Being bisexual in India still carries an administrative burden

A new feature in The Hindu explores the persistent complexities of identifying as bisexual in India in 2026. Despite increased visibility through dating apps and a more accepting popular culture, bisexual individuals report facing skepticism and interrogation from both heterosexual and gay communities. Tinder's 2023 India research found that 33% of young daters aged 18, 25 said their sexual orientation was more fluid than three years earlier, and 56% were open to dating diverse gender identities.

Bisexual men and women in India describe being fetishised, questioned about their true orientation, or assumed to be confused. A 2018 study on bisexual men in Mumbai documented stigma from both straight and gay circles. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Homosexuality examined gendered anti-bisexual bias in willingness to date. The feature notes that Indian cinema has occasionally portrayed bisexuality, but it often remains a plot point rather than a lived reality.