Shining a light into the darkness: bisexuality and relationships

Introduction

Imagine you are a therapist and you find yourself serving numerous couples in which one partner identifies as bisexual and the other does not. These mixed orientation couples present to therapy for a variety of reasons – sexual functioning concerns, mental health symptoms, communication issues. Inevitably, however, bisexuality emerges as a critical topic within the therapeutic process, including identity exploration, stereotype threat, and what it “means” to be partnered with someone of a different sexual orientation. You go to the literature to inform your practice, and unfortunately, uncover little information that could be used to help address these particular relationship concerns. Jennifer found herself in exactly this situation and, consequently, this special issue of Sexual and Relationship Therapy was conceived in her therapy office.

A major goal of this special issue is to highlight the intricacy of bisexual relationships and to provide greater direction to mental health providers working with bisexual individuals and their partners. From relationship structures and parenting to sexual satisfaction and alarming rates of intimate partner violence, this collection is intended to fill a major gap in the existing literature on bisexual health. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Bisexual people are generally under-represented in scientific literature, and they tend to be even more invisible in relationships, often erased from both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ communities (Israel & Mohr, 2004; Li, Dobinson, Scheim, & Ross, 2013). Research on the sexual practices and relationships of bisexual people has historically focused on sexually transmitted infections and sexual risk reduction, to the exclusion of other important sexual and relational topics impacting the community (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Currently, there exist no specific training materials or best practices addressing the unique sexual and relationship needs and concerns of bisexual people, and yet these issues can play an enormous role in day-to-day health and well-being.

This special issue is unique both in content and form. In addition to exploring a vastly overlooked topic, these contributions bring together a variety of voices – from experienced researchers to community members who are previously unpublished – as well as a number of perspectives on bisexuality and relationships. Inherent in our approach to this special issue was acknowledgment that, while we can quantify and discuss sex and relationships in academic ways, these are also deeply meaningful, nuanced, and emotionally evocative topics. Thus, we have intentionally solicited written artwork – in the form of poetry, prose, and song lyrics – to amplify the voices of bisexual people alongside academic research that is about, but unfortunately not always for, us. By integrating both traditional, empirical research articles, professional or practice-focused commentaries, and creative works about bisexuality into this double issue, we hope that readers will gain broad understanding of a rich, complex, and historically overlooked topic.

We should note that this special issue takes an inclusive approach to bisexuality, defined as sexual and/or romantic attraction to more than one gender, recognizing that not everyone who meets this definition may choose to employ the identity label of “bisexual.” Readers will find that contributors to the special issue have used a number of terms, such as bisexual, non-monosexual, and plurisexual, which encapsulate this same definition of expanded attraction.

Themes and content

Though the contributions included in this special issue cover a range of perspectives related to bisexuality and relationships, a number of themes clearly emerged. For example, both empirical and artistic pieces tackle the broad concept of mental health among bisexual individuals – from anxiety and loneliness to identity exploration and community support (e.g. Israel, 2018; Johnson, 2018; Koch, 2018; Rivera, 2018; Vencill, Carlson, Iantaffi, & Miner, 2018). Several articles contained in this double issue address specific risk factors (e.g. body image concerns [Kashubeck-West, Deitz, & Zielman, 2018], intimate partner violence [Turell et al., 2018], and bisexual-specific minority stressors [Smith, Mohr, & Ross, 2018]) for poor mental health and how these can impact both the intra- and inter-personal relationships of bisexual people.

In addition, several authors have contributed important work on relationship quality and satisfaction, sexual scripts, and specific relationship and sexual practices (e.g. consensual non-monogamy, kink/BDSM) within the bisexual community; Bass, 2018; Davids & Lundquist, 2018; Gauvin & Pukall, 2018; Morandini, Pinkus, & Dar-Nimrod, 2018; Sprott & Hadcock, 2018). We also include articles exploring how the relationships of bisexual people are affected by pregnancy and parenting (Dodge, Bowling, & Bartelt, 2018; Goldberg, Garcia, & Manley, 2018; Ross, Goldberg, & Tarasoff, 2018). These relationally focused and oft-overlooked aspects of bisexual lives represent distinct and novel contributions to the literature on bisexual health and well-being.

A number of themes cut across the work contained in this double issue. Empirical articles and artistic works identify the damage that bisexual invisibility and lack of acceptance can inflict on personal and relationship health. As well, several pieces speak to the importance of reducing isolation and gaining community support that is specific to the needs of bisexual people (e.g. Chithrangathan, 2018). Two articles (Crofford, 2018; D, 2018) present information specific to providing bisexual inclusive couples and relationship therapy, fulfilling a major goal to generate and feature content with the potential to be utilized in clinically focused training and therapeutic practice. We have also included a book review (Wiljamaa, 2018) on Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli's noteworthy new book: “Women in Relationships with Bisexual Men: Bi Men By Women.”

Areas for continued focus

We are pleased that we were able to include a range of topics and perspectives in this special issue; however, we also acknowledge some gaps that we regret we could not address and that we hope will receive greater attention in the literature. As with all populations, there is considerable diversity among bisexual people, including gender identity and expression, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and physical ability. It is important for scholarship on bisexual people in relationships to attend to such intersectionality. Attention to these variations in identity-related experiences can help to determine the extent to which the material presented in this special issue translates across bisexual people in research and practice. Furthermore, it will be important for clinicians to have guidance regarding how to respond knowledgeably and skillfully to intersectional statuses.

In addition to variations among bisexuals related to identities, relationships may also be affected by internal and external contexts. Geographic areas (as defined by such variables as country, state, or population density) may differ with regard to the legal status of sexual minorities, as well as visibility of and potential for connectedness to bisexual community. External contexts may be more individually determined in the case of familial or peer expectations associated with relationships. Internal contexts may include degree of internalized binegativity, salience of bisexual identity, and outness; all of which may be influenced by external contexts. Attention to the impact of these internal and external contexts on bisexual people in relationships would advance research and clinical practice.

Two areas that would benefit from corrective scholarly action involve bisexual men and consensual non-monogamy. Bisexual men have received a skewed type of attention, with the bulk of research literature and funding on bisexuality focusing specifically on reducing sexual health risks for men who have sex with men and women (MSMW). We acknowledge that sexual health for MSMW is a critical area of study; however, encourage expanded scholarship that reflects a more holistic understanding of bisexual men's romantic and sexual relationships.

Consensual non-monogamy is a complicated issue for bisexuals. It is challenging to acknowledge that, like all other sexual orientations, bisexual people may not be monogamous while combatting the persistent stereotype that bisexual people cannot be monogamous. Although it is likely useful to be knowledgeable about consensual non-monogamy when working with any couple, it may be more likely to come up if at least one partner is bisexual. Thus, in order to be competent in working clinically with bisexuals in relationships, knowledge of consensual non-monogamy is essential. Researchers also need to attend to the possibility of consensual non-monogamy, so that measures of constructions such as relationship satisfaction can capture experiences with multiple partners.

In bringing together these empirical and artistic contributions, we hope that this special issue encourages those who are focused primarily on sexual and relationship research and clinical training, or broader LGBTQ health, to focus more intentionally on the unique aspects of the “B.” This may be accomplished by conducting studies with bisexual participants, specifically, or by asking about sexual orientation in such a way that bisexuals can be identified and data disaggregated to learn more about bisexual participants within a broader sample. For those currently conducting research on bisexuality and with bisexual people, we encourage greater attention to the role that relationships and sex can play in the health and well-being of this community.

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank the team at Sexual and Relationship Therapy, in particular Alex Iantaffi, for his unwavering support of this special issue, and all of those who contributed to it by submitting their writing or serving as peer reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.