37 Books By, For, or About Bisexual or Otherwise Non-Monosexual People

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The Internet, and actually also real life, can be a minefield for people who want to learn about or talk about bisexuality. The effort of trying to sift through the straight-up biphobia and the fetishizing porn aimed at straight men can wear you out long before you manage to find anything helpful, insightful, or illuminating. To try to make this process a little easier, we’ve compiled a starter of a list of resources. Here you’ll find academic books and nonfiction books documenting the experiences of bisexual people, fiction or memoir that depicts bisexual people, and a few online resources.

We recognize that this is by no means complete! We’d love to find more resources, especially those dealing with bisexual trans* people and bisexual people of color, and would love to add resources that speak not just to bisexuality, but to pansexuality and omnisexuality and other identities. If you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments!

Also, this list is such that not every title on it could be read and vetted by us personally — we can’t guarantee that these texts depict bisexual people in unproblematic ways, that the ideas put forth by bisexual authors are unproblematic, or that these texts are free of cissexism and racism. If there’s a reason these texts shouldn’t be recommended, let us know!

Nonfiction/Academic

Closer to Home: Bisexuality & Feminism
Edited by Elizabeth Reba Weise
closer-to-home-bisexuality-feminism

The B Word: Bisexuality in Contemporary Film and Television
by Maria San Filippo
the-b-word-bisexuality-in-contemporary-film-and-television

Bisexuality and Transgenderism: InterSEXions of the Others
by Fritz Klein, Karen Yescavage & Jonathan Alexander
bisexuality-and-transgenderism-intersexions-of-the-others

Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions
by John Dececco Phd & Naomi S Tucker
bisexual-politics-theories-queries-and-visions

Bisexuality: A Critical Reader
Edited by Merl Storr
bisexuality-a-critical-reader

Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out
Edited by Loraine Hutchins & Lani Kaahumanu
bi-any-other-name-bisexual-people-speak-out

Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, Second Edition
Edited by Robyn Ochs & Sarah Rowley
getting-bi-voices-of-bisexuals-around-the-world-second-edition

Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community
by William Burleson
bi-america-myths-truths-and-struggles-of-an-invisible-community

Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life
by Marjorie Garber
bisexuality-and-the-eroticism-of-everyday-life

Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics
by Jennifer Baumgardner
look-both-ways-bisexual-politics

Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire
by Lisa M. Diamond
sexual-fluidity-understanding-womens-love-and-desire

Bi Lives: Bisexual Women Tell Their Stories
Edited by Kata Orndorff
bi-lives-bisexual-women-tell-their-stories

Bisexuality: The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority
Edited by Beth A. Firestein

Bisexuality in the Ancient World
by Eva Cantarella, Translated by Cormac O Cuilleanain
bisexuality-in-the-ancient-world

Bisexual Resource Guide
Edited by Robyn Ochs
bisexual-resource-guide

Bisexuality and Queer Theory: Intersections, Connections and Challenges
by Alexander, Jason and Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

book1

The Bisexual Imaginary
by Louise Allen, edited by Bi Academic Intervention

BisexualImaginary

Bisexual Characters in Film: From Anais to Zee
by John Dececco and Wayne M. Bryant

BisexualCharacters

Bisexual Spaces: A Geography of Sexuality and Gender
by Clare Hemmings

RePresenting Bisexualities: Subjects and Cultures of Fluid Desire

by Pramaggiore, edited by Maria and Donald E. Hall

RepresentingBisexualities

Fiction/Memoir

A Map of Home
by Randa Jarrar
a-map-of-home

If You Follow Me: A Novel
by Malena Watrous
if-you-follow-me-a-novel

The Buddha of Suburbia
by Hanif Kureishi
the-buddha-of-suburbia

Love Letter to a Female Reader (Love Letters, #1)
by Victoria Primrose
love-letter-to-a-female-reader-love-letters-1

Thorn in the Flesh
by Anne Brooke
thorn-in-the-flesh

Sutherland’s Rules
by Dario Ciriello
sutherlands-rules

The Metaphysical Touch
by Sylvia Brownrigg
the-metaphysical-touch

Very LeFreak
by Rachel Cohn
very-lefreak

Babyji
by Abha Dawesar
babyji

Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage
by Jenny Block
open-love-sex-and-life-in-an-open-marriage

Boyfriends with Girlfriends
by Alex Sanchez
boyfriends-with-girlfriends

The Correspondence Artist
by Barbara Browning
the-correspondence-artist

Love You Two
by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
love-you-two

Torn
by Amber Lehman
torn

Map
by Audrey Beth Stein
map

Indigo Springs (Astrid Lethewood, #1)
by A.M. Dellamonica
indigo-springs-astrid-lethewood-1

Miss Timmins’ School for Girls: A Novel
by Nayana Currimbhoy
miss-timmins-school-for-girls-a-novel

Gut Symmetries
by Jeanette Winterson
gut-symmetries

The Complete Strangers in Paradise, Volume 1
by Terry Moore
the-complete-strangers-in-paradise-volume-1

The Hunger (Hunger, #1)
by Whitley Strieber
the-hunger

Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
orlando

Empress of the World (Battle Hall Davies, #1)
by Sara Ryan
empress-of-the-world

Bye-Bye
by Jane Ransom
bye-bye

The American Woman in the Chinese Hat
by Carole Maso
the-american-woman-in-the-chinese-hat

In the Name of Salome
by Julia Alvarez
in-the-name-of-salome

Aquamarine
by Carol Anshaw
aquamarine

Landing
by Emma Donoghue
landing

Resources

Bi Community News
BiMedia.org
American Institute of Bisexuality
BiMagazine
BiNet USA
Bisexual Resource Center

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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1141 articles for us.

195 Comments

  2. Thanks for the awesome list!

    Since you asked for more resources – I have a book coming out next month called Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution (http://www.amazon.com/Bi-Bisexual-Revolution-Shiri-Eisner/dp/1580054749). It’s my attempt to create a radical bisexual politics, and it is deeply informed by intersectionality, feminism, trans politics and race politics – not in the least because I myself am a trans* person of color.

    If you’d like to spotlight it in any way, I would be very glad :)

    • Shiri, thank you for your words AND for your upcoming book. as a male-bodied queer person who has JUST taken the plunge into trans*identification, i feel so much validation from people like you who know how incredibly, amazingly diverse we humans are. LUV

      • Thanks so much! :) It’s really important for me to hear. Best of luck to you!

    • Your support of the BDS movement makes me weary as a bisexual Israeli to even open your book as you have already debased yourself as an academic.
      The BDS movement is an anti-semitic, anti-zionistic cause that you should be embarrassed to support as someone who obviously considers herself part of academia. You are trying to defund and isolate academic institutions, and the ONLY people who will suffer are the students.

      Similarly, I find it kind of problematic that you actively support Palestine, where homosexuals, women, trans people & liberals are routinely (and unabashedly) persecuted by Hamas, (as an Israeli you know they’re not going anywhere soon) without so much as mentioning any of these issues.

      I feel it is important to explain that I am only replying after having browsed your website and come across several disheartening pieces that attempt to portray Israel as a militarized police state that produces LGBT hate/violence, when in actually it is the ONLY country in the middle east where you can live an openly LGBT life.
      PS. I felt (and probably was) safer being out with my girl in Tel Aviv than I did in living Queens

  3. These books look great, I’m definitely going to include them in my summer reading list, thanks so much!

  4. “this list is such that not every title on it could be read and vetted by us personally”
    Then this is the dumbest article I’ve encountered in autostraddle. I can do a Google search and read an Amazon book summary by myself. Read a fucking book, for Lesbian Jesus’s sake. This is an important issue, but if you’re going to write a non-article about it, you might as well shut up.
    Sorry for being so mean, may I argue PMS and pre-exam stress ?

    • Nope, you can’t find excuses to justify your horrible rudeness and complete inconsideration to Rachel’s work. Did you know that this is a personal topic for her? Do you know how hard it actually is to find any resources about bisexuality that is genuin? Or most importantly, that Rachel has other things to do in her life than critically read through dozens upon dozens of books? No? How about you read everything and then write up a more in-depth review, for the love of Lesbian , if you’re so quick to discount any attempts for inclusivity and acknowledgement of non-monosexual identities on this site.

    • Awww thanks Sarah! As a person who writes for that blog (and another Sarah), it’s awesome to see someone who isn’t me promoting out site. You have totally made my day :D

    • I used to follow that tumblr, but they frequently try to prove that characters and authors who ID as lesbians are actually bisexual. And by “frequently”, I mean at least twice a week, it’s just really strange and disturbing and not at all lesbian friendly.

  6. I’d like to say that it’s great to see some bisexuality content on Autostraddle! Is there any chance of a column on this topic?

      • Think of all the punny names for such a column! “The Bi Line”, “As Told Bi Me”…

        I would love to see something like that on Autostraddle. Hell, I would love to write for something like that on Autostraddle. It’s a very bi-friendly space, but it’d be nice to have something where people can talk from a bi standpoint. I don’t have a lesbian and a straight half, I am a whole, but sometimes it feels like I need to divide myself when I participate around here. If that makes sense.

      • On the one hand, it’d be nice, and I don’t doubt that they’d be good articles, but on the other, the anti-bi sentiment that would inevitably be expressed in the comments would probably be depressing to read, much like the other site for queer women that starts with an A (who recently had an article on bisexuals, and the comments were predictably depressing). And also, like that site, I don’t think the editors here really care much about that for the most part. I’d read such articles, certainly, but I’ve long learned to be extremely wary of comment sections on LGBT sites on bisexuality-related articles (and occasionally articles themselves, though not here…some other LGBT sites, I simply quit read altogether because of that)

        • Call me an optimist, but maybe the commenters with ignorant and hateful opinions (who unfortunately aren’t trolling, as much as I wish they were) will get tired of it if there’s a whole series. At least, we might be able to sneak an article by every now and again while they’re too distracted commenting on the last one.

          Also, I don’t think “the comment section will be painful to read” is a valid reason for not posting content that could increase understanding between people. If we could reach just one person who just legitimately never thought about things from the perspective of someone who’s bi/pansexual, or one person who hasn’t come out yet because they’re afraid of negative stereotypes or think they’re “not queer enough”, it’d be worth the flame wars, imo.

        • Oh ye of little faith. Riese actually sat in on this session at A Camp and said she was excited to hear about any ideas for improving the site’s inclusion of bi issues. The editors more than care, so I hope that soon there will be a column dedicated to bi/non-mono topics.

    • This. I love autostradle partially because it’s not closed off in any way. (Posts like this are a perfect testement to that.) A bi or queer lady column would be really interesting to me too.

    • No. This is ridiculous. To be drowned in male sexuality, please cruise on over to 99.9% of the internet.
      There’s no need to devote a whole section of autostraddle to bisexual content. The lesbian content is already suffering. Also, there are women that come here for safe spaces, one where they don’t have to come across references to men in a sexual way (or let’s face it, at all). Maybe I’d suggest to start a completely different sector of this website (something that’s not intertwined into the main content) to appease this whole bi/pan/fluid sexuality mindset.
      If not, I think the whole purpose of AS needs to be re-evaluated and given a more honest direction. Starting with the tag line.

      • I deeply, deeply do not understand the people who complain about the inclusion of articles in the “main content” of the site that explore other letters in the LGBTQI-etc. acronym. Like, seriously? NO ONE IS MAKING YOU READ THESE ARTICLES. I don’t care about fashion so I largely don’t read the fashion articles. The real world bums me out so I don’t usually read the news articles.
        You can do this! You can self-curate your own content to avoid reading things you don’t want to! I promise, if there ever ends up being incredibly bi-focused content on the site, no one will make you read “13 Heterosexual Couples in Literature You Would Have a Threesome With.”
        (P.S. Number 1 on that list is Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing. The Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson version. In fact, the whole list might just be them 13 times.)

        • idk, if we’re talking Shakespeare I think I’d have to put Rosalind and Orlando from As You Like it on the list too. :P

        • I totally have a list just like that running in my mind! And while I don’t think it would necessarily be appropriate for Autostraddle, I kind of want to write it now just to see how the biphobic fly-by trolls react. Haha!

        • The reason I can see that article or something along those lines being really sort of bad news for AS is that AS markets itself as a site for “Girl on girl culture” and there is a HUGE misconception that lesbians are down for threesomes that include a guy, and actually, I’ve heard bisexuals complain about that, too.
          And none of the lesbians I know are down for that. None of them. Because no.

          • That was very, very much just a joke. One I made for the sole purpose of annoying the original poster, because I hate that attitude so much and also I am kind of a jerk. I would not expect AS to go down such a path. :)

          • “I would not expect AS to go down such a path.”

            Just the minds of some of its readers ;)

          • Yes, precisely why that type of content needs to be on its own. It makes no sense to lump it together on a site that designates itself as one focused on “girl on girl” culture. Girls who solely like girls don’t want to come across articles or comments that speak about men sexually. How is this so hard to understand?
            There aren’t a lot of places on the internet where you can avoid that perspective, it just sort of ruins the whole experience.
            Are there not bisexual spaces on the internet where this would be better placed?

          • P.S. I really don’t get your comments. The site creators have made it clear in multiple comments on this site that this is not just a space for lesbians. They have made it clear that bis and trans folk and queers and genderqueers and intersex people and basically every colour of the whole gender rainbow is welcome on this site. Not as an add on, not as a GL(+btiq), but as equal members of the Autostraddle community.

            You are entitled not to like or want to read bi-friendly content. But you are all kinds of wrong to suggest that it doesn’t belong on Autostraddle. Autostraddle has always been for queer ladies of all spots and stripes. Deal with it.

          • Yes, I see. I also see a lot of values that are completely ignored, and a lot of smoke in general.

            Also, this explains A LOT: We endorse an “it takes a village” approach to the GBLTQ webiverse.

            GBLTQ. For an acronym that’s been pretty much standardized, coupled with a website that had mostly lesbian content, it’s pretty telling how they would like to minimize the emphasis on Lesbian. The truth is in the subtleties.

          • “not just a space for lesbians. They have made it clear that bis and trans folk and queers and genderqueers and intersex people and basically every colour of the whole gender rainbow is welcome on this site.”

            I guess this is the issue. AS would be happy to welcome -for example- a straight heterosexual male who says he’s a lesbian. (because they just identify that way, and *PC comment here*)

            For me, personally, that completely takes away from point of sites like this. They are starting to play a big part in erasing or trivializing people’s sexuality.

          • “straight heterosexual male who says he’s a lesbian”

            This is just ridiculously funny!

            Straight. Heterosexual. Male. Lesbian.

            Words. Apparently. Have. No. Meaning. To. You. Have they?

          • “Words. Apparently. Have. No. Meaning. To. You. Have they?”

            Exactly my point!

          • I’d just like to point out, while we’re on the subject of what words mean, that your username is incredibly apt.

          • 1. “Red she said” is actually the name of my favorite lipstick shade.

            2. I am part Mongolian. And Mongolians are indigenous people.

            But thank you for participating.

            Glad to educate you.

          • ugh, so sorry! that was supposed to be a reply to “cultish”– i’m an autostraddle baby and i still have no idea how to correctly work the comments section. i actually agree with you 100% on this one and i happen to be a lipstick fan myself!

          • ack, that double comment above is just more evidence i’m new at this. but seriously, i really your spin on the negative comments– the very fact that people are making them is precisely why a little more bisexual-related content could accomplish some really good things on autostraddle!

          • @ karolina dean:

            I agree. Like there is one (ONE!!!) article (which is not even an article but a plain list of books/recourses) in months and months and months on the subject of bisexuality and this person is already crying about lesbian erasure and how – proof! -bisexuals put their own issues over everybody else. Seriously? … Oh the irony of her own words.

          • ha! my screen name is a reference to the culture of this website. thanks for taking notice.

          • So you consider the culture of this website to be “cultish” yet take the time to argue extensively about whether a thing that a few people in the COMMENTS (not in any way the editors) suggested would be a neat addition to AS. Troll is troll-like. I won’t even begin to argue… it’s a trap!

          • @Cat: Thanks for linking that survey. Interesting stuff there. I’m actually pretty floored to see that 26% of readers answering the survey identify as bi- or pansexual (which doesn’t even include non-monosexual people picking a less immediately transparent label). This makes me even more supportive of a potential article series, as suggested several times in this thread.

            If it’s a matter of AS not actually wanting one, I guess that’s cool, but if it’s just a matter of resources/finding people to make it happen, I’d be happy to volunteer some time. (I’m not the best writer/most outspoken person, but I’m good at logistical stuffs.) After all, as long as it’s *additional* content rather than *instead-of* content, I don’t see how it could be anything other than a good thing.

          • “What the hell is with people coming here and insisting autostraddle is a cult lately?”

            Because nothing says “cult” quite like open-minded inclusion and exposing people to different perspectives.

            A cult where we have ALL the feelings, read lots of things, talk about underwear, share photos of Naya Rivera, and maybe throw around some terrible puns? SIGN ME UP!

          • @Bhan perhaps they think we have all drunk of the whiskey kitten kool aid.

            Your comments on this post have made me smile. Thanks.

          • Cultish, if you don’t like this space, then this space is not for you. Go somewhere else. It is not the space’s responsibility to change for you. Bi, trans, pan, genderqueer, etc. people make up a large proportion of this community, and it is incredibly arrogant of you to expect US to quietly leave so that YOU can feel more comfortable.

        • Fuck yes .FUCK BIPHOBIA / TRANS*PHOBIA fuck ’em fuck ’em fuck ’em
          (just because “feminism” has “female”/”woman” as its root doesn’t mean that female & woman are essential categories. HAVE WE READ JUDITH BUTLER????

      • Articles about bisexuality don’t necessarily mean pictures of mostly naked men or hetero erotica. (That should be obvious from this very article.) But it might be nice to talk about things that are specific to the bisexual experience like bi invisibility or *ahem* biphobia.

        • I don’t think that’s how this would be played out at all. I mean, look at the trans articles. Way heavy on male sexuality.
          I didn’t know gay erasure was so acceptable here.

          • 1. The trans* articles were by lesbian and bisexual women. No male sexuality there.

            2. Inclusivity is not “gay erasure.” The fact that I exist doesn’t mean you don’t exist.

            3. No one is seriously suggesting that Autostraddle start posting heterosexual erotica. There are other forums for that. What would be nice would be a chance to discuss issues that impact non-monosexuals in both the queer and straights communities. For example, the many myths and misconceptions that just refuse to die (i.e. we’re just experimenting, we always go back to men, we all want both a male and female partner, we have one foot still in the closet, we’re hyper-sexual, being in a monogamous relationship means we “choose a side” – rather than a person, being with a man means abandoning our queer identity, we’re just confused, we don’t really exist, etc.). The dismissivness and outright hostility towards bi/pan/sexually fluid people, even in a generally safe space like Autostraddle, highlights the importance of this topic.

          • @cultish: In the article you mentioned the author stated repeatedly that no one should feel compelled to do anything sexually they don’t feel comfortable with. The vast majority here agree. If a few feel differently, that’s unfortunate, but it isn’t representative of the Autostraddle community. I can’t believe I’m having to repeat this again. This site would NEVER post anything arguing that people are obligated to be with someone they aren’t attracted to. Try again.

          • cultish wrote: “I didn’t know gay erasure was so acceptable here.”

            [sarcasm on] Because “bisexual erasure” is not a thing. And “lesbian erasure” is not a codeword for dismissing and excluding trans* women. [sarcasm off]

          • [sarcasm on] Because “bisexual erasure” is not a thing. And “lesbian erasure” is not a codeword for dismissing and excluding trans* women. [sarcasm off]

            The fact that you are dismissing lesbian erasure for the sake of other erasures proves the point automatically.

          • Also, please please stop acting like lesbians are a privileged group.
            The main thing I can’t stand about bisexual and trans communities.

          • Also crying about too much [straight heterosexual male lesbianism] or [male sexuality] for the sake of [lesbian erasure] on Autostraddle proves MY point automatically.

            I just cant take any TERFs seriously.

          • Cultish: give me one genuine example of “lesbian erasure” on Autostraddle, and I’ll take your argument seriously.

            I have seen a few bisexuals in other forums make comments like “everyone is at least a little bi” or “gender shouldn’t play a role in attraction.” Such attitudes do amount to lesbian erasure and bother me as much as any misconceptions about bi/pansexuals. But I have never seen that here.

            Autostraddle makes a point of respecting everyone’s sexual and gender identity, and that of course includes cis lesbians. Don’t confuse the inclusion of other groups with disrespect for your own. After all, it isn’t a zero sum game – we all benefit from learning more about each other.

          • oh, honey. calling me a radical feminist is not an insult, no matter how many acronyms you come up with.

            i will say that it is sad that people (mostly bi and trans) get away with such name calling on AS. another obvious example of the bias.

          • Dialethia:
            “give me one genuine example of “lesbian erasure” on Autostraddle, and I’ll take your argument seriously.”
            “Autostraddle makes a point of respecting everyone’s sexual and gender identity, and that of course includes cis lesbians.”

            I have to disagree with this. There are specific examples of people not respecting lesbian’s sexual identity. Some while back there was an a trans article, and the comment section was rife with people specifically telling lesbians to rethink their sexuality if they found themselves not wanting to date a trans woman with male organs, or plainly calling them transphobes for their sexual preferences. For all the importance of gender identity to trans people, it seems as if sexual identity for lesbians get dismissed here, as well as everywhere else. The worst part about it is that it really goes unchecked and lesbians are treated as if they have some sort of magical privilege that others here do not. It’s very disturbing and has absolutely added to my perception of this place supporting lesbian erasure. Also, p.s. “cis lesbians” makes me cringe. I don’t identity as cis, I wish people wouldn’t try to put that identity on me.

          • @ cultish:

            Haha, so something that is “not an insult” is simultaneously “name calling” – done by “(mostly bi and trans)” people? Words really don’t have any meaning to you!

            And yes, it is pretty obvious that you are Trans* Exclusive. Not because you don’t want to date someone but because you misgender people and dismiss an entire column about life experiences of trans* women as “male sexuality”.

            On top of that you also specifically ask to not give bisexual women any space on AS and therefore to exclude them from a community that is meant to be inclusive. By which you pretty much explicitly ask for harmful social isolation of fellow queer women just because you don’t feel comfortable to deal with anything that is not about you.

            [Trigger warning!] Do you even know that the rate of being raped is 46% for a bisexual female? Do you know that 40% bisexuals considered suicide? Or that 24% suffer from PTSD and 22% from poor health? But that the total amount given from foundations for bisexual-specific grants from 2008 to 2010 was $0? [TW off] I bet, you don’t. And you probably don’t even care… But this are the real life consequences of hostility and isolation that leave bisexual women in incredibly vulnerable positions!

            And then you go on and pin point at those darn bisexuals and trans* women who – boohoo – are mean to … you? By just pointing out your BS ways that contribute to their problems? Seriously?!

            Excuse me while die laughing.

            —

            Sources:
            1. http://bidyke.tumblr.com/tagged/infographic (where further sources are linked)
            2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-andre/bisexual-funding_b_1178932.html

          • Reducing an entire set of valid and serious bisexual concerns to simple dating issues is pretty much the last act of desperation. But go ahead, jump the shark. It’s going to be lonely ride for you.


            … I mean bi, bi, bi (because puns and stuff)

          • Reducing an entire set of valid and serious lesbian concerns really does nothing but reveal your pathetic (and homophobic) mindset at this point. also re: gif – neither cute nor clever, but at least I know your age range. :)

          • cultish /May 28, 2013 at 3:47 pm:
            “reveal your pathetic (and homophobic) mindset”

            cultish /May 28, 2013 at 11:07 am:
            “throwing around terms like transphobe and biphobe when you don’t agree with someone is losing its credibility very quickly.”

            Losing. Credibility. Very. Quickly.

            Not that you had any credibility to begin with.

            But thanks for the laugh.

            Class dismissed.

          • Literally all “cis” means is “not trans*.” There is no logical reason to find it offensive, any more than finding “white” or “straight” offensive.

            Unless what you’re really offended by is acknowledging that trans* identities and experiences exist, and differ from those of non-trans* people.

          • Also I don’t think I’ve ever seen bisexuals, other than maybe some really out-there people on tumblr, act like lesbians have “privilege” over bisexual women. The fact is that lesbian and bisexual experiences are different, and bisexual women can’t just pretend to be gay when they’re on a queer women’s site – any more than the opposite could be true. It’s not about who has privilege, it’s about acknowledging everyone’s unique experiences.

          • hi bhan. nice to meet you. please expand on your bigotry-slinging if you are in fact going to throw around terms like that.

            throwing around terms like transphobe and biphobe when you don’t agree with someone is losing its credibility very quickly.

      • Behold:

        “Autostraddle is an intelligent, hilarious & provocative voice and a progressively feminist online community for a new generation of kickass lesbian, bisexual & otherwise inclined ladies (and their friends).”

        &

        “Inclusiveness: This isn’t a website exclusively for queer girls. We hope there’s something here for peoples of all orientations and genders.”

        Source: “What is Autostraddle?” – http://www.autostraddle.com/about/

        Maybe you’re the one who should be doing the re-evaluating. Btw, female bisexuality isn’t male sexuality. Thanks for playing!

        • And this is exactly why I love Autostraddle so much, I don’t feel excluded, like I often do on hetrosexual sites, I really feel like I belong, which is awesome.

          • I second that.

            AS is the only girl-on-girl site that I read on a regular bases. It’s not perfect but it improved so much from when I first started, so it’s obvious that the people around here really do care and that makes my little heart super happy.

            Also there really, really amazing people around here!

    • I would LOVE to see a bi column. Dizzy, you said it really well: “I am a whole, but sometimes it feels like I need to divide myself when I participate around here.” There’s a tendency to see bisexuality as an either/or thing; it would be nice to see something that acknowledges that some of us like guys AND girls (and everything in between).

      • I feel like I should elaborate: I didn’t mean to imply that Autostraddle doesn’t acknowledge bi people. I more meant that there isn’t much out there for people who might like guys AND girls (and everything in between), not just one or the other. Seeing something on Autostraddle would be great because it’s a pretty well-known site.

  7. The Throne in the Heart of the Sea a novel by Martha Shelley is a historical novel set in the 9th BCE with elaboration of what Jezebel’s, Kind Ittobaal of Tyre’s daughter, life may have been like.

    Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander a Regency era novel by Ann Herendeen.

    Each of these novels has a bisexual character and is carefully thought out and represented.

  8. Awesome article! Adaptation (and its soon to be published sequel Inheritance) by Malinda Lo has a bi protagonist.

  11. Thank god, I’ve been burning through books like crazy and needed some recs.

    I will also second “Adaptation,” and add Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections,” which has an interesting bisexuality storyline in it, in addition to being an awesome book (I really dislike Jonathan Franzen, which is okay because he seems to dislike most things and probably would dislike me too, but fuck that book is great).

  12. It is nice to see Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire by Lisa M. Diamond on the list. Her writing is a bit challenging (and slightly annoying) to get through, but I still highly recommend it. I think it is a break through as far as how sexuality is typically viewed and I would love to see more perspectives, research and books on the concept of sexual fluidity in the future.

    • Definitely. This was like the first book I bought when I had my not-so-straight realisation. It was good to read an academic book that offered empirical evidence that sort of demonstrated to me that I wasn’t crazy and this was something other women experienced too.

      • Yep, same here along with a slew of polyamory/non-monogamous books (The Ethical Slut By Dossie Easton, Opening Up By Tristan Taormino, Redefining Our Relationships By Wendy-O Matik, Polyamory in the 21st Century By Deborah Anapol, etc). All of these books got my mind rolling and I had some major epiphanies along the way, which aides in personal growth. I’ve always had viewpoints that don’t necessarily fit mainstream society/status quo/social norms, so I usually turn to books (non-fiction) and the internet to find my answers. It’s quite refreshing to know that I’m not the only person who thinks the way I do, especially when you are surrounded by people who don’t think like you at all.

  13. Oh great, like my To Read list wasn’t long enough! Well, these are the problems you want to have, really.

    Yes yes yes to ‘Strangers in Paradise’! I loved it so much. I discovered it fairly late in its run and devoured everything that’d been published so far in, like, a month. So good.

    Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for ‘If You Follow Me.’ I was so annoyed with how the protagonist was equal parts unable and unwilling to adapt even a little bit to her host country. And she was so judgmental. Annoying.

    I’d like to recommend ‘Santa Olivia’ by Jacqueline Carey: “Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico. A fugitive “Wolf-Man” who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup’s father was one of a group of men genetically-manipulated and used by the US government as a weapon. The “Wolf-Men” were engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, sensory capability, stamina, and a total lack of fear, and Loup, named for and sharing her father’s wolf-like qualities, is marked as an outsider.

    After her mother dies, Loup goes to live among the misfit orphans at the parish church, where they seethe from the injustices visited upon the locals by the soldiers. Eventually, the orphans find an outlet for their frustrations: They form a vigilante group to support Loup Garron who, costumed as their patron saint, Santa Olivia, uses her special abilities to avenge the town.

    Aware that she could lose her freedom, and possibly her life, Loup is determined to fight to redress the wrongs her community has suffered. And like the reincarnation of their patron saint, she will bring hope to all of Santa Olivia.”

    Super fun book.

  15. Thanks for this list. I’ve only had the chance to read a couple of books about bisexuality so far and I really want to read some more. Hopefully all these books won’t be so serious.

    The last book I read was more like a theory book on being Bi and I want more of a book that’s informative, but also kind of fun. Like a narrative by someone whose bi.

    Side note: It would be totally awesome if the title of these books used the word Bi like a pun lol.

    1) Bi the Way
    2) Stand Bi Me
    3) Trying to Get Bi

    ….there’s like a million more I could make up

    • isn’t that a fact already? i was just going to comment on the proliferation of puns among the selected titles. e.g. “bi any other name”, “GETTING BI” (HAHAHA this is the best),”bi america”. i’m not sure if this is awesome or terrible; probably both.

      “getting bi”

      HAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA

  16. Autostraddle, you read my mind!! I was literally just thinking yesterday about how great it is that the site is making an active effort to be more inclusive of underrepresented/marginalized groups within the queer community but that I’d love to see either a column or article about bisexual or non-monosexual issues. So basically this article is the answer to my queer prayers, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these books. :D I also stand behind the suggestions of others for more articles with bi themes in the future!

  17. Hey Autostraddle, how come radfems are allowed to post transphobic comments but I’m not allowed to publish anything vaguely critical of the website’s editorial choices ?

    • Oh so I’ve juste realized it was linked to my use of profanity. My bad. I’m so sorry, you’re all lovely, and I’m just going to go back to bedn cowering in shame.

  18. my god i’m crying so hard right now. i fucking luv us. bi any other name and ethical slut changed my life.

  19. Bisexuality and Transgenderism looks like it’s the perfect thing for me to read right now; I’m sitting here trying to figure stuff out on my own and all I get is more confused. it shouldn’t be this harrrrrd :(

    also I love Orlando, and I really should reread it and watch the movie, because I last read it before I consciously acknowledged I was trans*. it meant a lot to me, even though it’s really a love letter to Vita Sackwell-West

    • Orlando meant a lot to me too, it’s one of my favorite books, it’s so funny and sexy and sad. Also, it makes me want Virginia Woolf to be my girlfriend, because writing a book for someone is the most romantic thing ever.

  21. An entire comment section of a bisexuality-related AS post without any flames! Is this a first?

    Anyway, thanks so much for putting this list together! The list of things I have on hold at the library (aka my netboox queue) just got a lot longer.

  23. I have about a million things to read already!
    the only one I’ve actually read on this list is “Empress of the world” which I love, it’s amazing, and I started Orlando but then I got sidetracked, I should give it another shot.

  24. I second the recommendation of Malinda Lo’s Adaptation. Thought it dealt with the character’s bisexuality really thoughtfully.

    Some thoughts about the inclusion of Landing: the one character in a lesbian relationship does have a recent history of sleeping with a cis guy, but she explicitly doesn’t identify as bisexual. So if you’re looking for representation of a bi-identified woman this book is not it. But, I also thought this book dealt really thoughtfully with some of the complexities of different queer identities, though.

    • *gasp* Suddenly it all makes sense! Thank you, random stranger on the Internet, for telling me what my sexuality *really* is! I would have been so lost without your keen insight! Which is totally not at all similar to when crazy religious fundamentalists claim that gay people don’t actually exist!

    • “They nearly always end up with one side.”

      Er… yes, that is indeed how the dominant relationship model in our society works. If someone white marries a person of color, does that mean they sexually exoticize/fetishize all such people of color?

      • I actually have to wonder how many people who assume bisexuals “choose” a side are just assuming that of bisexuals who end up in monogamous relationships, that they’ve “chosen the gender” of whoever their partner is.

        Like, if I end up with a woman, I have not chosen “women” as a group, I have chosen THAT woman and I am still very much bisexual. Same deal if I end up with a man or a non-binary person.

        It reminds me of the studies that show that, far from being “bisexual until graduation,” most women who identify as bi in college continue to do so throughout their lives. People probably just assume that they’re no longer bi because their dating pool is less queer (because, hello, most people in the world are straight, and it’s probably less easy to find other queer ladies when you’re not on a campus where birds of a feather tend to flock together in LGBT student groups and women’s studies classes and such).

        • “most women who identify as bi in college continue to do so throughout their lives. People probably just assume that they’re no longer bi because their dating pool is less queer (because, hello, most people in the world are straight…”

          THANK YOU. This is my life right now. I am so isolated from queer community and my social circle is basically located in heteroville. I’m pretty sure a few friends are quietly assuming I’ve gone strictly dickly, but it is not so. I feel such a sense of loss and loneliness over it.

        • You know what gets me about these arguments? It’s the same mentality you get with race when people find out that you’re also “biracial.” Can you imagine being biracial and bisexual? OMFG imagine the questions and annoyance. (I personally don’t identify as bisexual, but I’m using that as an example). So, do you favor the White side or the Black side? (aka Do you favor the hetero world or the homo world?) Wow, you act White you don’t act Black at all (aka Wow, you act straight, I didn’t think you acted queer at all). Well because of that one drop rule, you’re considered Black, you’re not White (aka Well because I saw you with a dude, you’re not queer). These questions can be interchanged and substituted the same way the sexuality questions can be. When you look at it in this way, it’s like seriously? It’s not about choosing or picking sides, but wow, people feel it’s their mission to “help” you out. A lot of times, people like these have ulterior motives and when you really think about it, you know that it is not you who has the insecurity or problem, it is them and they are projecting that on to you by trying to make you feel guilty.

          • Biracial + bilingual + bisexual.

            And I love to watch people’s facial expressions when they are freaked out solely by my existence.

          • LOL! Tell me about it. I’m not bilingual (or fluent in a second language), but I am a HUGE language freak (and wish I was multilingual) and know bits and pieces here and there in various languages. I also listen to tons of music that’s not in English and you can’t imagine the looks I get, it’s as if other languages don’t exist. People can’t seem to figure me out at all, which is fine by me, but it’s really amusing to see people’s reactions and other times it’s just annoying or frustrating. I remember thinking to myself at various points, “My god, I’m like the biggest square who doesn’t fit the round hole, that has ever been imagined… so, this is my life? Welp, I love my life and who I am, even if other people don’t.” “I am this, this and this and no one else is this this and this or seems to understand “this, this and this.”

          • “My god, I’m like the biggest square who doesn’t fit the round hole, that has ever been imagined”

            This only means that you are very unique :)

          • It’s like the saying goes, “It’s the best and worst of both worlds.” Humor also helps in situations like these, at least for me, especially the sarcastic kind.

    • Oh! I totally didn’t understand that, to be bisexual, I had to carefully weigh my attraction to men and women and make sure they’re identically equal in every respect. Just the same way that to be omnivorous, I have to make sure I like meat products exactly as much as I like vegetable products, because as humans we are never allowed to state preferences for more than one thing unless those preferences are exactly equal in magnitude and direction. Be right back, off to accuse some people of being carnivores for not submitting an itemized quantification to me personally of how much they like brussels sprouts.

      • Don’t forget to weigh yourself. I heard that if you are over 130lbs that it means you favor men because that is evidence of a “meat” diet. If you are under that weight, then you favor women and a more “vegan” diet. That’s what dieting is really all about. Supermarkets everywhere are trying to use propaganda to determine your sexuality based on the types of foods you eat!!!

        IT’S A CONSPIRACY THEORY!! THROW YOUR SCALES OUT NOW!! THE SKY IS FALLING AND IT’S RAINING WITH ABSOLUTE ANSWERS AND FALSE DICHOTOMIES!!

        *puts on a tin foil hat and runs in circles*

    • “I understand why people would say they’re bisexual…”

      Probably because it’s so much fun to have random people feel entitled to weigh in on whether or not my personal experience of sexuality is “real.” That’s the best, I don’t know why more people don’t “say they’re bisexual.”

    • That’s probably because you can’t experience someone else’s life for them. Many bi/pansexuals I’ve (myself included – there are more women than men that I find attractive) do lean towards one side or the other. That doesn’t make our attractions to other genders any less real or valid, nor in this a universal experience. Some find there attractions are equal, some find gender doesn’t play a role, some find their sexuality is fluid. Making sweeping generalizations is highly disrespectful of other’s lived experiences.

  28. I almost cried with happiness because it’s so nice when people remember that we exist! Imma get reading!

  29. The biphobic comments on here do seem to come from a place of fear (eg: that this will no longer be a safe space for lesbians.) For that reason alone I think a regular bi column is needed. Also, I very much enjoy reading the trans articles even though I’ve always been perfectly happy with the gender I was born with. It opens my mind to other people’s experiences that I wouldn’t otherwise understand, and I think that’s a big part of what the AS community is about. Just my 2 cents.

  30. I’ve been wanting a bi column for ages and would love to write for it. There are so many misconceptions floating around out there. It’s not easy being bi. And it seems to be a different thing for everyone who is bi. I have a very strong sexual preference for women, but I like being in relationships with men. Not sure why. Maybe it’s just easier or less dramatic or less scary? I don’t know. It’s so hard to figure these things out and it’s so incredibly complicated. I would love to hear more about other women’s experiences with this. It’s true that the women who identify as bi in the media always seem to be ones who are now married to men which feeds the misconception that bisexual really means “got drunk in college and slept with my best friend once”. Because if a woman has a relationship with a man but then has a relationship with a woman, she’s no longer bi, she’s a lesbian (or so it seems in the public eye anyway). Who can understand any of this….it is so friggin’ hard.

  31. Anyone who wants to write about being bi and is looking for a place to put their writing, please get in touch with me. I just started something called the Queer Stories Project and I hope others will contribute to it with personal essays, reflections, whatever on being bi. You can check out my site here at dirtygreenheart.com. I’m just getting this project started, but I really feel like it’s so hard to be out there on your own dealing with bi stuff. I just want to create a community around this and hopefully make it a little easier for anyone (including me) who is dealing with being bi.

  33. since this is obviously not a site for just lesbians anymore, as per the about page and all the new content, why not just remove the girl on girl tag line and market yourselves as an lgbt site? it would be more accurate and probably save everyone a lot of heartache and wasted time arguing.

    • it still wouldn’t be accurate. it would have to read more along the lines of girl on girl/boy/everything else. it seems they are trying to be all inclusive now, which is great, but still trying to keep some of core of what they started with. seems a bit insulting to keep advertising as something you are clearly no longer. same with any other product.

      • But bisexual women will always remain bisexual and therefore always be attracted to women, no matter of their relationship status & no matter of who else they are attracted to. So girl-on-girl seems accurate to me.

        The only case where G-o-G might not be okay is with non-binary identified people who like women. But I can not speak for them, so I don’t know.

        • yes, but the content wouldn’t be girl on girl, so it’s not truthful by any means.

          • But the content is always girl-on-girl; that’s what we all have in common, yes? Girl-on-boy being an option for me does not preclude girl-on-girl, and the content at this site is aimed at (and would still be aimed at) those for whom “-on-girl” is a possibility. (Taking into account @red she said’s point about non-binary folks.)

          • @sb: yes! this! the silly analogy i always use when people ask me to explain what you just so nicely put (usually once i’ve called them out for being jerks to my friends) goes thusly: if i go to dinner and have a steak, am i a vegetarian while i’m eating dessert? making in-the-moment choices doesn’t invalidate our past or future potential to choose differently.

          • sorry, the content and comments won’t be exclusively girl on girl. even if it’s aimed at someone with on-girl possibility. not much else to be said here.

          • @Sue: I don’t know if it’s worth engaging, but I’m legitimately curious: what sorts of content and comments do you envision?
            Can you give some (general/thematic) examples of “not exclusively girl-on-girl” that you think will pop up if we had articles on bisexuality, and explain why they’re problematic in your opinion?

          • “…the content wouldn’t be girl on girl…”

            Ai ya. Said content hasn’t even been written yet!

            If you’re a time traveler from the future, would you mind sharing the rulings on the marriage equality cases that the US Supreme Court heard recently?

      • This issue was actually addressed at the Bisexuality/Non-Monosexuality session at A Camp. Rachel was saying how it’s very difficult to advertise properly the non-lesbian/gay content of the site simply because of internet traffic: lesbian and gay-related terms are searched at a higher frequency than bisexual-related terms (mainly because Google autofills lesbian and gay while ignoring bisexual), so to generate more traffic, those words will be used in higher-than-needed frequencies simply to make Autostraddle visible on the internet.

        tldr; #BOTP it’s harder to find bisexual-related content

        • i understand, but i’m not really connecting how this would affect just changing a few words around? how would removing something like girl on girl culture have such an impact on searchability? you’d still be advertising as lgbt.

          • Except that there is no G related content here.

            But there was some stuff on intersex, which actually makes AS = LBTI so far – an alphabet soup that is not recognizable as anything queer.

    • I love these commenters who get all uber-rigorous about the tagline whenever bisexuality comes up, but nary a peep on the posts about technology or cupcakes.

      And for the record, “girl-on-girl culture” =/= girls who 100% ONLY EVER AND ALWAYS like girls. What is so hard to grasp about an inclusive LGBT space with a general focus on female-identified people who get tingly feelings for other female-identified people?

  34. Thanks Rachel for the list! you’re the best. bummed I missed the bisexuality panel at camp.

    And for anyone who is disheartened by biphobic trolls, don’t worry, most of us like ALL the women who like women. This is a space for you!

    • I’ll turn off the sarcasm phasers for a moment and have feelings. Thank you for saying that, seriously. It seems like every time I read an article about bi/pan/poly sexuality it descends into some form of biphobia and, especially when it happens in delightful queer spaces that I love, like AS, that can be extremely disheartening. So thanks for being awesome.

      • I ID as a lesbian, and on my OKCupid account I explicitly state that if you’re a lesbian who does not date bisexuals, to not bother contacting me. <3

        • :) Oh hey there, fellow OKCupid Autostraddler. I’ve got a bit on my profile stating that I know (being a bisexual in an open relationship) that I’m not selling what everyone’s buying, which is fine and totally their prerogative, but that I do my best to treat people as people rather than stereotypes and expect the same courtesy in return.

    • Ah, we know that there are plenty awesome lesbians out there. We just like to laugh in the faces of ridiculous trolls from time to time ;)

    • Thank you for this. I hope it’s clear to everyone, other than the trolls, that bisexuals on here love and respect lesbians and are in no way trying to take over their safe space. We want it to be a safe space for all queer people.

    • And I just noticed that, like me, you’re a 25- year-old grad student in Indiana. You double rock, Marika. (Pretty sure “double rock” is the dorkiest thing I’ve said in years. Ha)

    • Marika every time I see you post it’s something lovely, hilarious or otherwise awesome. Congratulations on being excellent.

  35. bhan: thank you so much for liking my username! reading runaways in high school and following karolina’s self-discovery was such a big deal for me as a queer girl who was (and is!) also a gigantic comics nerd. and yeah, karolina’s relationships have all been kind of fantastic in terms of diversity: xavin was a super cool character and what molly said to karolina about gender during that arc surprised me with how on the nose it was, and her current relationship with julie power is pretty damn adorable.

    i know alison bechdel gets a lot of mentions on autostraddle (and rightly so!) but i never would’ve found queerer comics if i hadn’t started with marvel. i’ll stop geeking out now, but thanks so much for making me feel clever/special.

  36. Ah, thanks for this list! I was already bubbling with excitement for my ritual 1st library pilgramage of the summer, and this just makes me THAT much more excited! Adding a lot of these to my list ASAP.

  37. I just want to say again a big thank you to Rachel and the other AS editors for generating more articles on bisexual/non-monsexual identities. Even though I’m really active on the site, my girlfriend is less involved because she doesn’t feel like her voice is always being heard. We really really appreciated having the panel at this last A Camp (where we both spoke up), and I’m ecstatic that soon Autostraddle will mean as much to her as it does for me.

  39. Yup yup. Thanks for this list, for the panel at camp, and for your commitment to being inclusive. Proud to be a part of this community!

  40. Everyone is a bit PC on here I will admit. I mean you say most of those comments come from a place of fear but well a lot of lesbian girls have been hurt by bi girls.
    Sometimes some of them can see us as their play toy.
    I will say I enjoy the company of bisexual but I have to disagree that life is harder for them. I really do.
    This is an honest comment but I’m sure the PC brigade is coming for me anyway. *sigh* Open forums to talk are nice.

    • Pretty sure no-one in the ‘PC brigade’ is coming for you. In any sense of the word.

    • It’s sad to hear that you’ve been hurt by people. I have empathy for your situation. However, you having been hurt by some bisexual girls doesn’t mean that completely unrelated bisexual girls shouldn’t get articles targeted to them, or hear about resources they might be interested in. Furthermore, your fear about dating bisexuals has nothing to do with this thread, because here we’re discussing bisexuals in a context that has no relationship to your love life. I can almost entirely guarantee that the existence of AS articles on bisexuality will not make bisexuals more likely to toy with you. I hope that’s reassuring.

      Also, on a lighter note, the PC brigade may not be coming for you, but they might be coming for YOUR MACBOOK PRO! Har har har. (This is legit what I thought when I first read that sentence. Momentarily rather confused.)

    • Hmmm…I’ve been hurt emotionally by people of colour in the past, yet I don’t hold it against every person of colour…

    • I’m sorry you’ve been hurt. So have I, by lots of different types of people. Sometimes it was because that person just sucked, sometimes one or both of us weren’t completely aware of or honest about our needs or feelings, sometimes it was because we just weren’t compatible, sometimes because we were just young, and sometimes because well, life. I don’t hold it against any group they belong to because that’s not fair. In fact, now that some time has passed, I don’t hold it against the individual really. I do take exception to the times I’ve been hurt because someone thought that being bi meant I was untrustworthy, promiscuous, actually straight/gay, or my personal favorite, that my having been with men/women was disgusting.
      Also, I don’t think anyone is saying that bisexuals have it harder than lesbians. We’re saying we have it differently hard. It’s not a contest, my personal experiences and difficulties don’t erase or minimize yours. And maybe a column from a non monosexual perspective would help everyone have a little bit more understanding and empathy.

    • “…but well a lot of lesbian girls have been hurt by bi girls. Sometimes some of them can see us as their play toy. I will say I enjoy the company of bisexual but I have to disagree that life is harder for them. I really do.”

      How does this even make sense? You say that life isn’t harder for them, yet how is it not? If people like you share the viewpoint that bi girls hurt other women as some absolute truth? You already projected that viewpoint and generalization on the person who identifies as bisexual, so that automatically makes it harder by default and something they have to overcome to prove otherwise based solely on how they identify. Not all people are created the same and not every bisexual person is out to get you or hurt you. People hurt people. I really despise the viewpoint that bisexual women are out to hurt people, or that eventually someday they’ll choose a man over a woman, as the argument is flawed. Even though you have experienced it, doesn’t mean it’s an absolute truth or that it is true in every situation. What’s the difference between a heterosexual male leaving a heterosexual female for another heterosexual female? A lesbian identified woman leaving a lesbian identified woman for another lesbian identified woman? The fact that there is a stigma and double standard with bisexual identified people, proves that these issues need to be addressed. What if some person thought of you (and however you identify) the same way you do with bisexuals? Would you like that at all? Would you like someone to think (without even knowing you) that you will hurt them because you identify a particular way? I don’t think you would like that at all. No one would. Why treat other people in ways that you don’t want to be treated? How is that even fair? You’re not even giving people the benefit of the doubt, instead you’re generalizing a whole group of people because you had a bad experience with one, single, individual person.

    • The easy life of bisexual women:

      [Trigger warning!]

      46% – are survivors
      79% – experience sexual violence (other than rape)
      45% – consider suicide
      24% – suffer from PTSD
      22% – suffer from poor health
      17% – live in poverty

      Yet, still 0$ – I repeat, zero $ – went towards funding bisexual-specific organizations or projects.

      You see why making space for bisexual experiences is very important? Because the realities of our lives are not as rosy as you might think and our problems go much deeper than simple dating issues and the question of who hurt who. Bisexuals as a group are very diverse, so reducing them to simplified stereotypes is not only hurtful on an individual level but also very dangerous and harmful because it contributes to the systematic oppression that bisexuals face as a group.

      —

      Sources:
      http://bidyke.tumblr.com/tagged/infographic
      http://radicalbi.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/snippet-4-the-bisexual-invisibility-report/
      http://www.sf-hrc.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=989
      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-andre/bisexual-funding_b_1178932.html

    • I’ve been hurt by men and women in my life – should I be suspicious and/or hostile to almost everyone? I hope not! Your logic doesn’t follow. I’m sorry you’ve been hurt, but whatever issues you have with individual women should not be projected onto an entire community. Judge everyone based on who they are as an individual, not their group membership.

  41. Look, if the bisexuals want their own column, let them have it. I hardly see how this affects me or anyone else who identifies as a lesbian. In fact it makes it easier to skip those articles, because they’ll be nicely labeled.

    Lesbians and bisexual/pansexual/omnisexual/etc. people are different than lesbians. If they want a place to express that, so be it.

    This is supposed to be a girl on girl site, so I get the resistance feeling, but if you stop to think about it, it’s nothing that will be in your face. For the sake of keeping the peace, why not?

    I will say that I was on here one week and 4 out of the 5 featured articles were all transcribe, so I would hope that lesbian articles wouldn’t get completely pushed to the side lines in favor of these other columns. I’m not sure how all that works though. Maybe lesbian articles aren’t being contributed as often sometimes.

    • a) The Trans*Scribe series is a more recent development, so in the grand scheme of things, the history of AS has had far more articles geared towards cis-lesbians/queer women.

      b) Almost all of the trans* writers identify as lesbians or other queer-identified women. Being trans* and being a lesbian are not mutually exclusive. That assumption is an unfortunate expression of the cissexist worldview our society holds, and it’s wonderful that Autostraddle is breaking away from that perspective with the inclusion of stories from a wide array of queer women/non-binary individuals.

      • I think that’s a misinterpretation of what I said.

        I was referring to the current ratio. The grand average doesn’t really apply, especially if you’re looking toward the future as I wad.

        Most of the transcribe articles I have read have focused on the difficulties of being a transgendered woman. They seem to focus more on gender expression, acceptance, etc. and less on being a lesbian. I think I read one that had to do with being accepted in lesbian spaces, the rest of them could be read by transgendered women of any orientation.

        Am I wrong in separating gender from sexual orientation? I don’t think I’m being cissexist in doing so. It seems you’re making an assumption about me because I am a “cis” woman. Hate that word by the way.

        • I think “current ratio” and “grand average” are both not great ways of looking at it. I prefer to think of this sort of thing as “trends”. Some weeks there’ll be a lot of information about one thing, that may or may not be particularly relevant to you (although IMO, nonetheless interesting and worldview-expanding). Weeks later, that’ll settle down to a constant (and hopefully acceptable to people for whom it is relevant) level, and something else will pop up. This is the pattern of most news/content sources. I bet if you charted the theme of all AS articles from the beginning of time, that would be the pattern. So the question is not, “do many articles apply directly to me this week,” but “do many articles apply directly to me these couple months”.

    • …
      That’s some overwhelming generosity right there. Nothing warms my cold heart like being accepted for the sake of keeping the peace but only in so far as it’s not “in your face” and I can still be easily ignored. I’m made to feel that way pretty much everyday, it would be great to not be made to feel that way in queer spaces too.

      • I was just trying to say it’s not a big deal and if you’re a lesbian (who is having issues with this idea) not to get your panties in a twist, no one is making you like or read anything.

        If you’re being ignored in your personal life, that blows. Everyone should be accepted and loved by their friends and family. Strangers on the internet…that’s a different story. I’m a practical kind of person. I’m hardly known for my warmth. Some of us are the Nelle Porter’s of the world.

        • I don’t expect (or want) to be loved or even liked by everybody. That would unreasonable. But expecting people to not treat me (or anyone else for that matter) like a barely tolerated imposition for no other reason than either because I’m queer or the wrong type of queer is, frankly, a pretty low bar, but one that I still expect people to clear (even though they often don’t) because I think that’s just a basic for being an okay person.
          Imagine all the people, being mostly pretty okay. I’m an idealist like that I guess.

        • “If you’re being ignored in your personal life, that blows. Everyone should be accepted and loved by their friends and family. Strangers on the internet…that’s a different story. I’m a practical kind of person.”

          That’s not practical, that’s called naïvety. How is it a different story? Some people find comfort in the internet because it’s a safe space for them. Not everyone has the privilege of living in a safe space or expressing themselves outside the internet.

          • Naive? Now that doesn’t make any sense. It’s naive to believe that the internet is the warm cuddly place of comfort. While, yes, the internet is grand and you can pretty much find groups for anything and you can “belong” in a lot more places, the internet is also a place where people show the absolute worst of themselves because there is no accountability for their actions. When the worst punishment you can receive is having your IP blocked, it’s hardly a deterrent.

  42. Thanks for this. It helped remind me that my anger towards the gay community isn’t due to the internalized homophobia that my therapist told me I had, and because of my inability to fit in because my orientation doesn’t match the majority of this minority community.

  43. A hint, while book hints were asked for: all the work (which is not much) of Jane Bowles (herself queer) is magnificent, especially “Two Serious Ladies”.

  44. Just happened to come across your list and thought my book Tell Me might be a good fit. The lead character Meagan Summers believes in the ability to love regardless of gender and finds herself in relationships that reflect that. You can read the full synopsis on Amazon(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIBMD1E). Right now the ebook is half price to celebrate Pride & 10% of the first year’s book sales go to help support LGBT youth.

    I normally wouldn’t add a link to my book in a comment but since this post was about finding and sharing books bisexuals might enjoy, it seemed the perfect fit.

    Great list by the way. I look forward to reading some of these!

    xx
    Deanna

  45. This list looks terrific! I’ve always had trouble finding bisexual books, particularly nonfiction ones because I’m a former women’s, gender, and sexuality studies major. But, as an identified bisexual woman, I also long to read fiction about bisexual characters.

    Which pretty much makes this list doubly awesome!

  47. Hi guys.

    I have a book coming out in early June called Toby, about a male bisexual prostitute living in Barcelona.

    Would love to see it featured here. It is non-fiction but loosely based on a real person.

    Regards,
    Fox

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