Candace Woodland February 2020 Department of Sociology JCURA Recipient

Bisexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by romantic and/or sexual attraction to people of one's own gender, and to genders different than one's own.

Bisexual people experience unique challenges, such as Many of the characters examined shared the monosexism, bi-phobia and bi-erasure. These damaging following traits: social values are highly gendered, meaning that bisexual • extremely competent in combat, often snapping women experience them differently than bisexual men to violence without warning do. However, bisexual people are rarely the focus of • murderous tendencies, ranging from killing

individuals to attempting or committing large Fury, D. (Writer), & Contner, J. (Director). (2002). Grave [Television Ball, A. (Writer), & Minahan, D. (Director). (2009). Frenzy [Television Eick, D. (Writer), & Rymer, M. (Director). (2006). Hero [Television academic study, and when they are, bisexual women, series episode]. In Whedon, J. (Executive Producer), Buffy the series episode]. In Ball, A. (Executive Producer), True Blood. series episode]. In Moore, R. (Executive Producer), Battlestar Vampire Slayer. Galactica. men, and nonbinary folk are rarely examined separately. scale genocide • monstrous qualities, including being non-human, Speculative fiction television is an excellent medium possessing unnatural powers or abilities, or being through which to examine dominant social norms and inarguably evil The initial findings demonstrate that speculative fiction values are, as it reflects our cultural ideas of what ‘could television tends to reinforce damaging stereotypes about be’ and what ‘should be’, by exploring alternative bisexual women, such as the idea that bisexual women realities. are hyper sexual, promiscuous, manipulative, and untrustworthy. It is especially important to note that This research project explores the ways in which bisexual Many of the characters examined were many of these characters are portrayed as monstrous, women are portrayed in speculative fiction television, in oversexualized in the following ways: inhuman, and/or villainous, as this finding highlights the order to gain a deeper understanding of prevalent social • sexualized presentation, including revealing extent to which biphobia and sexism has tainted our narratives about bisexual women. clothing and sexualizing camera work cultural concept of bisexual women. These stereotypes • possessing sexual expertise, and/or being highly are not without consequence. Bisexual women currently sexually experienced experience higher rates of intimate partner violence, • shown in a variety of sexual situations, with a mental health challenges, and suicide than do bisexual variety of sexual partners men, gay men, or lesbians, because of the biphobia they Seventeen female bisexual characters from fifteen • subject to the implication that they will be sexual face (Flanders, Dobson, & Logie, 2015). It is therefore speculative fiction television shows were examined using with almost anyone or anything critical that we challenge these negative stereotypes by a critical discourse analysis. Iterative coding based in creating more positive representations of bisexual women grounded theory was then used in order to identify in our media, so that all members of the LGBTQ+ common character traits and storylines. community can be embraced, accepted, and celebrated.

Many of the characters examined engaged in

manipulative behaviour, such as: Alarie, M., & Gaudet, S. (2013). “I Don't Know If She Is Bisexual or If She Just Wants to Get Attention”: Analyzing the Various Mechanisms Through Which Emerging Adults Invisibilize Bisexuality. Journal of Bisexuality, 191-214. • Bo Dennis / Lost Girl • Delphine Cormier / Orphan • Saffron / Firefly • lying to the protagonists for their own gain Flanders, C., Dobson, C., & Logie, C. (2015). “I’m Never Really My Full Self”: Young Bisexual Women's Perceptions of their Mental Health. J ournal • Caitlin / Teen Wolf Black • Sara Lance / Arrow & Legends of Bisexuality, 454-480. • Caprica Six / Battlestar • Emperor Philippa Georgiou / of Tomorrow • adopting a false identity Hayfield, N., Clark, V., & Halliwell, E. (2014). Bisexual women's understandings of social marginalization: 'The heterosexuals don’t Galactica Discovery • Sophie-Anne Leclerq / True understand us but nor do the lesbians'. Feminism & Psychology, 352-372. • Claire Bennet / Heroes • Gina Inviere / Battlestar Blood • seducing protagonists in order to manipulate them Israel, T., & Mohr, J. (2004). Attitudes Toward Bisexual Women and Men. Journal of Bisexuality, 117-134. • Clarice Willow / Caprica Galactica • Willow Rosenberg / Buffy the Roberts, T. S., Horne, S. G., & Hoyt, W. T. (2015). Between a Gay and a Straight Place: Bisexual Individuals’ Experiences with Monosexism. • Clarke Griffin / The 100 • Inara Serra / Firefly Vampire Slayer for their own gain Journal of Bisexuality, 554-569. • D’Anna / Battlestar Galactica • Mirror Universe Kira Nerys / • Yara Greyjoy / Game of Wilde, J. (2015). Speculative Fictions, Bisexual Lives: Changing Frameworks of Sexual Desire. Eugene: University of Oregon. Deep Space Nine Thrones

Special thanks to Dr. Edwin Hodge for supervising this project.