Two-Spirit and Bisexual People: Different Umbrella, Same Rain

Epistemic Injustice: Towards Uncovering Knowledge of Bisexual Realities in Social Work Research

“…The point of queer theory, then, with its focus on raising more questions and problematizing binary notions of sexuality/gender, is not to arrive at an answer about these issues; rather, its contribution to remedying bisexual epistemic injustices would be to bring to light issues to help improve the lives of not just bisexual-identified individuals, but also the lives of all people who are invariably impacted by the dichotomizing, binary understanding of gender, sex, sexuality, and all facets of life. The very essence of a contemporary understanding of bisexuality (i.e., understood as being attracted to multiple genders) unsettles and destabilizes categories of sexuality/gender (Robinson, 2017). Greater inclusion of bisexuality into works of queer theory would allow for a richer understanding of sexuality, as well as contribute to the undertaking of deconstructing the homo/hetero binary logic.…”

“…A common and historical understanding of bisexuality tells us that bisexual individuals are only attracted to males and females, with the biological deterministic assumption that sex and gender always co-occur and correspond with each other (Mikkola, 2012). Bisexuality has been traditionally regarded as a binary conception (e.g., attraction to only two genders), which has been challenged in recent years (Robinson, 2017). This paper aims to move beyond a binary conception of bisexuality and sexuality overall.…”

“…This evolution refers to a shifting of perspective that emphasizes bisexuality as a non-monosexual reality that may include attraction to more than one gender (compared to more traditional views of bisexuality as being attracted to only men and women; Flanders, Lebreton, Robinson, Bian, & Caravaca-Morera, 2017;Robinson, 2017). In recent research, pansexual individuals are generally grouped under the bisexual umbrella (Mitchell, Davis, & Galupo, 2014), with bisexuals and pansexuals identifying in similar ways (i.e., romantic and/or sexual attractions to multiple and diverse genders, including non-binary genders; Flanders et al, 2017).…”

“…Research is increasingly showing that bisexuals experience significant health and mental health disparities compared to heterosexuals, gays and lesbians (Bostwick, Hughes, & Everett, 2015;Fredriksen-Goldsen, Kim, Barkan, Balsam, & Mincer, 2010;Gorman, Denney, Dowdy, & Medeiros, 2015). It has been hypothesized that these disparities are largely due to discrimination (e.g., identity dismissal, dating exclusion, blame for spreading diseases) by heterosexual and gay/lesbian communities (Robinson, 2017).…”

“…Eventually, the science community started using the term "bisexual" as an exclusive term to understand a specific kind of sexuality, particularly sexual attraction to both cisgender men and women (not including trans and other gender non-binary identities; Robinson, 2017). Much of the literature on bisexuals has been collapsed with that of other sexual minorities such as gays and lesbians (Fredriksen-Goldsen, 2011;Wallace, Cochran, Durazo, & Ford, 2011), which may obscure accurate population estimates, as well as risk factors and realities of the bisexual community.…”