felt welcome in LGBTQ+ sexual health services and only 41% felt general sexual health services were knowledgeable and inclusive of bi+ people.
- In addition to sexual health, participants reported a high prevalence of adult sexual violence perpetrated against them (63%), psychological distress (28%) and recent illicit drug use (24%).
- These findings highlight the need to prioritise the distinct sexual health experiences of bi+ people and to strengthen bi+ inclusion within sexual healthcare settings. These data provide much-needed evidence to inform policy and practice responses that better support this largely overlooked, but significant, subpopulation within LGBTQ+ communities.
More detailed results can be found in the project report Understanding sex, health, and relationships among bi+ people in Australia: Key findings from the first bi+ sexual health and HIV study (BiSHH) 2024-25.
- Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe university
- University of Sydney
- ACON
- Health Equity Matters
- LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
- National Association of People with HIV Australia
- Thorne Harbour Health
This study is supported by research grants from the Kirby Institute and Gilead Sciences, Inc.
