The portrayals of bisexuality in the media reflect societal attitudes towards bisexuality in the existing media portrayals. Throughout history, numerous bisexual characters have appeared in television series, including cartoons, anime, video games and web series, along with literature, comics, radio, and other mediums.
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation that refers to the romantic or sexual attraction towards people of more than one gender. Bisexual characters have been featured in animation and anime for years. Despite this representation, "not all queer presentation" is created equal as one scholar noted, with representation of bisexual and transgender characters lagging behind lesbians and gay men in some respects, with this representation important in the U.S. political climate while GLAAD called for Hollywood to produce more films with LGBTQ characters.
Film
In a 2002 report analyzing bisexuality in various mediums, specifically movies, television, and music, GLAAD criticized the track record of the movie industry in the United States, when it came to representation, and inclusion, of bisexuality, stating that often bisexual content is either "removed from novels that films are based on," removed from original screenplays when filming begins, or is taken out on the cutting room floor. This report praised the films Flirting With Disaster (1996), My Own Private Idaho (1991), The Color Purple (1985), French Twist (1995), Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Henry & June (1990) for being "fair, accurate and inclusive" when it came to bisexual characters. However, the film Basic Instinct (1992) was described as "one of the worst examples of biphobia ever put on a screen" while Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and Spartacus (1960) were criticized for their removal of scenes with "bisexual content." Basic Instinct also received controversy from the bisexual community for portraying a bisexual as a psychopathic killer.
In 2005, the site Out Films, listed 10 Hollywood films which they felt had the best bisexual representation. Apart from My Own Private Idaho, which GLAAD had listed in their report, the site listed nine other films: Kissing Jessica Stein (2001), De-Lovely (2004), Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2004), Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Kinsey (2004), Cabaret (1972), Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001), and Midnight Express (1978).
In 2018, the British Film Institute argued that bisexuals are often not explored in cinema, with the worse examples of films being "downright squeamish about their characters' bisexuality." They noted this was the case in films such as Alexander (2004), Caligula (1978), and Skyfall (2012), and added that bisexual women are "even less visible in Hollywood films," apart from Young Man with a Horn (1950). As such, BFI criticized portrayals in films like The Fox (1967) and Gia (1998). The Institute further notes films, including those not bisexual "in the conventional sense," where characters enjoy "sex with men and women," apart from those noted by GLAAD and Out Films: Sex in Chains (1928), Les Biches (1968), Theorem (1968), Score (1974), The Comedian (2012), and Appropriate Behavior (2014). The same year, Ariel Sobel, in an article in The Advocate, praised Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) for portraying "the ultimate queer superhero" and called her character, Lisbeth Salander, "a testament to the brilliance of bisexual women." Sobel also pointed to Tully (2018) as a film about "a woman who happens to be queer" and argued that it "showcases how LGBTQ people go through all sorts of milestones," then experiencing them.
In February 2020, Pride.com said that while corporations "seem content to live in their heteronormative worlds," sources reported that Sony was creating a live-action movie with Spider-Man as bisexual and having a boyfriend.
In September 2020, Zachary Zane and Adrianna Freedman concluded in an article in Men's Health that it is "not easy to find a movie with bisexual characters," especially not easy to find one "that offers a positive and authentic depiction of bisexuality," saying this is terrible for bisexual people. As such, the article pointed to 16 films which have done a great "or at least reasonably decent" job at depicting bisexuality, most of which had not been highlighted by GLAAD or Out Films: Atomic Blonde (2017), Booksmart (2019), Call Me By Your Name (2017), Imagine Me and You (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Behind the Candelabra (2013), Colette (2018), and Dare (2009). However, one of their selections, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), was criticized for its portrayal of Mercury's sexuality and use of homophobic tropes. Another selection, Chasing Amy (1997), was praised by The Advocate for its "exploration of sexual politics" and the troubles that bisexual women encounter when taking "on straight partners." The same magazine argued that Frida (2002), one of Zane and Freedman's selections, highlights an "underacknowledged bisexual," Frida Kahlo, and called The Kids Are All Right (2010), also chosen by Zane and Freedman, was "the most accomplished film about queer women created by a queer woman." In 2021, Marya E. Gates of Nerdist restated that clear bisexuality is rare in film and also wrote that several acclaimed bisexual-themed films did not "get it", suggesting there were only few examples of bisexuality in film that are explicit and genuine, naming examples Appropriate Behavior (2014), Moonlight (2016) and Shiva Baby (2020).
In December 2020, Apoorva Nijhara examined bisexuality in Bollywood films, noting those which had positive or negative representation. She noted that Bollywood has not tried to counter stigma against bisexual people, stating that "bisexuality happens to be the least explored topic when it comes to Bollywood," citing Fire (1996), Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and Padmaavat (2018) as examples of bad representation. However, she points to bisexual-positive themes in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007) and Margarita with a Straw (2014), calling the latter film the "only movie that has actually shown bisexuality in perfect light."
Live-action television
In 2003, GLAAD concluded that there were have only been "a few bisexual characters on TV." The report cited Steven Carrington in the soap opera, Dynasty (1981–1989) who "had a long term love affair with Luke" but got married, had a child, and later lived with his former lover, Bart, as the first example. The same report also cited C.J. Lamb, played by Amanda Donohoe, in the NBC drama L.A. Law (1986–1994), and Nancy, played by Sandra Bernhard in Roseanne (1988–2018), as bisexual, calling the latter "probably the most recent portrayal of bisexuality." The report concluded that while bisexual characters had been popular in television shows, even raising ratings, "there are no bisexual characters on primetime today," supposing this is the case because networks have "chosen to ignore bisexuality in the plots of their shows."
In 2015, Eliel Cruz, in Slate, praised American Horror Story for its bisexual representation with Ramona Royale falling for The Countess and a man, a trans female bartender of the Blue Parrot Lounge named Liz Taylor who was married to a woman before coming out as transgender but falls in love with a male model, and Will Drake, buyer and new owner of the Hotel Cortez, called himself bisexual in one episode. Cruz called this unique because unlike lesbian and gay characters, "bisexual characters rarely say the word bisexual in media," with GLAAD even counting bisexual characters in their annual reports even though "the majority of characters never using the word bisexual." She said the effect of this is that "bisexuals are severely underrepresented in the culture" and are often badly represented, with Drake's character as an "example of what can happen with television producers and writers get our community right."
In 2018, The Advocate pointed to five TV shows as having positive bisexual representation: The Good Wife (Kalinda Sharma), Game of Thrones (Oberyn Martell), Grey's Anatomy (Callie Torres), House of Cards (Frank Underwood), and How to Get Away with Murder (Annalise Keating).
In 2019, Madison Lennon of Screen Rant explained that while it can be "difficult to find bisexual characters that don't fall prey to offensive stereotypes" and there have been "some great depictions of bisexuality over the years." As such, Lennon listed relatable representations of bisexuality in TV, apart from one mentioned by The Advocate in 2018: Max in Black Sails, Nico Minoru in Runaways, Clarke Griffin in The 100, Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Ilana Wexler in Broad City, Sara Lance in Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, Magnus Bane in Shadowhunters, Lucifer Morningstar in Lucifer, and Miles Hollingsworth III in Degrassi: The Next Generation.
During the HBO special Home Videos stand-up comedian and director Jerrod Carmichael talked about his sexuality, revealing that he has had relationships with both men and women.
In 2021, Nerdist writer Marya E. Gates wrote that bisexual representation often featured biphobia, but argued that in the preceding years, representation had both increased and improved, highlighting Hannibal, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane the Virgin, and Schitt's Creek.
Anime and animated series
Isaiah Jones of CBR, posting during BiWeek in September 2019, explained that throughout anime there have many bisexual characters, all with their own "circumstances and stories relating to their sexuality." Jones then listed ten bisexual characters in anime series, ranging from the late 1990s to the present. This list included Honoka Maki in Kiznaiver (2016), Ranka in Ouran High School Host Club (2006), Yukari Sendou in Rosario + Vampire (2008), Suruga Kanbaru in Monogatari (2009-2012), Pitohui in Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online (2018), Miku Izayoi in Date A Live II (2014), Apollo in Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (2015–Present), Ertegun in Carole & Tuesday (2019), and Ash Lynx in Banana Fish (2018). However, Megan Peters of Comic Book stated in 2018 that "Pitohui has never acknowledged her sexual preference," meaning that the canon is "wide open" and some argued that Ertegun is a "massive jerk" and is self-serving.
Ryouji Fujioka (also known as Ranka), the father of protagonist Haruhi Fujioka, was praised by Angela Goulene of CBR for being a "groundbreaking" queer parent. Goulene noted that Ranka is a crossdresser who performs as a drag queen, is accepted by his mother, and is shown as a "completely normal parent," who cares about his own daughter. She further says that despite his flaws, he is a "caring, loving father" who speaks fondly of Fujioka's mother, saying the show should be applauded for its "normalcy with which queerness and cross-dressing are approached in the show." Ranka also brings home male lovers, has cross-dressing friends, and asserts he is bisexual.