Demystifying bisexual history research methods

Bisexual history research has always been assumed as something that is near impossible as it has carried a stigma of not having significant historical figures or a sufficient evidence base. This is a long-running myth rooted in bisexual history not receiving the visibility it deserves, rather than lacking the evidence to paint its picture. This introductory guide is drawn from an interview with bisexual archivist Mel Reeve, Bi Community News’ research guidelines and my personal archival research journey. It is intended to challenge these myths and instead offer anyone who is interested in conducting academic or non-academic research on bisexual histories, a series of approaches and ethical considerations you can use as a strong starting point to get the cogs of your bisexual research in motion.

Set your parameters early

When carrying out any bisexual research it’s essential to set your parameters early around which bi+ identity you will be focusing on. Unlike popular misconceptions, there’s a wide trajectory of bisexual identities and experiences such as those who are bisexual, biromantic, omni, pan, demisexual as bisexuality and multi-gender attraction intersect. When you intersect bisexuality with other factors such as race, disability, class or gender, the field can feel a lot more complex than perhaps assumed. Therefore, my advice is to centre your research on a local group that prioritises bisexual and bicurious members such as BiVisible Bristol, to avoid misrepresenting the wide diversity of bisexual experiences at the national level.

Bisexual archival evidence can often be miscategorised

Bisexual research is yet to carve out sufficient space within UK archives, causing much of its evidence to be miscategorised under gay or lesbian histories for a variety of reasons. For example, bisexuality is a modern day label which was first used in 1892 and explicitly referenced in print from the 1970s onwards. Therefore, archival evidence from before and during this period would categorise the evidence as showing heterosexual experiences, leading to the erasure of bisexual voices within the archives which continues to be an issue today.

Mel Reeve, archivist and founder of the Bi History Project recommended looking at as many of the LGBT collections of archives as possible as “a lot of the time bi+ people are there whether they’re named or not”. Reeve also encouraged researchers to consider why bi+ people may not be explicitly identified within sources or why they may not feel comfortable to identify themselves in this way in order to gain a deeper insight into the fragmented visibility of bisexual voices in the past.

This was evident in my own archival research as I discovered the majority of groups that welcomed bisexual members in early 2000s Bristol from the June 2010 issue of Gay West magazine which consisted of a comprehensive list of local community listings which included groups such as the Bristol bisexual group, Bristol Families and Friends, Freedom Youth and the bisexual phone line. Through exploring a magazine that was targeted at gay men, it revealed bisexual visibility in 2010 Bristol through the various groups and services offered to bisexual people. Therefore, you may need to go through a more unconventional research process in order to find the breadth of bisexual evidence within existing archival records.

Accessibility and ethical implications are key

 

Public accessibility and community engagement should always be the foundation of bisexual history research as it will allow bisexual people and groups to feel as seen and heard as possible. Mel Reeve gave the Bi History collection which covers bi+ history from 1986-2021 to Bishopsgate because of their existing substantial LGBT collection and that she “wanted it somewhere where people can go see it”. Her commitment to community engagement is evident in her hosting workshops with a local arts organisation “where people would come along, look at magazines and different records from the bi+ community and made zines in response to them”. Reeve intended to add these to her collection so it became “an experience from people within the community now while also being a record of that activity for the future”.

 

She also created the digital zine ‘It’s Radical To Exist’ in 2020 to empower LGBTQ+ people with the knowledge and resources to ethically work with LGBTQ+ histories. Reeve’s recent Bi History podcast has also brought bisexual visibility to mainstream attention through her incorporating public contributions from a range of bisexual experiences within her commentary on the nature and handling of bisexual history.

I also spoke to Nichi Hodgson, a bisexual journalist and broadcaster who created a Radio 4 documentary called ‘Being Bisexual’ in 2017 and the ‘Why Bi?’ podcast series for Virgin Radio in 2021. Both projects grew out of a public absence of bisexual history, encouraging Nichi to engage with bisexual people in the UK and across the world to trace the diversity of bisexual experiences and ensure individual bisexual voices were at the forefront. However, it was interesting to hear the limited platforms of outreach for bisexual people specifically and that Nichi believed her bisexual identity secured interview opportunities as it established a mutual “element of trust”. This revealed a wider issue within bisexual research of the transactional nature of oral interviews through failing to credit participants within research or disengaging from the community once the research is finished. Therefore, ensuring you engage with the public and queer communities beyond your research, prioritising their interests from the start creates a mutually beneficial process for both you and them.

Further resources

The Bi History archive collection at Bishopsgate https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections/mel-reeve-collection
The Bi History website https://bihistory.wordpress.com/
The Bi History podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2444593
The 2012 BiUK and Bi Community News bisexual research guidelines https://bisexualresearch.wordpress.com/reports-guidance/guidance/research-guidelines/
Nichi’s 2017 BBC World Service Radio Documentary ‘Being Bisexual’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p059lylf
Nichi’s 2021 Virgin Radio Podcast Series ‘Why Bi?’: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why-bi-episode-one/id1573786067?i=1000534251470

 

Listen below to Mel discussing the miscategorisation of bi+ archival and digital evidence:

 

Listen below to Nichi explaining the limited methods of outreach for bisexual research participants and how these connections secured interview opportunities:

 

Image references

Reference 1/2 – Bristol Archives, ‘Records relating to various LGBT groups, 2010 – 2018’, 44881/9/23: Gay West Magazine issue, June 2010 [date accessed: 16 Jan 2025].

Reference 3 – Bishopsgate Institute, ‘Mel Reeve Collection’, [n.d.], https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections/mel-reeve-collection [date accessed: 18 Sept 2024].

Reference 4 – The Bi History Project, ‘Zines’, [n.d.], https://bihistory.wordpress.com/zines/

Reference 5 – The Bi History Project, ‘Podcast’, [n.d.], https://bihistory.wordpress.com/podcast/

Lucy Marshall, 2025