Label-First Sexual Identity Development: An In-Depth Case Study of Women Who Identify as Bisexual Before Having Sex With More Than One Gender

Abstract

This article explores the concept of label-first sexual identity development through two in-depth case studies with women who claimed a bisexual label before engaging in sexual behavior with a partner of a different gender than their previous partner(s). Data are from a larger qualitative study of life history interviews with women who partner with women and men throughout their life courses. Feminist theories of intersectionality provide a framework to explore the web of social locations bisexual women inhabit and how these multiple aspects of identity, such as race, class and religion, coalesce to create a bisexual identity in the absence of same-sex behavior. The role of friendships, dialogue about bisexuality, community, geographic location and family dynamics are critical components in this pattern of sexual identity development.

KEYWORDS:

• bisexual identity
• sexual minorities
• bisexual women
• intersectionality
• LGBT
• same-sex behavior