A dominant notion that homosexuality and heterosexuality give meaning to bisexuality already exists. But no one has explored the meaning that bisexuality might accrue with regard to monosexuality. Because bisexuals were never fully recognized within queer theory, the homosexual-heterosexual binary opposition continues to be the primary understanding of difference. Further, within queer theory, the idea of intimacy seems to be attributed to a gendered ontology, that is, the regulation of gender representation as the point of departure for understanding sexual identities. This circular understanding of gender as a reflection of intimacy is predicated on monosexual desires. Drawing on Clare Hemming's critical location of the bisexual middle ground, this article shifts the focus away from gender ontology, to argue for a theory of relationships that problemizes monogamy as a heterosexual norm (and indeed the idea of gay marriage as a way of normalizing bi-and homosexual desire in heterosexual terms). However, the idea that bisexuals are often seen as nonmonogamous is also questioned, as if there were any organizations of desire connected to a specific set of pleasures. This article is based on indepth interviews with bisexual women in Sweden between 2000 and 2004 and also highlights the "partnership law" from 1995 and gender neutral marriage in 2009.
Queer studies of education have become a growing field with a range of theoretical and political positions and methodological approaches. Moreover, research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) kids is tightly connected to anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia and norm-critical activism. One of the key contentions within this field is what researchers and activists mean by “queer” in the context of education: is it a focus on queer/ed subjectivities? Is it about using queer theories to critique forms and norms of education in a given sociopolitical context? Who is queer/ed in schools? Is the language of homophobia and transphobia the best or even correct way to describe and analyse normative educational settings and frameworks?
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