"There's People Out There Doing More Than Me horizontal ellipsis ": Activist Burnout Among Bisexual College Students Within LGBTQ Campus Spaces

Queer- and trans-spectrum students continue to struggle with hostile campus climates. As a result, queer- and trans-spectrum students may engage in on-campus activism to push their institutions to address cisheterosexism on campus. Bisexual students experience invisibility, marginalization, and exclusion in both heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) spaces. Though not surprising that bisexual students experience hostility within predominantly heterosexual spaces, their challenges within LGBTQ campus spaces are especially concerning considering these spaces should be inclusive and supportive of their bisexual identity. The purpose of this study is to examine bisexual college students' experiences engaging in identity-based activism within LGBTQ campus spaces. Based on interviews with bisexual college students who participated in LGBTQ activism on campus, I considered two questions. First, what were the costs of engaging in LGBTQ activism as bisexual students within LGBTQ campus spaces? Second, considering these costs, what sustained them in continuing their activist work within LGBTQ campus spaces? The findings of this study revealed that most participants experienced at least one of the three components symptomatic of activist burnout as a result of their engagement in LGBTQ campus spaces. Participants shared their challenges engaging in these spaces stemmed from two main causes: (a) identifying as bisexual and experiencing biphobia within LGBTQ campus spaces and (b) being overcommitted to their activist work within LGBTQ campus spaces.