Abstract
Returning to Fritz Klein (1978), the concluding chapter ponders, are bisexual people sociologically non-existent in churches as elsewhere? This Chapter contains conclusions drawn from interviews with bisexual Christians and bisexual pastors, supporters and educators in the UK and USA. The author discusses how churches might be more welcoming of bisexual congregants and the potential of current discussions on gender and sexuality generated by the bathroom bills to lead to more nuanced debates on human sexuality. She ponders what a positive bisexual identity might look like and highlights the need for bisexual people to mobilise at national/international level. The mental health implications for bisexual Christians are also outlined, if bisexuality continues to be overlooked by religious and health practitioners.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alford-Harkey, M. H., & Haffner, D. W. (2014). Bisexuality: Making the Invisible Visible in Faith Communities. Westport: The Religious Institute.
Anderson, E. (2008). “Being Masculine Is Not About Who You Sleep with…:” Heterosexual Athletes Contesting Masculinity and the One-Time Rule of Homosexuality. Sex Roles, 58(1–2), 104–115.
Anderson, E., & McCormack, M. (2016). The Changing Dynamics of Bisexual Men’s Lives Social Research Perspectives. New York: Springer.
Barker, M. J. (2015). Depression and/or Oppression? Bisexuality and Mental Health. Journal of Bisexuality, 15(3), 369–384.
Barker, M., Richards, C., Jones, R., Bowes-Catton, H., Plowman, T., Yockney, J., & Morgan, M. (2012). The Bisexuality Report: Bisexual Inclusion in LGBT Equality and Diversity. Milton Keynes: The Open University Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance and Faculty of Health and Social Care.
Chang, H. (2016). Autoethnography as Method. New York: Routledge.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. London: Sage.
Church of England. (1991). Issues in Human Sexuality. London: Church House Publishing.
Colledge, L., Hickson, F., Reid, D., & Weatherburn, P. (2015). Poorer Mental Health in UK Bisexual Women than Lesbians: Evidence from the UK 2007 Stonewall Women’s Health Survey. Journal of Public Health, 37(3), 427–437.
George, S. (1993). Women and Bisexuality. London: Scarlett Press.
Gibbs, J. J., & Goldbach, J. (2015). Religious Conflict, Sexual Identity, and Suicidal Behaviors Among LGBT Young Adults. Archives of Suicide Research, 19(4), 472–488.
Gutiérrez, G. (1974). A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Salvation. London: SCM Press.
Hutchins, L., & Lani, K. (Eds.). (1999). Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out. Los Angeles: Alyson Books.
Klein, F. (1978). The Bisexual Option: A Con-cept of One Hundred Percent Intimacy. New York: Arbor House.
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kolodny, D. (2000). Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Lingwood, S. (2010). Bi Christian Unitarian: A Theology of Transgression. Journal of Bisexuality, 10(1–2), 31–43.
Longo, J., Walls, N. E., & Wisneski, H. (2013). Religion and Religiosity: Protective or Harmful Factors for Sexual Minority Youth? Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 16(3), 273–290.
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674.
Meyer, I. H., & Frost, D. M. (2013). Minority Stress and the Health of Sexual Minorities. Handbook of Psychology and Sexual Orientation, 252–266.
Ochs, R., & Rowley, S. E. (2005). Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World. Boston, MA: Bisexual Resource Center.
Pew Research Center. (2013). US Religious Landscape Survey. http://religions.pewforum.org.
Ross, L. E., Dobinson, C., & Eady, A. (2010). Perceived Determinants of Mental Health for Bisexual People: A Qualitative Examination. American Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 496–502.
Rust, P. C. (2003). Monogamy and Polyamory: Relationship Issues for Bisexuals. In L. Garnets & D. C. Kimmel (Eds.), Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Experiences (p. 475). New York: Columbia University Press.
Savin-Williams, R. C., & Vrangalova, Z. (2013). Mostly Heterosexual as a Distinct Sexual Orientation Group: A Systematic Review of the Empirical Evidence. Developmental Review, 33(1), 58–88.
Sommers, J. (2016). 119: My Life as a Bisexual Christian. London: Darton Longman & Todd.
Thatcher, A. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Theology, Sexuality, and Gender. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA.
Toft, A. (2011). Bisexual Christian Identity: A Sociological Exploration of the Life Stories of Female and Male Bisexual Christians (Doctoral dissertation), University of Nottingham.
Toft, A., & Hunt, S. (2009). Bisexual Christians: The Life Stories of a Marginalized Community. Contemporary Christianity and LGBT Sexualities, 67–85.
Vespone, B. M. (2016). Integrating Identities: Facilitating a Support Group for LGBTQ Students on a Christian College Campus. Christian Higher Education, 15(4), 215–229.
Weinberg, M. S., Williams, C. J., & Pryor, D. W. (1994). Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Wolff, J. R., & Himes, H. L. (2010). Purposeful Exclusion of Sexual Minority Youth in Christian Higher Education: The Implications of Discrimination. Christian Higher Education, 9(5), 439–460.
Woodhead, C., Gazard, B., Hotopf, M., Rahman, Q., Rimes, K. A., & Hatch, S. L. (2016). Mental Health Among UK Inner City Non-heterosexuals: The Role of Risk Factors, Protective Factors and Place. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25(5), 1–12.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shepherd, C.A. (2019). Conclusion. In: Bisexuality and the Western Christian Church. Palgrave Studies in Lived Religion and Societal Challenges. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94679-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94679-5_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94678-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94679-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)