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Navigating Bi+ Belonging: Everyday Experiences of Bisexual, Pansexual and Queer Individuals in Lund, Sweden

Bock, Lory LU (2021) SIMV14 20211
Graduate School
Master of Science in Social Studies of Gender
Abstract
People who desire more-than-one gender are still facing social exclusion as well as exclusion from LGBTQ communities. Moreover, specific bi+ spaces are rare and bisexuals are often not part of them. Where, then, do bisexuals belong? In order to answer this question, this thesis explores the everyday experiences of bi+ people using Relief Maps and in-depth interviews. I build on theories around emotions and space, embodied experience and belonging, as well as research in the field of feminist, queer, and bisexual geography. Additionally, I investigate the community involvement of bisexuals in terms of queer spaces, bi+ spaces and alternative communities. I also engage with the strategies employed by bisexuals to navigate monosexism and... (More)
People who desire more-than-one gender are still facing social exclusion as well as exclusion from LGBTQ communities. Moreover, specific bi+ spaces are rare and bisexuals are often not part of them. Where, then, do bisexuals belong? In order to answer this question, this thesis explores the everyday experiences of bi+ people using Relief Maps and in-depth interviews. I build on theories around emotions and space, embodied experience and belonging, as well as research in the field of feminist, queer, and bisexual geography. Additionally, I investigate the community involvement of bisexuals in terms of queer spaces, bi+ spaces and alternative communities. I also engage with the strategies employed by bisexuals to navigate monosexism and heteronormativity. The study was conducted with 10 participants in Lund, a small university town in Sweden. The results have shown that bi+ people experience mixed emotions in the spaces and encounters of their everyday lives. Besides, they often feel “not queer enough” for LGBTQ spaces, especially if the space is homogenous or catered towards monosexuals. Faced with this, the participants exhibited various strategies to perform or not perform bisexuality by doing-by-saying. While some people were using passing or blending in straight or LGBTQ spaces, other did not want to be seen as straight at all and often used doing-by-saying in order to express their bisexuality. Another strategy for bi+ belonging is to inhabit alternative communities like a choir, a theatre group, a leftist organization, one’s flatmates, or a group of queer classmates. Here, people can find relief and belonging. Nevertheless, more research is needed on the experiences of bisexuals and on imagining bi+ spaces. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Bock, Lory LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMV14 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Bisexual geography, bisexual space, feminist geography, queer geography, safe space, community, bi+ experience, Relief Maps
language
English
id
9064705
date added to LUP
2021-09-14 15:25:18
date last changed
2021-09-14 15:25:18
@misc{9064705,
  abstract     = {{People who desire more-than-one gender are still facing social exclusion as well as exclusion from LGBTQ communities. Moreover, specific bi+ spaces are rare and bisexuals are often not part of them. Where, then, do bisexuals belong? In order to answer this question, this thesis explores the everyday experiences of bi+ people using Relief Maps and in-depth interviews. I build on theories around emotions and space, embodied experience and belonging, as well as research in the field of feminist, queer, and bisexual geography. Additionally, I investigate the community involvement of bisexuals in terms of queer spaces, bi+ spaces and alternative communities. I also engage with the strategies employed by bisexuals to navigate monosexism and heteronormativity. The study was conducted with 10 participants in Lund, a small university town in Sweden. The results have shown that bi+ people experience mixed emotions in the spaces and encounters of their everyday lives. Besides, they often feel “not queer enough” for LGBTQ spaces, especially if the space is homogenous or catered towards monosexuals. Faced with this, the participants exhibited various strategies to perform or not perform bisexuality by doing-by-saying. While some people were using passing or blending in straight or LGBTQ spaces, other did not want to be seen as straight at all and often used doing-by-saying in order to express their bisexuality. Another strategy for bi+ belonging is to inhabit alternative communities like a choir, a theatre group, a leftist organization, one’s flatmates, or a group of queer classmates. Here, people can find relief and belonging. Nevertheless, more research is needed on the experiences of bisexuals and on imagining bi+ spaces.}},
  author       = {{Bock, Lory}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Navigating Bi+ Belonging: Everyday Experiences of Bisexual, Pansexual and Queer Individuals in Lund, Sweden}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}