Bisexual Killjoy

That’s a wrap on Season 2! In our season finale, Bailey and Jace reflect on their journey through a season packed with bi+ insights, activism, and community building. From personal growth to political resistance, this episode dives deep into what it means to center bi+ness in your life, research, politics, and activism.

Join us as we discuss the power of solidarity, the importance of preserving bi+ history, and the transformative potential of bisexuality as a form of resistance. Plus, we share tangible actions to stay engaged, safe, and empowered as we navigate uncertain political times.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Jace Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

Bisexual Killjoy is back with a much-needed dose of bi-positivity! This week, Bailey and Lynn dive into the concept of bipositivity—what it means, why it matters, and how it can profoundly impact the well-being of bi+ individuals. Joining us is Dr. Allison Cipriano, a newly minted PhD, assistant professor of social psychology at Ball State University, and co-author of “The Nature and Perceived Effects of Bipositivity Among Plurisexual Women,” published in the Journal of Bisexuality.

Together, we explore how bipositivity fosters resilience, strengthens community bonds, and enhances mental health for bi+ folks, all while navigating a world that often erases or invalidates our experiences. From the joy of “me too” moments to the challenges of finding support from monosexual allies, this episode is a testament to the power of connection, representation, and unapologetic celebration of bi+ identities.

Allison Cipriano is a bisexual woman, intersectional feminist, recently minted PhD, and new assistant professor of social psychology at Ball State University. She has been researching the intersections of stigmatized identities (particularly gender and sexuality), multi-gender attraction, sexual violence, and well-being since 2018. She teaches about gender, sexuality, sexual health, diversity, prejudice, and discrimination in addition to applied and feminist social psychology, research methods, and pedagogy. Her research focuses on understanding the identity-related experiences—including challenges and joys—among women and others with multi-gender attraction, with the aim to better understand our communities and improve our lived realities.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

Where to find Allison Cipriano

Bisexual Killjoy returns with a deep dive into the world of comics as a transformative medium for storytelling, particularly for bi+ narratives. This week, we’re joined by Kat Calamia, co-writer and co-creator of The Witches of Oz, The Beast & Snow, Nightmare in Wonderland, and Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Comic Book Anthology. Together, we explore how comics empower bi+ individuals to share nuanced, multi-layered stories that embrace the beauty and complexity of bi+ identities.

Kat discusses her journey as a comic creator, the demand for bi+ representation as seen in her wildly successful Kickstarter campaigns, and how preserving bi+ stories through anthologies is a radical act of resistance. From crafting inclusive narratives to building community through storytelling, this episode showcases the power of comics to reflect and affirm bi+ experiences.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

Where to find Kat Calamia

In this episode of Bisexual Killjoy, we sit down for our first-ever in-person interview with Alicia Ortiz. Alicia shares insights on using songwriting to inspire social action, drawing from her extensive experience in organizing campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality, workers' rights, immigration reform, reproductive justice, and racial equity. Her work emphasizes coalition building and the transformative power of uniting diverse communities—a core principle in her anti-oppression programs and her teachings on empowerment, healthy relationships, and self-defense.

Together, we explore how bi+ folks can strengthen their voices and find allies across different communities, even amidst erasure and rejection. Alicia’s passion for coalition building shines through as we discuss ways to sustain ourselves in activism, foster resilience, and recruit allies. Join us for an inspiring conversation on lifting up bi+ identities and the communities we support.

Activist, educator, and musician Alicia Ortiz (pronounced a.LEE.cee.a) uses songwriting as a vehicle for uplifting people and inspiring social action. With a community organizing background, Alicia has led campaigns for queer and transgender equality, workers' rights, immigration reform, reproductive justice, and racial equity. Currently based out of Boston, MA, Alicia facilitates anti-oppression programs with students and professionals and teaches empowerment self-defense, healthy relationship skills, and sex education. She believes that coalition building is a virtue.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

• Galop. “Tackling biphobia.”

Alicia Ortiz 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.vida.ortiz

If there's one thing bi+ folks struggle with, it's not seeing themselves in media. Why is that a big deal? Because our identities are informed by the world around us; and when we do not find ourselves in that world, we can view that as a lack in ourselves. To help us explore the role of bi+ representation, we talk to the talented Patricia Silva. 

Patricia Silva is a queer (bi/pan) nonbinary artist working with available light, cameras, words, research, and educational modules to facilitate a deeper understanding of the contours of identities, queer inquiry, and relationships between diaspora and place(s). They experiment through making photographs, photo books, videos and short films, as well as through conversation series that are live or in podcast form. Their photographs and short films have been exhibited, screened, and awarded internationally since 2013; and their writing has been featured in The LGBT Review, Cult Bytes, among others.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

• Film: Savage Nights (Les Nuits fauves), directed by Cyril Collard. 1992.

Patricia Silva 

• Appearance: Twink Time at Barbizon in New York City at the Hot Festival, Mx Media Program

Bisexual Killjoy is back to sit down with Poly Philia founder Leanne Yau to explore the intersections of polyamory and plurisexuality, diving into the challenges and stigmas that come with embracing these identities in a monogamous society. Leanne shares insights on how to practice polyamory in a healthy way, red flags to look out for, and whether polyamory belongs in the LGBTQ+ community. We debunk misconceptions of hypersexuality often projected onto bi+ and polyamorous folks and discuss how intimacy and visibility can help break down stigma. We challenge listeners to question normative relationships and embrace the radical nature of living authentically.

Leanne Yau is a British award-winning polyamory educator, sex-positive advocate, speaker, writer, and queer sex therapist in training. She creates and curates daily bite-size multimedia content @polyphiliablog on non-monogamy, queerness, sex positivity, and neurodivergence, drawing from her lived experiences as a bisexual, autistic and ADHD, Asian agender femme. Leanne was named one of the ‘15 LGBTQ+ Educators Who Took Instagram Infotainment To The Next Level’ by Buzzfeed in 2021, one of Cosmopolitan's '10 Polyamory Experts to Follow on TikTok' in 2022, and one of Men’s Health’s ‘60 Top Influencers Who Are Actually Worth the Follow’ in 2023.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Jace Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

References

• Bi Survivors Network. http://bisurvivorsnetwork.org/

Where to Find Leanne Yau

• Upcoming workshop on November 10, 2024: "Bisexuality and Non-Monogamy, feat. Leanne Yau and Zachary Zane": https://eventbrite.co.uk/e/bisexuality-and-non-monogamy-tickets-1012904724297?aff=Leanne

Bisexual Killjoy is back to talk about our least favorite and most persistent myth: Bi+ men don’t exist! To help us navigate the double erasure of bi+ men, relationship navigation, monogamy, polyamory, and the radical act of being out, Rob Brooks Cohen joins us for a funny but informative episode. 

Robert Brooks Cohen is a writer, creator, and life coach living in Los Angeles. He spent seven seasons writing and producing for Law & Order: SVU, among other shows. In 2019, he created Two Bi Guys, a podcast about sexual fluidity, masculinity, and the gender spectrum, and his first book, Bisexual Married Men: Stories of Relationships, Acceptance, and Authenticity, an oral history/memoir, was published by Routledge in 2023.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

References

• Cohen, Robert Brooks. Bisexual Married Men: Stories of Relationships, Acceptance, and Authenticity. Routledge. 2024. 

Where to Find Rob

• Website: www.RobertBrooksCohen.com

Bisexual Killjoy is back to talk about the intersection of gender and sexuality, this time with an expert opinion. This week we welcome the iconic Dr. Rosie Nelson into the fray to help us wrestle with what gender means for bi+ people, what it means to be Sexual Renegades and Sexual Outsiders, and the bi+ worldview.

Dr. Rosie Nelson is a Senior Lecturer in Gender at the University of Bristol, England. Their work revolves around queer theory, bisexual identities, LGBTQ+ politics, and qualitative research methodologies. They recently published Making Space for Bi+ Identities: Explorations of Genders, Identities, and Relationships, published by Routledge, and are currently in the process of completing a SAGE textbook entitled Queer and Feminist Approaches to Qualitative Research Methods. You can find them on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @rosie_they 

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

References

• Muñoz, José Esteban. Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity. NYU Press. 2009.

Welcome back, Bisexual Killjoys. Did you miss us? We missed you! In this episode, we’re getting on the same page, sweeping out the cobwebs, spilling the tea, and pumping ourselves up for our best season yet. So, if you don’t remember what a Bisexual Killjoy is, don’t worry; Bailey makes Lynn take us all back to school.

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

• Ahmed, Sarah. Feminist Killjoy Handbook. 2023.

That’s a wrap on Season 1! We’ve talked about so much in the last few months: gender, invisibility, relationships, health, and what it means to be a Bisexual Killjoy. Join us one last time before the summer really heats up to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going next. 

Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 

Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. 

Resources

• Ahmed, Sarah. Feminist Killjoy Handbook. 2023.