IACHR calls for legislation and public policies to safeguard human rights of bisexual people

September 26, 2024

Washington, D.C. —On the occasion of International Bisexual Awareness Day, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) calls on States across the Americas to adopt legislation and public policies that safeguard the rights of bisexual people and to integrate a gender perspective into these.

Bisexual people experience emotional, physical, or sexual attraction to people of the same or different gender in a fluid manner throughout their lives. The IACHR has observed that the experiences of bisexual individuals are often overlooked or questioned, resulting in their exclusion from public policies and legislation to protect their rights.

Bisexual women and gender-diverse bisexual persons are especially vulnerable to intersectional violence driven by multiple factors, such as patriarchy and prejudice against diverse sexual orientations. These factors expose these individuals to discrimination, biphobia, gender stereotyping, hypersexualization, and the risk of physical, sexual, and emotional violence that violates their dignity. This deeply entrenched climate of discrimination demands urgent action from States.

In response to these challenges, the IACHR calls on States to implement concrete measures to combat intersectional violence. Such initiatives include ensuring that public policies and legislation adopt a gender-based approach that comprehensively addresses violence and discrimination rooted in biases against bisexual women and gender-diverse bisexual individuals.

Inter-American standards emphasize the importance of applying a gender perspective to the prevention and investigation of acts of violence, as well as in the provision of comprehensive reparations and guarantees of nonrepetition.

The IACHR reaffirms its commitment to collaborating with States and civil society in the promotion and protection of the human rights of bisexual persons, highlighting the importance of taking all necessary measures, legal and practical, to eradicate stereotypes regarding bisexuality and sexual diversity, with the aim of ensuring full respect for the human rights of all persons without discrimination.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly. They serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 226/24

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