Intimacy negotiated: the management of relationships and the construction of personal communities in the lives of bisexual women and men

Toft, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3734-2242 and Yip, AK-T, 2018. Intimacy negotiated: the management of relationships and the construction of personal communities in the lives of bisexual women and men. Sexualities, 21 (1-2), pp. 233-250. ISSN 1363-4607

Preview

Text 14737_Toft.pdf - Post-print Download (700kB) | Preview

Abstract

Bringing into dialogue conceptual literature on bisexuality, intimacy, and personal community, this article illuminates the lived experiences of 80 bisexual women and men in the UK. The data were collected through questionnaire and individual interview. The article discusses two empirical themes, beginning with the participants' narratives on their engagement with the dominant sexual and gender order – which hegemonizes 'monosexuality' and 'compulsory monogamy' – in their negotiation of relational intimacy. This is followed by an exploration of the features and functions of their personal communities, especially the significance of friendships. The article argues that, despite the ambivalence and misperception surrounding bisexuality, the participants enacted creative agency in negotiating intimacy and social support in their everyday lives.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Sexualities
Creators:	Toft, A. and Yip, A.K.-T.
Publisher:	Sage
Date:	2018
Volume:	21
Number:	1-2
ISSN:	1363-4607
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1177/1363460716679793 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	04 Sep 2019 10:38
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2019 11:16
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/37564

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads