The experiences of female bisexual student-athletes in China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Frontiers in Psychology

Psychology

Noor Syamilah Zakaria¹  YingyingXu²  Seyedali Ahrari³  Kim Geok Soh⁴  Meng Xiang⁴ 

[1] Department of Counsellor Education and Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia;Department of Philosophy and Civilization Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia;Department of Professional Development and Continuing Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia;Department of Sports Studies, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia;

关键词: bisexual;    sport;    student-athletes;    China;    sexual orientation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1129961

 received in 2022-12-22, accepted in 2023-02-21,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionMany scholars have explored the participation of LGBTQ individuals in sports. However, these studies have either categorized homosexuality and bisexuality together or focused only on lesbian, gay, or transgender individuals. There is a lack of research in the literature on bisexual individuals’ sports participation and an even more significant lack of Asia perspectives. Therefore, this qualitative study is aimed to explore the experiences of female bisexual student-athletes in China.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with four female bisexual student-athletes were conducted and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).ResultsThree themes and eight sub-themes were identified. Theme 1. what bisexual identity means, and sub-themes: a struggling journey, emotional attraction, and gender role for female bisexual student-athletes; Theme 2. invalid identity, and sub-themes: lesbian mask, unrecognized identity; Theme 3. perceptions of sports context, and sub-themes: the influence of the sports context on sexual fluidity, relative inclusion, and perceived rejection.ConclusionThis study provides new insights into understanding the experience of female bisexual student-athlete. In addition, the results highlight the importance of the need to study bisexuality as a distinct identity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Xiang, Soh, Xu, Ahrari and Zakaria.