Bisexuality in Europe
Dr Emiel Maliepaard on plurisexual identities, Dutch bisexuality, and public engagement with European bisexuals.
Dr. Emiel Maliepaard originally trained as a human geographer at Utrecht University, however nowadays he identifies as a social scientist. In 2018 he obtained his doctoral degree from Radboud University, where his research focused on sexual identity negotiations of plurisexual people in the Netherlands. He has published many academic articles and book chapters, and is the co-editor of a new book on Bisexuality in Europe.
Why are you interested in research on bisexualilty?
Bisexuality has long been understudied and although there is a rise in studies on the realities of bisexual (or plurisexual) people there is still much to gain.
I really enjoy doing research with plurisexual people because of the many challenges to identify their needs and realities, to document and analyse these realities and needs, and to participate in public engagement projects (e.g. fact sheets, policy letters, or talks). And, above, all I learn a lot from talking with, and listening to, so many different bisexual/plurisexual people.
Bisexuality is very complex but really exciting!
And let's not forget that doing this research means also meeting a lot of bisexuality researchers from Europe, either digitally or face-to-face, which is inspiring and great fun.
What is your research about?
I predominantly engage in qualitative research with sexual minority people, in particular plurisexual people. In 2018 I obtained my doctoral degree (Radboud University) for
a study into the sexual identity negotiations of plurisexual people (18-35 years old) in the Netherlands.
I also conducted research on, among others, the development of the Dutch bisexual movement since the early 1990s and experiences of key bisexual activists, and on online dating experiences of men who (also) have sex with men.
Through my work for a gender institute I also conduct applied research on gender, in particular on gender-based violence (mostly literature reviews) and on educational and working careers of people who make "gender counterstereotypical" choices (qualitative research).
I have also edited a special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality on international research frontiers (2018), and edited together with Dr Renate Baumgartner a book called Bisexuality in Europe: Sexual citizenship, romantic relationships, and bi+ identities (November 2020).
Can you tell me a bit about your public engagement work?
Together with Dr Caroline Walters I organised the First European Bisexual Research Conference, which took place in 2016 in Amsterdam.
I also contribute to the development of interventions such as a social norm campaign on prevention of gender-based violence among young people, and a social intervention - to be used in schools and youth work - on the prevention of partner violence among young people.
What are the most interesting facts that you have learned about bisexuality from your research?
Bisexual people often do not want to come out of the closet as they understand that this is a heteronormative practice that puts the emphasis on confessing that they are not-heterosexual. They prefer to disclose it when it is relevant for them. (see my 2018 article)
Bisexual people often do not participate in bisexual communities or organisations which may tell a lot about the invisibility of these organisations (they are quite unknown) but also that they often have their own support networks or do not identify with people who do participate in these communities/organisations (see my 2017 article)
Bisexuality has long been ignored by mainstream LGBT organisations as being too different, too particular for the normalising strategies these organisations use. (see my book chapter in our anthology Bisexuality in Europe)
Bisexual communities have more in common with polyamory, BDSM, or kink communities as compared to with gay and lesbian communities. (see my book chapter in our anthology Bisexuality in Europe)
3 things you wish everyone knew about bisexuality?
There is no single definition of bisexuality, it is a personal matter
It can exist in many different ways/forms, models such as the Kinsey Scale and the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid are insufficient to grasp the full diversity
While we often focus on the problems bisexual/plurisexual people face, it can be quite fun to be bisexual/plurisexual
How do you define bisexuality?
I think there are three ways to look at bisexuality as a sexual orientation:
sexually and/or emotionally attracted to people of more than one sex or gender,
as sexual behaviour, having sex with people of more than one sex or gender
or as a self-identity
Ultimately, I find it important that people self-define their sexual orientation and sexual identity/identities.
What do you think are the most pressing concerns within the bisexual community in 2020?
I still believe that the absence of bisexual communities is a pressing concern. Although several organisations exist and people organise activities, these communities are quite often vulnerable. It would be great to see more thriving organisations and communities that will be able to cater all kinds of bisexual people.
There is already a lot of knowledge on the health of bisexual people, however, it is still difficult to find solutions to problems that are more common among bisexual people. There should be more meaningful interactions between researchers, community members, and (health and government) professionals to come up with creative strategies to address these problems.
What bi research would you like people to know about?
A little bit of shameless self-promotion, but I am really proud of our forthcoming book, that we worked together with amazing contributors from Europe, and that it is open access. Please read the lovely chapters from fellow bisexual researchers!
One final cliffhanger: this book will introduce the field of bisexuality research in Europe (ch1), but also identify several ways forward... (ch 13).
Read Dr Maliepaard’s research articles here, visit his website, and follow him on Twitter.