ABSTRACT
Using data from a mixed-methods study of sex, gender and religion in young adults in Canada, we examine the identity constructions and negotiations of our self-identified bisexual respondents, especially in relation to their (non)religious/spiritual identities. Bisexual respondents from the Religion, Gender and Sexuality among Youth in Canada (RGSY) project demonstrate complex intersections of identities as experienced by individuals and groups marginalized at times both within sexual minority communities and within larger social and cultural spheres. This chapter explores how bisexuality is related to other constructions of sexual identity, as compared with the full cohort of respondents on the project. The experiences of bisexual (non)religious and spiritual young people reside at the margins; their experiences are largely misunderstood and the prescriptive social expectations placed on all young people overlook individuals whose sexuality is seen at times both as normative (when in heterosexual relationships) and non-normative (when in same-sex relationships). Young people’s sexual and religious identities are a rapidly expanding research area; this chapter contributes to this growing body of knowledge by considering the ways bisexual young people in the RGSY project understand, negotiate and construct their sexual identity in relation to other identity markers.
