57% of queer American adults identify as bisexual, the most common LGBTQ+ identity marker for Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z alike. With each subsequent generation, more individuals statistically identify as bisexual, with 15% of Gen Z reporting this identity. The particular challenges for this community are nuanced, and Dr. Mimi Hoang, known professionally as “Dr. Mimi,” has devoted her career to advancing awareness of these issues.
As a psychologist, Dr. Mimi, who is Chinese and Vietnamese American, owns a private practice, where she specializes in working with LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) folks. “I interact with lots of other queer, Asian-American women in my line of work, which is wonderful,” she says.
In her sessions, she addresses issues of identity, healthy relationships, and social anxiety. “I’ve worked with so many bi+ folks in the community. As a psychologist, I was always working with multicultural groups. I started to merge the two areas of my organizing and my work.”
Outside of her office, Dr. Mimi serves as the program coordinator of the LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy Center at Airport Marina Counseling Services and is a Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Southern California.
She also serves on the board of Los Angeles BI+ Task Force, which she co-founded in 2008. The Task Force promotes education, advocacy, and cultural enrichment for the greater Los Angeles community. On May 3, the LA Bi+ Task Force will host the annual B+ Well Conference, a space for collective healing work for the bisexual-plus community. Dr. Mimi’s expertise also supports the review board of Fluid Health, an online sexual health platform for queer and trans folks needing information about their sexual well-being.
“I love keeping things interesting and having a variety of projects,” she says with a smile.
Reflecting on her own coming out journey, Dr. Mimi remembers, “it wasn’t easy. I came out in the late ‘90s and there was much less bisexual visibility back then.”
In response to this challenge, Dr. Mimi cofounded amBi, a bisexual social community, in 2006—the first of its kind in Los Angeles. She credits her familiarity with leadership in school with the inspiration to start the group.
Through this initiative, bisexual folks came together over shared struggles. “They feel very invisible, especially if they are monogamous or in a heterosexual-presenting relationship. It can result in a lot of self doubt and insecurity.”
When asked what she would say to folks struggling with biphobia, whether internal or external, Dr. Mimi encourages self-acceptance. “Your identity, your attractions, are inside you, and therefore it’s not up for debate,” she says.
In 2013, Dr. Mimi attended the first bisexual community roundtable at the White House. “This was the first time an administration independently recognized issues facing the bisexual community.” These issues are wide-ranging, including mental, physical, and sexual health disparities.
Even today, coming out continues to be a primary concern for the bisexual community. “Younger folks are getting a lot more exposure, and so people are coming out at earlier ages.” Still, the stigma persists. “You might be aware that there is a ‘B’ in LGBTQ+, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be an easy road for you.”
The stigmatization extends to folks who practice non-monogamy or come out later in life. As of 2018, about 22% of bisexual folks surveyed regarding their relationships identified as non-monogamous. 71% of LGBTQ+ individuals surveyed by a 2024 Gallup poll came out before the age of 30, although among bisexuals, there is an age disparity among folks who are openly out as bisexual—those over 45 are less likely (18%) to be out to those close to them.
“It can especially be challenging if bisexual individuals come out while already in a monogamous relationship,” says Dr. Mimi, “which can lead to impostor syndrome.”
External biphobia is still very real. “That can come from the workplace, friends, and even our romantic partners,” explains Dr. Mimi. “This can lead to depression and anxiety, and oftentimes abuse and body image issues, including eating disorders.”
Dr. Mimi also addresses the darker side of biphobia. “There are issues of power and control in relationships, our sexuality is fetishized, there’s jealousy, or there’s slut-shaming,” she says. “People sometimes think that it’s fun and trendy to be bi, but we get stigmatized and sometimes even mistreated by our romantic partners. There is a higher risk of suicidality for bi and pan folks and higher rates of intimate partner violence for bi+ women—especially with partners of different genders.”
This work, while admirable, does not come without challenges. “It’s hard to fight when you don’t feel well,” says Dr. Mimi, who emphasizes the importance of rest and community support in successful advocacy work.
Dr. Mimi encourages the larger bisexual community to do the same. “Find an affirmative therapist, find community. This is such an important time to go out and not be isolated. Call somebody, join a group, or start a group if you feel like you’re strong enough to do it.”
“I truly believe in mentoring and community and working on your mental health,” Dr. Mimi says with confident optimism. “I’ve been able to continue my social justice work because I’ve always done it with other people. I mentor others and I have been mentored myself. Having that guidance and wisdom passed along is helpful I can pass along my insights to others. That way, I can have a replacement when I need to take a step back and rest.”
Dr. Mimi’s works to make mental healthcare a safer and more accessible experience for queer clients by training new therapists on LGBTQ+ affirming care and providing sliding scale services to her clients.
She is especially passionate about intersectionality in terms of health, wellness, and community. “A lot of bi+ women are women of color—more representation of WOC in the bi+ community even though it may not seem that way in the media.” While women make up the majority of bisexual individuals in the United States, women of color, particularly young, Black women, make up a significant portion of this group. This also accounts for a drastic increase in bisexual identification in the late 2010s.
“Being a bisexual woman of color comes with minority stresses layered on each other,” Dr. Mimi explains. “It’s important to be aware of. Our community also comes with so much resilience and strength. There is so much we can learn from the badass bisexual of color who own who they are and resist, and embrace their own beauty and joy.”
Dr. Mimi offers two life coaching courses for bisexual+ folks looking to fully embrace themselves and their identity. Bi on Life and Bi on Love blend individual and community empowerment to create lifelong confidence and connections.
Of the future of the bisexual-plus community, Dr. Mimi remains hopeful. “It all starts from knowing who you are and coming to terms with that, because bisexuality is absolutely normal, natural, and real.”
This article was originally published on News Is Out.com.