Loving More Than One Color: Bisexuals of Color in Italy Between Stigma and Resilience

Abstract

The present research explored the narratives of Bi + people of Color living in northern Italy and the strategies they used to deal with multiple identity negotiations, stigma, and discrimination. As previous research suggests, Bi + people of Color face a double stigma due to the intersection between a nonmonosexual orientation and a nonwhite skin tone. Following an interdisciplinary approach between social psychology and cultural anthropology, we conducted qualitative interviews with bisexual men of Color with different migratory backgrounds (e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa and South America). Narratives of stigma and resilience emerged by focusing on the intersections between the axes of sexual orientation and skin tone. Findings illustrate how the double stigma that Bi + people of Color experience affects their personal and political lives through their relationships with relevant social actors and networks.