Bisexuality
in Orange Is the New Black
Presentation by Jana Simovics, Inessa Oser & Johanna Förster
Structure
 Defining Bisexuality and Biphobia/ Bi-Erasure
 Bisexuality in the Media
 Bisexuality in Orange Is the New Black
Hypothesis
The web TV serial Orange is the New Black includes bisexual
characters in the plot but does not acknowledge
bisexuality as a valid orientation of its own.
Defining Bisexuality
 There are many definitions out there about what bisexuality is and
what it means to people. In the following there are 3 slightly
different definitions which are used to define bisexuality:
 Bisexuality means sexual attraction to both men and women.
(oed)
→'bi'=2 → Attraction to two genders, here men and women (holds
up the gender binary that there are only two genders)
 Bisexuality means attraction to people of both, their gender
and other genders. (wikihow) → 'bi'=2, but does not hold up
the gender binary
Practical Definition
Others see bisexuality as an umbrella term for all people which are not monosexual, thus who have the potential for being
sexually and/or romantically attracted to people of more than one gender.
Bisexuality means attraction to
more than one gender.
(bisexualindex.org)
This can mean:
-Attraction to only men and women
- Attraction to some specific genders
-Attraction regardless of gender (sometimes people who feel like this label themselves as pansexual, others prefer the term
bisexual)
...and it can mean that some may have a gender preference, for others it's rather balanced whom they're attracted to.
As we find this the most inclusive definition we take this as out working/practical definition in our presentation.
Bisexuality and Identity
Identity:
Through your whole life (especially in adolescence) identity exploration goes at full speed.
Now, we live in a heteronormative society (=being heterosexual is the norm); therefore heterosexuals
automatically and smoothly 'slide' in a heterosexual identity.
For queer people this part of identity exploration first, most often leads to an identity crisis and
distress, until most queers eventually realize what they want and whom they are attracted to.
Identity of Lesbians/Gays vs. Bisexuals
The difference between lesbians and gays in comparison to bisexuals identitywise is that for bisexuals
there is not the resolution of: 'What you like and what you don't like'. There is no turning away from
one side to the opposite but rather a realization that you like more than 1 gender.
Bi-Phobia
http://www.peppauf.de
BI-PHOBIA = Prejudice, discrimination and oppression against bisexuality and bisexuals
Examples of biphobic stereotypes and myths:
-Bisexuals are sexually promiscuous, can't commit to one person, are cheaters, want threesomes
Most biphobia though, is actually BI-ERASURE = denying the existence of bisexuality
Examples of biphobic comments which show bi-erasure:
-'You are not actually bi, you're just doing it for attention.'
-'There is no such thing as bisexuality.'
-'You are actually gay or straight and confused; just pick a side'
Comments, stereotypes and myths like these come from both sides: The heterosexual community and the homosexual
community (compare our video example of GLEE). This makes it additionally hard for bisexuals to find a place of belonging
which is important for indentity formation.
(Definitions by Dobinson, 2003)
Bi-Phobia
http://www.peppauf.de
...Also what plays in when it comes to bi-erasure are the symbolic markers of identity.
Example:
When a bisexual woman is seen with a woman it appears as if she is a lesbian
→ she passes as a lesbian, whether intended or unintended
When a bisexual woman is seen with a man it appears as if she is straight
→ she passes as a straight woman, whether intended or unintended
(!Note 1: Intended vs. Unintended Passing; Compare to passing as eg. white or as a certain gender)
(!Note 2: The next two slides show a little comic which exemplifies the above explained phenomenon pretty well)
(! Note 3: Unfortunately the media contributes a lot to holding up stereotypes and myths against bisexuals and erasing it →
The rest of the presentation will deal with that)
Bi-Erasure
www.rebloggy.com (Living the Bi Life)
Bi-Erasure
www.rebloggy.com (Living the Bi Life)
Bisexuality in the Media
 Increased representations of bisexuality in the 21st Century
 Typical narrative patterns
 women are more frequently represented as bisexual than men
 they are generally non-white
 no traditional coming-out narrative
Meyer, 2010
Examples of Bisexuality in Television
 Bones:
 One Tree Hill:
Angela Montenegro
Anna Tagaro
 Presented as heterosexual
 “It’s just that you like girls,
for the first four seasons
 Calls her sexuality into
question when meeting an
old girlfriend
 Goes back to dating men
→ bisexuality as a phase
or you like guys. Trust me,
I wish it was like that for
me. Be a lot easier if I
could just pick a team”
 Later claims that she is gay
or a “dyke”
→ bi-erasure
Meyer, 2010
Examples of Bisexuality in Television
 Glee, S2/E14: „Blame it on the Alcohol“
Bi-Erasure in the Media
 Few portrayals of bisexual people → only 1% of all portrayed
people (4,5% LGBT)
 Portrayal of bisexuality as “just a phase“
 Depiction as greedy, promiscuous, people with insatiable desires
 Gendering
 Portrayal of bisexuality as behavior rather than a valid sexual
orientation
Barker, 2008
Orange Is the New Black
http://ghk.h-cdn.co/assets/16/25/1466451898-orange-is-the-new-black-cast-1.jpg
S1/E1: “I Wasn’t Ready”
“You don’t just turn
gay.You fall
somewhere on a
spectrum, like a
Kinsey scale.”
Piper Chapman
 Homosexuality as a phase
 Either/or binary
 “I’m going to go ahead and guess
that one of the issues here is your
need to say that a person is
exactly anything.”
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/orange-is-the-newblack/images/2/2c/Piper_Chapman.png/revision/latest?cb=2015
0221172637&path-prefix=de
Lorna Morello
 S4/E8: “Friends in Low Places”
Lorna Morello
„gay for the
stay“
 Prison wife
 Sexual encounters with Nicky,
but has a fiancé
 Considers herself to be
heterosexual
 “True“ vs. „Pseudo“ lesbians
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/orange-is-the-newblack/images/9/95/Lorna_Morello.png/revision/latest?cb=201406
24041118
Brook Soso
„attracted to
people, not
genders“
• consciously decides to
make a lesbian experience
• pan-sexuality
•Has a serious relationship
with a woman later on
http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2014/06/18/orange-isthe-new-black-s-kimiko-glenn-on-hippie-brook-soso-and-chapel-sex-with-natashalyonne/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1403104875825.cached.jpg
Conclusion
The web TV serial Orange Is the New Black depicts diversity with
regard to ethnicities, classes, sexual identity, sexual orientation
and other aspects of identity. Although the act of not labeling
characters as bisexual can be regarded as a defiance against
categorization, it also gives power to the tradition of bi-erasure,
as bisexuals are shown throughout the show, but their sexual
orientation is never recognized as valid.
Sources

Barker, M. et. al. British Bisexuality: A Snapshot of Bisexual Identities in the UK. 2008. Journal of
Bisexuality, 8. Pdf.

Dobinson, Cheryl. Improving the Access and Quality of Public Health Services for Bisexuals. Toronto: 2003.
Ontario Public Health Association. Pdf.

McInnis, Anne Marie and Soak C. Kong. Your Everyday Health Guide: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Community Resource. Vancouver: 1998. LGBT Health Association. Pdf.

Meyer, Michael D.E. “Representing Bisexuality on Television: The Case for Intersectional Hybrids.”
Journal of Bisexuality. Newport: 2010. Routledge. Print.

“Blame it on the Alcohol.” Glee. Fox. Los Angeles. 22 Feb. 2011. Television.

“I Wasn’t Ready.” Orange Is the New Black. Netflix. Los Gatos. 11 Jul. 2013. Web.

“Friends in Low Places.” Orange Is the New Black. Netflix. Los Gatos. 17 Jun. 2016. Web.
Discussion Questions
 Do you agree with our conclusion?
 Do you know other examples of bisexuality/ bisexuals in the
media?
→ How are they represented?
More examples
http://i43.tinypic.com/212uyh5.jpg
http://pagesix.com/2012/05/03/anna-paquin-defendsbisexual-label-despite-being-married-pregnant/
http://media.melty.de/article-14039-fb/pretty-little-liars-staffel6-pll-emily-fields.jpg
What are stereotypes you know about
bisexuality/ bisexuals?
http://40.media.tumblr.com/ad888d77e29ff00059d134d1bd800c5a/tumblr_
nspy8fDXzm1ubew7co1_1280.jpg
Gender Difference
 Bisexual men are often thought to be closeted gay
 Bisexual women are often thought to actually be straight
(Barker, 2008)
http://www.gingerchai.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/05/men-vswomen.jpg
Bi-Erasure
www.rebloggy.com (Living the Bi Life)
Bi-Erasure
www.rebloggy.com (Living the Bi Life)
Gender Difference
Bisexual men are often thought to be closeted gay

Bisexual women are often thought to actually be straight

(Barker, 2008)
http://www.gingerchai.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/05/men-vswomen.jpg