One writer for Tinder’s blog mentions that, despite his number of matches dropping once he put “bi” in his profile, he found more meaningful connections with open-minded men and women and had a more positive experience in general:
“For the first time in my life, women wanted to date me for something that others ostracized. I felt empowered and optimistic about my romantic future.
However, this also means that a good portion of other single bi folks are probably on those popular dating apps that you’ve considered
I also found myself meeting more bi men. Men who didn’t explicitly write “bi” on their profile, but would happily say something the moment they saw I proudly displayed my sexuality. Except for my current boyfriend, who identifies as gay, every person I’ve dated seriously has identified as bisexual or queer. I don’t think that’s coincidental. When you have shared experiences with discrimination, it’s easier to date.”
“Coming out” over and over again is unfair. But doing so right off the bat also acts as an early screening for people who identify as bi but say they wouldn’t date another bi person – something that a lot of bi men experience from bi women.
Do bisexual people get dealt a shitty hand on dating apps? Yes. Does that mean meeting someone special online is impossible? Hell no.
A 2017 study cited in the MIT Technology Review found that people who meet online are more likely to be compatible and have a higher chance of a healthy study done at Stanford found that nearly two-thirds of modern same-sex couples meet online
It sucks that there’s no legit dating app specifically devoted to bi individuals and other singles who respect what it means to be bi – yet. At least you know the user base is there. Many of these apps have taken steps toward inclusive features that can narrow your dating pool: OkCupid (opens in a new tab) pulls out the left-leaning people with compatibility based on questions about social issues and politics, and Tinder’s addition of 37 custom sexual orientations lets you opt to be shown matches that identify the same way you do.
- Free version: Yes
- One month of OkCupid Basic: $
- Three months of OkCupid Basic: $ ($9.99 per month)
- Six months of OkCupid Basic: $ ($7.49 per month)
- One month of OkCupid Premium: $
- Three months of OkCupid Premium: $ ($ per month)
- Six months of singleparentmeet dating OkCupid Premium: $ ($ per month)
For young, liberal voters, politics aren’t just a “well if we agree, it’s great” thing when looking for a partner – it’s the make or break for a solid foundation. OkCupid’s 2017 redesign is more than just millennial aesthetics: It’s geared toward ensuring that you don’t end up on a date with someone who doesn’t pay attention. The addition of 12 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations also makes it a safer space for non-binary and queer individuals to find love while using the pronouns that fit them.
The way that OkCupid targets more open-minded, sex-positive users seems to be translating to the experience that bi people have on the site. Megan from VA noticed that, compared to Tinder and Hinge, she received the least amount of gross messages from guys about her sexual experiences. Though she found her current partner on Tinder, she liked OkCupid the most:
“I like that the profiles were longer and I could see how they answered some questions that could be important to me before I even messaged them. That meant that if I didn’t agree with someone on a make or break issue to me, I could just not message them before putting the time into talking to them and learning that later.”
