“Not bi enough:” an examination of “mostly straight” sexual identities

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dc.contributor.authorMatheson, Lauren
dc.contributor.supervisorWoodin, Erica M.
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-29T19:39:55Z
dc.date.available2025-08-29T19:39:55Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy PhD
dc.description.abstractPlurisexuality (i.e., attraction to more than one gender) is frequently associated with bi+ sexual identity labels such as bisexual, pansexual, or queer, however plurisexual people do not always identify with bi+ labels. "Micro-labels" such as bi-curious, heteroflexible, and mostly straight have been adopted by many plurisexual people—especially cisgender women—who feel that neither heterosexual, nor bi+ labels provide an adequate “fit” with their experience of their sexuality. Although previous research has explored outcomes associated with mostly straight identification, there is still very little research that explores the lived experience of bi-curious, heteroflexible, and mostly straight people or seeks to understand why some individuals prefer micro-labels to more established sexual identity labels. This dissertation explores the lived experience of people who use the labels bi-curious, heteroflexible, or mostly straight (i.e., mostly straight+ people) through an examination of social media comment sections (Study One) and in-depth interviews with mostly straight+ women (Study Two). Social media and interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. In Study One, mostly straight+ identities were contested in online spaces. For some commenters, labels like heteroflexible, bi-curious, and mostly straight served important psychological, social, and epistemic functions. Other commenters questioned the legitimacy of mostly straight+ labels, denounced the authenticity of those who used them, and raised concerns that the labels were biphobic. For the women interviewed in Study Two, sexual identity development was marked by confusion and uncertainty, a yearning for self-understanding, and a desire to avoid misrepresenting themselves. The themes of this dissertation draw attention to shifting conceptualizations of sexual identity, issues of belongingness (specifically within the LGBTQ+ community), and the power of language to both mirror experience and shape new forms of self-understanding.
dc.description.embargo2026-08-20
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduate
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/22696
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Web
dc.subjectPlurisexuality
dc.subjectSexual Identity
dc.subjectSexual Orientation
dc.subjectBisexuality
dc.subjectMicro-labels
dc.subjectMostly Heterosexual
dc.title“Not bi enough:” an examination of “mostly straight” sexual identities
dc.typeThesis

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