Bisexual Killjoy

S2E7: Preserving Bi+ Stories in Comics with Kat Calamia

Bisexual Killjoy returns with a deep dive into the world of comics as a transformative medium for storytelling, particularly for bi+ narratives. This week, we’re joined by Kat Calamia, co-writer and co-creator of The Witches of Oz, The Beast & Snow, Nightmare in Wonderland, and Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Comic Book Anthology. Together, we explore how comics empower bi+ individuals to share nuanced, multi-layered stories that embrace the beauty and complexity of bi+ identities.
Kat discusses her journey as a comic creator, the demand for bi+ representation as seen in her wildly successful Kickstarter campaigns, and how preserving bi+ stories through anthologies is a radical act of resistance. From crafting inclusive narratives to building community through storytelling, this episode showcases the power of comics to reflect and affirm bi+ experiences.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
 
Resources
Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Anthology "Still Bi"
Where to find Kat Calamia
Twitter / X: https://x.com/ComicUno
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@haydenclaireheroes 

S2E6: Resisting Bi+ Oppression with Alicia Ortiz

In this episode of Bisexual Killjoy, we sit down for our first-ever in-person interview with Alicia Ortiz. Alicia shares insights on using songwriting to inspire social action, drawing from her extensive experience in organizing campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality, workers' rights, immigration reform, reproductive justice, and racial equity. Her work emphasizes coalition building and the transformative power of uniting diverse communities—a core principle in her anti-oppression programs and her teachings on empowerment, healthy relationships, and self-defense.
Together, we explore how bi+ folks can strengthen their voices and find allies across different communities, even amidst erasure and rejection. Alicia’s passion for coalition building shines through as we discuss ways to sustain ourselves in activism, foster resilience, and recruit allies. Join us for an inspiring conversation on lifting up bi+ identities and the communities we support.
Activist, educator, and musician Alicia Ortiz (pronounced a.LEE.cee.a) uses songwriting as a vehicle for uplifting people and inspiring social action. With a community organizing background, Alicia has led campaigns for queer and transgender equality, workers' rights, immigration reform, reproductive justice, and racial equity. Currently based out of Boston, MA, Alicia facilitates anti-oppression programs with students and professionals and teaches empowerment self-defense, healthy relationship skills, and sex education. She believes that coalition building is a virtue.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
Resources
Galop. “Tackling biphobia.”
Right To Be. “How to Respond to Public Harassment.”
IMPACT Boston
Alicia Ortiz 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.vida.ortiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicia_vida_ortiz/

S2E5: Bi-Visibility in Media with Patricia Silva

If there's one thing bi+ folks struggle with, it's not seeing themselves in media. Why is that a big deal? Because our identities are informed by the world around us; and when we do not find ourselves in that world, we can view that as a lack in ourselves. To help us explore the role of bi+ representation, we talk to the talented Patricia Silva. 
Patricia Silva is a queer (bi/pan) nonbinary artist working with available light, cameras, words, research, and educational modules to facilitate a deeper understanding of the contours of identities, queer inquiry, and relationships between diaspora and place(s). They experiment through making photographs, photo books, videos and short films, as well as through conversation series that are live or in podcast form. Their photographs and short films have been exhibited, screened, and awarded internationally since 2013; and their writing has been featured in The LGBT Review, Cult Bytes, among others.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
Resources
Film: Savage Nights (Les Nuits fauves), directed by Cyril Collard. 1992.
Filmmaker: Pier Paolo Pasolini
TV Show: The Bisexual, created by Desiree Akhavan and Rowan Riley. 2018.
TV Show: The Magicians, created by Sera Gamble and John McNamara. 2015-2020.
Patricia Silva 
Appearance: Twink Time at Barbizon in New York City at the Hot Festival, Mx Media Program
Appearance: Super Shorts Film Festival
Publication: Silva, Patricia. "Outsmarting the City—How Queer Subcultures in Queensborough." The Physical and the Digital City, Invisible Forces, Data and Manifestations. Intellect Books, University of Chicago Press. 2024.
Website: https://patriciasilva.com  
Website: https://www.latentstudies.net 

S2E4: Plurisexuality & Polyamory with Leanne Yau

Bisexual Killjoy is back to sit down with Poly Philia founder Leanne Yau to explore the intersections of polyamory and plurisexuality, diving into the challenges and stigmas that come with embracing these identities in a monogamous society. Leanne shares insights on how to practice polyamory in a healthy way, red flags to look out for, and whether polyamory belongs in the LGBTQ+ community. We debunk misconceptions of hypersexuality often projected onto bi+ and polyamorous folks and discuss how intimacy and visibility can help break down stigma. We challenge listeners to question normative relationships and embrace the radical nature of living authentically.
Leanne Yau is a British award-winning polyamory educator, sex-positive advocate, speaker, writer, and queer sex therapist in training. She creates and curates daily bite-size multimedia content @polyphiliablog on non-monogamy, queerness, sex positivity, and neurodivergence, drawing from her lived experiences as a bisexual, autistic and ADHD, Asian agender femme. Leanne was named one of the ‘15 LGBTQ+ Educators Who Took Instagram Infotainment To The Next Level’ by Buzzfeed in 2021, one of Cosmopolitan's '10 Polyamory Experts to Follow on TikTok' in 2022, and one of Men’s Health’s ‘60 Top Influencers Who Are Actually Worth the Follow’ in 2023.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Jace Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
References
Bi Survivors Network. http://bisurvivorsnetwork.org/
Fern, Jessica. Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy. Thornapple Press. 2020.
Hardy, Janet. The Ethical Slut, Third Edition: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love. Celestial Arts. 2017.
OPEN (Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy). https://www.open-love.org/ 
Where to Find Leanne Yau
Upcoming workshop on November 10, 2024: "Bisexuality and Non-Monogamy, feat. Leanne Yau and Zachary Zane": https://eventbrite.co.uk/e/bisexuality-and-non-monogamy-tickets-1012904724297?aff=Leanne
Website: https://www.polyphilia.blog/ 
Peer Support: https://www.polyphilia.blog/peer-support
Swag/Shop: https://polyphiliablog.threadless.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/polyphiliablog 
Facebook: @polyphiliablog
Instagram: @polyphiliablog
Threads: @polyphiliablog
TikTok: @polyphiliablog
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@polyphiliablog/videos

S2E3: The Double Erasure of Bi+ Men with Rob Brooks Cohen

Bisexual Killjoy is back to talk about our least favorite and most persistent myth: Bi+ men don’t exist! To help us navigate the double erasure of bi+ men, relationship navigation, monogamy, polyamory, and the radical act of being out, Rob Brooks Cohen joins us for a funny but informative episode. 
Robert Brooks Cohen is a writer, creator, and life coach living in Los Angeles. He spent seven seasons writing and producing for Law & Order: SVU, among other shows. In 2019, he created Two Bi Guys, a podcast about sexual fluidity, masculinity, and the gender spectrum, and his first book, Bisexual Married Men: Stories of Relationships, Acceptance, and Authenticity, an oral history/memoir, was published by Routledge in 2023.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
References
Cohen, Robert Brooks. Bisexual Married Men: Stories of Relationships, Acceptance, and Authenticity. Routledge. 2024. 
Cohen, Robert Brooks. Two Bi Guys (By One Bi Guy) Podcast.
Fern, Jessica. Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy. Thornapple Press. 2020.
Mangino, Kate. Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home Hardcover. St. Martin's Press. 2022.
Where to Find Rob
Website: www.RobertBrooksCohen.com
Personal Instagram: @robertbrookscohen
Project Instagram: @twobiguys
Personal TikTok: @robertbrookscohen
Project YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@twobiguys 
Project Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoBiGuys/

S2E2: Bisexuality & Gender Fluidity, pt. 2 with Rosie Nelson

Bisexual Killjoy is back to talk about the intersection of gender and sexuality, this time with an expert opinion. This week we welcome the iconic Dr. Rosie Nelson into the fray to help us wrestle with what gender means for bi+ people, what it means to be Sexual Renegades and Sexual Outsiders, and the bi+ worldview.
Dr. Rosie Nelson is a Senior Lecturer in Gender at the University of Bristol, England. Their work revolves around queer theory, bisexual identities, LGBTQ+ politics, and qualitative research methodologies. They recently published Making Space for Bi+ Identities: Explorations of Genders, Identities, and Relationships, published by Routledge, and are currently in the process of completing a SAGE textbook entitled Queer and Feminist Approaches to Qualitative Research Methods. You can find them on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @rosie_they 
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
References
Muñoz, José Esteban. Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity. NYU Press. 2009.
Nelson, Rosie. Making Space for Bi+ Identities: Explorations of Genders, Identities, and Relationships. Routledge. 2023.
Nelson, Rosie, et al. Social media use among bisexuals and pansexuals:
connection, harassment and mental health, Culture, Health & Sexuality, 25:6, 711-727. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2022.2092213 
Odell, Jenny. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. Penguin Random House. 2020.
Yoshino, Kenji. The Epistemic Contract of Bisexual Erasure. Stanford Law Review, 52(353); 2000. https://openyls.law.yale.edu/handle/20.500.13051/3871 

S2E1: The Bisexual Killjoys Return

Welcome back, Bisexual Killjoys. Did you miss us? We missed you! In this episode, we’re getting on the same page, sweeping out the cobwebs, spilling the tea, and pumping ourselves up for our best season yet. So, if you don’t remember what a Bisexual Killjoy is, don’t worry; Bailey makes Lynn take us all back to school.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram/Threads or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
Resources
Ahmed, Sarah. Feminist Killjoy Handbook. 2023.
Sullivan, Elizabeth. “Godmother of SexEd: Maggi Rubenstein.” FoundSF. 1997.

S1E9: Bisexuality Is My Revolution

That’s a wrap on Season 1! We’ve talked about so much in the last few months: gender, invisibility, relationships, health, and what it means to be a Bisexual Killjoy. Join us one last time before the summer really heats up to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going next. 
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
Resources
Ahmed, Sarah. Feminist Killjoy Handbook. 2023.
Angelides, Steven. A History of Bisexuality. 2001.
Hayfield, Nikki. Bisexual and Pansexual Identities: Exploring and Challenging Invisibility and Invalidation. 2020.
Ka’ahumanu, Lani and Hutchins, Lorraine. Bi Any Other Name. 1991.
Shaw, Julia. Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality. 2022.
Winston, Jen. Greedy: Notes from a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much. 2021.

S1E8: Love and Other Words That Start With B

We’re winding down Pride and Season 1! Bisexual Killjoy cordially invites you to discuss intimacy, sex, and relationship dynamics for all of us bi+ folks. We’re talking monogamy, polyamory, and how biphobic stereotypes hurt us all. Let’s get serious and laugh the whole time.
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
Some stories with bi+ relationship (platonic, romantic, and erotic) representation:
A Lot of People Live in This House, Bailey Merlin
Foul Play, Cassandra Medcalf
Friendsgiving with Benefits, Lizzie B. Brown

S1E7: Beyond Binaries: Bisexuality & Gender Fluidity

Happy Pride! Join Bisexual Killjoy as we explore the fluidity of sexuality and gender. Dive into discussions on liminal spaces, gender fluidity, and the misconceptions about bisexuality. We’re challenging the myth of bisexuals and trans-exclusion, looking at the unique intersection of bisexuality and gender fluidity, and unpacking the limited research on the subject we could find. Since it’s Pride, remember to celebrate your identity and give back to your community!
Hosted by bi+ academics, writers, and advocates Bailey Merlin and Lynn Rios Rivera, Bisexual Killjoy talks all things bisexual (pansexual, omnisexual, plurisexual, and overall bi+ness) because bisexuality isn’t a phase; it’s a phenomenon. 
Were you a Bisexual Killjoy this week? We want to hear from you! Follow us on @bisexualkilljoy on Instagram or email us at bisexualkilljoy@gmail.com. 
 
References
Cipriano, A. E., Nguyen, D., & Holland, K. J. (2022). "Bisexuality Isn't Exclusionary": A Qualitative Examination of Bisexual Definitions and Gender Inclusivity Concerns among Plurisexual Women. Journal of Bisexuality, 22(4), 557–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2022.2060892 
Ghabrial, M. A. (2019). "We can Shapeshift and Build Bridges": Bisexual Women and Gender Diverse People of Color on Invisibility and Embracing the Borderlands. Journal of Bisexuality, 19(2), 169–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2019.1617526
Nelson, R. (2020). 'What do bisexuals look like?: I don't know!' visibility, gender, and safety among plurisexuals. Journal of Sociology (Melbourne, Vic.), 56(4), 591–607. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783320911455