The Missing B Word: Compulsory Binarization and Bisexual Representation in Children’s Literature

Abstract

This project uses some LGBTQ youth’s social media posts and Allison Weir’s framework for identification-with identity politics to analyze and evaluate bisexual representation in YA literature. The essay posits that bisexual characters are often erased in literature because of common stereotypes and what the author calls “compulsory binarization,” or the assumption that a character is either gay or straight unless otherwise labelled. To combat this, the essay suggests that a superb bisexual YA novel first include a clear naming of bisexuality within the text; in addition, effective bisexual representation should challenge normative binaries and stereotypes.