Lived experience of Iranian bisexual women: a thematic analysis

Abstract

Normative homo-sociality, physical sex-segregation and other oppressive gender politics in Iran raise questions about the development of bisexuality as an “identity” among Iranian women. This study examines the lived experience of Iranian bisexual women. Six self-identified bisexual women were recruited by two announcements in Iranian LGBTI community social media. After in-depth online interviews, data were coded and analyzed by inductive thematic analysis method. Seventeen themes in three broad patterns (identity, social structure and relationship) are found across and within the data. Themes such as biphobia, confusion and self-definition are in concordance with studies of the western bisexual population. Themes related to social structure are unique and reflect the particular socio-cultural condition of non-heterosexual women in Iran.

Keywords:

• bisexual identity
• Iranian women
• gender politics
• lived experience

Notes

Acknowledgements

The corresponding author would like to thank the Iranian bisexual community for their collaboration and support. The project has been conducted with financial support of the UK Chevening award at centre for interdisciplinary gender studies, University of Leeds.

Notes

1 In Islamic laws, male and female relationships are restricted before marriage and they are advised to avoid unnecessary conversations with each other.

2 Tribadism or Tribbing, commonly known by its scissoring position, is a sex act in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation and pleasure.

3 It can be either lash or death, depend on condition.

4 This condition is still going on.

5 Websites contain information on same-sex attraction and lifestyle, even scientific contents, are often blocked and filtered in Iran by the state.

6 Outright action international organization, published a Farsi booklet recently called How to Protect Your Online Security: Manual for the Iranian LGBT Community.

7 American gay singer and LGBTQ advocate.

8 Panopticon is a circular prison with an observation tower in the center of an open space surrounded by an outer wall. This wall would contain cells for prisoners. This design would facilitate more effective surveillance. Foucault firstly used the term in his book, Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the prison (1975) to conceptualize the function of discipline and control as a tool of power. Afary, inspired by Foucault, has invented the term » Islamic panopticon « to describe the IRI system of surveillance on all aspects of citizens' life as a religious totalitarian government.