Bisexuals "doing gender" in romantic relationship

Abstract

Employing the concept of gender as a situated performance, this research explores negotiations of gender performances by bisexuals in interpersonal relationships and how such performances may alter due to the sex/gender of their partner. Theoretical works on gender performance have primarily focused on drag performers, transgenders, and heterosexual women and men. Also, the limited existing research on bisexuality and gender has largely concentrated on the gender of bisexuals' relationship partners. Focusing on the gender performances of bisexuals themselves, this research contributes to the academic literature on bisexuality as well as the sociological study of gender. I examine how bisexuals utilize conventional scripts of femininity and masculinity in their relationships with women and men. Due to the dichotomization of homosexuality/heterosexuality, female/male, and feminine/masculine categories, bisexuals also negotiate an alteration of traditional performances of gender and sexuality in romantic relationships.