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Friendships Across Sexual Orientations

Abstract This research investigated women's friendships across sexual orientations as they relate to bisexual identity. Interviews were conducted with 28 female participants in close friendship pairs. Participants included 7 lesbian and 7 bisexual women, along with their heterosexual friends (n = 14). Participants ranged in age from 18-34, with a friendship duration of 1-12 years. Results of this study suggest that while cross-sexual orientation friendships serve a similar function as other friendships, sexual orientation does factor into the friendship dynamic. Analyses focused on the ways in which the difference in sexual orientation identity influenced friendship structure between bisexual-heterosexual pairs. Comparison with lesbian-heterosexual friendships allowed for an understanding of how bisexual friendship experience is unique. Heterosexual women perceived their bisexual women friends as less different from themselves when compared to lesbian friends. In addition, friends in bisexual-heterosexual friendship pairs perceived a shift in the friendship dynamic based on the sex of the bisexual friend's partner.