Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 23 Issue 3

was these conflicts. I had to just step away from it [church] because there was just a lot of hypocrisy that didn’t feel right. After some reflection, Emma embraced parts of other religions/spiritual beliefs that allowed for varieties of expressions and identifications: “I still loosely hold to Christianity, and I also loosely hold to Islam, and I loosely hold to Daoism and Buddhism.” Ashley (Indian American, age 22) was the rare woman who, despite messages from other Muslims and from tenets of the faith, attempted to fully embrace Islam in its entirety and her bisexuality in conjunction. In seeing examples from others, including news about a gay Muslim couple who married, Ashley was encouraged to study her religion and follow its teaching while also accepting her bisexuality: I was really just trying to come to terms with everything because I was a Muslim, but I’m also bisexual, so how does that work? I did a lot of research on blogs and things that are run by bisexual Muslims, and it was just really comforting to see how people kind of balance it, how they come to terms with it. b) Phenomena 2 – Making Decisions About Sharing Personal Information i. Avoiding the Consequences of Sharing Personal Information The women who decided not to widely disclose their orientation or simply be themselves around others, whether family or not, were avoiding the consequences of sharing personal information (e.g., conflict, rejection, confusion, disapproval, disbelief, awkwardness, uncertainty, job loss). Because they were not out, they were unsure how others would react, and this uncertainty often was scary. They felt it was better to prevent potential negative consequences than to come out and be proven right about their fears that they would be rejected or subjected to negative reactions. Embedded in within the fear of coming out, was just not knowing if an environment was safe or not. Concerns about potentially negative or ambiguous reactions, worries about having someone doubt them, or even just having to work a little harder to explain themselves, provided much of the reasoning behind not disclosing; it was not worth the risk of revealing parts of themselves. Not Being Forthcoming with Family Members. Seven women were not out to any family members, and those who were out were selective about which family members to tell. They were primarily attempting to prevent conflict within their families by not coming out to them, but they also were concerned about losing contact and support if they disclosed. Cassie’s (Black, age 20) sister came out to their family as bisexual, and while her family was generally supportive, Cassie felt they did not entirely approve: I haven’t dated a girl, and I figured until I date a girl there’s no need to bring up something that may not ever be a topic in the future. Especially since my parents… they are very open, and they get it, but I think they were slightly disappointed [with my sister]. Cassie felt close to her parents, but she did not want to reveal her sexual orientation unless it was necessary. Tara (biracial, age 21) echoed that sentiment: “…I just don’t know what they [her family] would say. I mean, I used to be aggressively straight… so I think everyone would be like what the heck is going on, so I just don’t think they would understand.” Wanting to avoid an awkward discussion also kept Julie (Chinese American, age 23) from coming out to her family. She said, “It would definitely be a really weird conversation so I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t know if that’s even a thing that I might do … until it becomes ‘a thing I have to do.” She goes on to say, “I guess I would like them to know everything about me, but also, I’m just kind of scared of dealing with that sort of confrontation. . . it’s not a huge part of my life right now.” Ashley (Indian American, age 22) was afraid of losing contact with her family if she were to come out. She said, “If I got into a serious relationship with a girl, then I can’t hide it. If that were to happen, I would accept the fact that my dad wouldn’t talk to me again.” Yvonne (Black, age 25) reflected on potential loss of support and said: My family is a really strong support for me, so if I was in a secure relationship with someone of the same sex, and we were dating for a long time, and it was committed, and I felt © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue III Version I 21 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C “The In-Between Spaces of Those Labels”: Exploring the Challenges and Positives of Being a Bisexual Woman of Color like they [my partner] would support me, I’d feel more These women also were making decisions about how to share parts of themselves with others. They wondered if certain contexts/spaces were safe for them to share about themselves or to simply exist as bisexual women of color. In terms of their sexual orientation specifically, many grappled with whether they should come out to their family members, friends, and others. All had come out to at least one person, but only five had come out to family members, the process either initiated by themselves or another. The women often felt that they simultaneously wanted, and did not want, to disclose, and having both intentions at the same time was taxing. Concerns about sharing information primarily related to the invisible identity of bisexuality, but the context of gender and race/ethnicity often influenced how they grappled with disclosure decisions. Overall, it was a difficult process to weigh negative consequences (e.g., being rejected if they disclosed, having to exert additional energy to keep information private if they did not disclose) against the positives (e.g., being free to be themselves if they disclosed, potentially experiencing less conflict if they did not disclose). They were (i) avoiding the consequences of sharing personal information, and (ii) sharing in the face of uncertainty , and factors such as their own mental health, and their perceptions of how others (family or otherwise) might react to them heavily influenced their decisions.