Bisexuality: The Basics: Your Q&A Guide to Coming Out, Dating, Parenting and Beyond (2024) is the debut non-fiction book by Lewis Oakley, a bi writer, activist, television and radio commentator, podcaster, and Bi.org columnist.
The book was directly inspired by Oakley’s Bi.org advice column, “Ask a Bi Dad”, where he answers bi-related questions and offers guidance to readers with bi-related problems. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Bisexuality: The Basics is structured like a long series of questions and answers, which are broken down by category in different chapters. The book covers a tremendous amount of territory in relatively few pages (about 150 pages on ebook). The topics include defining terms, labels, coming out, relationships, dating, sex, mental health, biphobia, parenting, family, self-consciousness, community, and more.
In an interview with Bi.org, Oakley described his writing process as the culmination of his years of activism, writing, and research. Given the incredible diversity of the bi community, his challenge was to make sure that every major subject was covered in a comprehensive and yet down-to-earth way that would be relatable to the whole spectrum of bi people. Along these lines, Oakley also said he wanted the book to summarize not only the most common questions he encounters, but to also explore many questions he believes are not asked enough.
The book gives a particularly rigorous treatment to the question of how best to come out, offering advice on coming out to husbands, wives, children, parents, friends, and same-sex partners. It discusses common forms of biphobia people may face, including from gay men, and also includes a chapter specifically for non-bisexuals who may be related to or in a relationship with a bi person.
Bisexuality: The Basics provides a streamlined and useful bi resource with an economy of words that packs a much longer book’s worth of information and advice into a Q&A guide that can be read in an afternoon. It was published in May, 2024, and is available at all major retailers.