Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality

by Julia Shaw

Overview

A provocative, eye-opening, and original book on the science of sexuality beyond gender from an internationally bestselling pop-psychologist

Despite all the welcome changes that have happened in our culture and laws over the past few decades in regards to sexuality, the subject remains one of the most influential but least understood aspects of our lives. For psychologist and bestselling author Julia Shaw, this is both professional and personal—Shaw studies the science of sexuality and she herself is proudly and vocally bisexual.

It’s an admission, she writes, that usually causes people’s pupils to dilate, their cheeks to flush, and their questions to start flowing. Ask people to name famous bisexual actors, politicians, writers, or scientists, and they draw a blank. Despite statistics that show bisexuality is more common than homosexuality, bisexuality is often invisible.

In BI: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality, Shaw probes the science and culture of attraction beyond the binary. From the invention of heterosexuality to the history of the Kinsey scale, as well as asylum seekers trying to defend their bisexuality in a court of law, there is so much more to explore than most have ever realized. Drawing on her own original research—and her own experiences—this is a personal and scientific manifesto; it’s an exploration of the complexities of the human sexual experience and a declaration of love and respect for the nonconformists among us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419744358
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	48,939
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr. Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist at University College London, and part of Queer Politics at Princeton University which works for LGBT+ equality, democracy, and civil rights. She is actively involved in bisexual research, and is the founder of the international Bisexual Research Group. Dr. Shaw also has a hit BBC podcast, Bad People, where together with her co-host she uses research to examine some of society’s most pressing issues. She is the author of Evil, which was a bestseller in Canada and Germany, and The Memory Illusion, which was published in 20 languages. She lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction: I Want More ix

1 The Bi Option 1

Inventing Bisexuaiity 2

Blunt Questions 6

The Klein Grid 11

Middle Ground 16

2 Our History 20

We're Here, We're Queer! 23

The Obscene Book 27

Sexual Inverts 32

Decapitated Angel 35

The Unwelcomed Visitor 39

3 Nothing But Mammals 44

Born This Way? 45

Gay Giraffes 49

Darwinian Paradox 52

Ramifications 55

Bent Bars 58

Come Play with Me 64

4 The Bisexual Closet 67

Coming Out Into 68

Family Secrets 72

Work It 75

Troubled 81

Biversity 84

Why Us? 89

Freedom 93

5 Invisi-Bi-Lity 96

Do I Look Bi? 98

Our Own Space 104

Sex Perversion 107

Parasocial 110

Sexy but Deadly 116

6 It's Political 120

Where Love Is Illegal 121

Sexuality On Trial 126

Can't Change Me 132

Loophole 136

No Promo Homo 142

Political Powerhouses 150

7 Free Love 155

Cherry Chapstick 157

Everybody Loves Threesomes 160

Compulsory Monogamy 165

Chain Reaction 169

Intimacy Transformation 172

Conclusion: Bidentity 175

Acknowledgments 181

Notes 183

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

An accessible, often insightful consideration of a misunderstood sexual identity...The largely informal and always lively style of Shaw’s writing helps make her case. She is persuasive in her insistence that bisexuality is an important and overlooked dimension of the human story.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Her writing remains colloquial and engaging...Forthright and empowering, this is a call for understanding and supporting bisexuality.”—Booklist

“This book beautifully illustrates the common and quiet struggles that many bisexuals experience… Julia draws on her own experiences to deliver an honest look at the hidden culture of bisexuality in this extremely important book.”
—SheReads, “Best Nonfiction Books and Memoirs Coming in 2022”

"With wit and humour Shaw introduces the milestones and celebrities of bi history . . . We can all be grateful to her for her skillful and sympathetic presentation of her discoveries."—New York Journal of Books

“Bi is a lively roller-coaster ride through all things bisexual. Full of fascinating facts, up-to-date stats, pop culture references, and thoughtful analysis, the book covers everything from bisexual animals to political scandals, from exclusions in queer spaces to threesomes. Julia writes eloquently and engagingly, sharing moments from her own journey along the way. A must-have for every queer bookcase.”—Meg-John Barker, author of Queer: A Graphic History

“It’s fabulous, amazing, brilliantly done, and so important. Julia Shaw has written the bi bible. The hidden history and public face of millions of people. Fun, moving, and skillful all at once.”
—Professor Andrew Reynolds, founder of Queer Politics at Princeton University

“Endlessly illuminating, challenging and compelling. Bi is a vivid and vital read.”

—Musa Okwonga, author and openly bisexual soccer journalist

“An incredible resource for anyone wishing to learn more about bisexuality. Whether you're a beginner or expert, this book is certain to teach you something new...This is a fascinating read.”—Shiri Eisner, author of Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution

"The book opens up conversations that might just lead to more visibility, understanding and empathy for all people, however they define themselves. If those conversations could become the latest big thing, we’d all benefit."

—the Guardian (UK)

“Well-researched, cogent and compelling…Shaw is always an engaging guide.”—the Independent (UK)

From the Publisher

Well-researched, cogent and compelling…Shaw is always an engaging guide.

the Independent (UK)

Endlessly illuminating, challenging and compelling. Bi is a vivid and vital read.”

Musa Okwonga

2022-04-20
An overview of bisexuality and the misconceptions surrounding it.

A London-based criminal psychologist and podcaster with an interest in gender studies, Shaw aims “to bring the colorful world of bisexual scholarship out of the shadows.” Her work blends assessments of contemporary research, anecdotes concerning famous bisexual individuals, and reflections on her own sexuality. Among the author’s primary targets are those who would dismiss bisexuality as a form of false consciousness, and she passionately advocates for a recognition of its legitimacy as a category of sexual identity—and more generally for an increased acceptance of fluidity in sexual orientation. In doing so, she draws parallels between the cultural reception of bi and trans identities and movingly describes how bisexuals have historically alarmed—and continue to provoke hostility from—both gay and straight communities. Shaw writes intriguingly about the idea that bisexuality represents “an original step in the evolution of [human] sexuality. Instead of it being unnatural, being behaviorally bisexual is commonplace in the animal kingdom, even in far less complex creatures than ourselves. It’s just humans who have conceived of non-heterosexual behavior as ‘crimes against nature.’ ” Also engaging are Shaw’s accounts of pioneering researchers such as Alfred Kinsey and Fritz Klein, whose work has helped gradually shift public attitudes. The author devotes considerable attention to long-standing and entrenched forms of prejudice, but she finds evidence, at least in the Western world, of progress in how bisexuals are finding ways to affirm their identity more freely. As she contends, “it is becoming harder for people not to see the beautiful world of attraction beyond gender.” The largely informal and always lively style of Shaw’s writing helps make her case. She is persuasive in her insistence that bisexuality is an important and overlooked dimension of the human story.

An accessible, often insightful consideration of a misunderstood sexual identity.

Kirkus Reviews

Her writing remains colloquial and engaging...Forthright and empowering, this is a call for understanding and supporting bisexuality.

Booklist

"The book opens up conversations that might just lead to more visibility, understanding and empathy for all people, however they define themselves. If those conversations could become the latest big thing, we’d all benefit."

the Guardian (UK)

Bi is a lively roller-coaster ride through all things bisexual. Full of fascinating facts, up-to-date stats, pop culture references, and thoughtful analysis, the book covers everything from bisexual animals to political scandals, from exclusions in queer spaces to threesomes. Julia writes eloquently and engagingly, sharing moments from her own journey along the way. A must-have for every queer bookcase.

author of Queer: A Graphic History Meg-John Barker

This book beautifully illustrates the common and quiet struggles that many bisexuals experience… Julia draws on her own experiences to deliver an honest look at the hidden culture of bisexuality in this extremely important book.”

“Best Nonfiction Books and Memoirs Coming in SheReads

It’s fabulous, amazing, brilliantly done, and so important. Julia Shaw has written the bi bible. The hidden history and public face of millions of people. Fun, moving, and skillful all at once.”

founder of Queer Politics at Princeton University Professor Andrew Reynolds

"With wit and humour Shaw introduces the milestones and celebrities of bi history . . . We can all be grateful to her for her skillful and sympathetic presentation of her discoveries."

New York Journal of Books

An incredible resource for anyone wishing to learn more about bisexuality. Whether you're a beginner or expert, this book is certain to teach you something new...This is a fascinating read.

Shiri Eisner