The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality
Channel: British Library
Date: 2022-06-10

Bisexuality is the world’s largest sexual minority but the least understood. Join Dr Julia Shaw, psychological scientist and bestselling author of Making Evil and co-host of BBC podcast Bad People to learn more.

Significant strides have been made in recent years in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility and empowerment, but the conversation is far from over. After years of feeling the crushing dearth of information on bisexuality, Shaw dug deep and found a colourful and fascinating world that she is now bringing out of the shadows in her new book Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality. It is a personal journey that starts with her own openly bisexual identity, and celebrates the resilience and beautiful diversity of the bi community.

From the hunt for a bi gene, to the relationship between bisexuality and consensual non-monogamy, to asylum seekers who need to prove their bisexuality in a court of law, there is more to explore than most have ever realised. This rigorous and fun investigation challenges us to think deeper about who we are and how we love.

Dr. Shaw is joined in conversation by Ben Hunte senior reporter for VICE World News, and previously the BBC’s first LGBT correspondent.

Dr Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist at University College London, and part of Queer Politics at Princeton University which works for LGBT+ equality, democracy and civil rights. She is actively involved in bisexual research, and is the founder of the international Bisexual Research Group. Dr Shaw also has a hit BBC podcast, Bad People, where together with her co-host she uses research to examine some of society’s most pressing issues. She is the author of The Memory Illusion, which was published in 20 languages, and Making Evil, which was a bestseller in Canada and Germany. @drjuliashaw