ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on a mixed-method project of 55 self-identified bisexual young adults (aged 18–25) of diverse religious/spiritual identities (e.g. Buddhist, Jewish, mixed-faith, Christian, Muslim). Presenting quantitative and qualitative data drawn from an online survey, interviews and video diaries, the chapter addresses two empirical themes. The first theme focuses on the participants’ views on their own sexuality, vis-à-vis widespread misunderstandings of bisexuality in diverse sexual, religious and secular communities. The vast majority of the participants asserted that bisexuality was a distinct sexuality that deserved recognition, and the persistence of ‘bisexual erasure’, present in diverse spaces, compromised the quality of their lives. The second theme focuses on the intersection of sexuality and spirituality in the participants’ lives, which generate multiple outcomes, characterised by tension, conflict, but also creative adaptation. Contrary to most studies, this study significantly presents narratives of bisexuality beyond Christianity, to demonstrate the continued hegemony of gender and sexual binary, monosexism, ‘compulsory coupledom’ and monogamy, and how they differentially impact across religious categories. Whilst these broader normatives – situated in diverse spaces – negatively impact on the participants’ lives in general terms, the nature of the religious space a participant belonged to could make a significant difference regarding whether bisexuality was erased or recognised.
