Married At First Sight star calls out biphobia after being ‘reduced to her sexuality’

Married At First Sight (MAFS) Australia star Julia Vogl has called out biphobia after sharing that she felt “reduced to her sexuality” on the show. 

Vogl, who made history as the show’s first openly bisexual bride, opened up about her sexuality on the show, sharing that she would be happy to be paired with a man or woman. 

In a voice-over heard as she made her way to the wedding ceremony, she said: “The idea that my potential husband or wife is out there and I don’t know them is a very strange thought. I am looking for a cosmic connection. 

“I don’t know if I am going to be matched with a man or woman, it isn’t about someone’s gender… it’s about the connection I have with them. That connection transcends gender for me.”

She went on to be paired with Queensland-based entrepreneur Grayson McIvor, who she was open with about her bisexuality. However, her openness about her sexuality sadly led to some biphobic comments. 

In an interview with Refinery29 Australia she admitted that she is fed up with being “reduced to her sexuality”. 

She said: “It is frustrating to constantly be reduced to my sexuality, because there’s so much more to me than my sexuality. In fact, me being bisexual is probably the most boring thing about me. 

“It is completely my entire storyline [and] so many assumptions have been made in my portrayal.”

Bisexual people often experience erasure, bigotry and straight-up ignorance in their everyday lives. 

Biphobia – which can include comments about how bi people need to “choose a side” or are denying their ‘real’ sexuality – was present on the show, where a narrative has emerged insinuating that Vogl isn’t interested in men. 

She said of Grayson’s suggestion that she “wanted a woman”: ”Suggesting that because I wasn’t interested in this one man, therefore I must be a lesbian, it’s a cop out, and it feels really harmful. Often bisexuals feel misunderstood and unseen, and this is just another classic example of this happening.” 

In 2023, Married At First Sight UK saw Ella Morgan become the show’s first ever trans bride. The following year featured a lesbian couple for only the second time ever. 

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