Practice Spirit Do Justice Ohio Power Summit

A Leadership Training for All People of Faith
Fairlawn West, United Church of Christ, 2095 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44313
4 pm Friday, October 24 -- 4 pm Sunday, October 26
Special Clergy Session 9 am -- 3 pm, Friday, October 24                                         
                                                    
                                                   
Come and be part of an inspiring statewide community of faith to support LGBTQ inclusion! In Ohio, the state legislature will be considering a vote on statewide protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.                        

This training will prepare over 200 people of faith to make a bold impact within their congregations for LGBTQ justice; to educate people about the harms caused to LGBTQ people by discrimination; and, to ready their congregations, we'll train lay leaders and clergy how to build relationships with legislators around Ohio.

REGISTER NOW!
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=9oIMJSOtGgILJSNCH&s=gkJWKcNULlJSK2MKJqG&m=gqKNJ0OEKeLLL6J)                                                 

Training topics are both for people at the beginning of their welcoming journey and for those who have been on the path for a while. These include:                        

--Why is transgender justice key to an LGBTQ welcoming movement of faith?                            
 
--How can we increase our skills and knowledge about transgender people's needs in our congregations and in public life to become the best allies we can be?                            
 
--Understand and use conversations with people you know to lift up listening as a spiritual practice within individual conversations and learn how people you know feel about LGBTQ inclusion.                            
 
--Learn how to be a congregational leader and effectively develop teams of people to advance LGBTQ justice through strategic key activities including: educational conversations, visibility, letter-writing to legislators, letters to the editor, relationship building with questioning legislators and non-welcoming people of faith.                            
   
--Clergy facilitation includes media training, writing op eds, sermons about the harms caused to LGBTQ people and the need for redress and visibility.                            
 
--From idea to event: clear and effective action steps planning, including inspiring invitations.                            
 
--The Ohio Faith Council and the Equality Ohio Education Fund faith organizer will deliver a campaign update on the work toward a statewide non-discrimination law.                                                                          

Logistics:
--Our training site is Fairlawn West, United Church of Christ, 2095 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44313

--Meals provided: Friday dinner, Sat & Sun cold breakfasts and lunches

--Materials include a participator list, all training materials and a next steps work plan template

--Training fee is $100.00. Scholarships are available and we encourage you to request one.

--Request a Scholarship
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=chKSK1MFIjLRL2PPG&s=gkJWKcNULlJSK2MKJqG&m=gqKNJ0OEKeLLL6J)

--Gas stipends will be offered for people who request them.

--Our preferred hotel is the Holiday Inn, 4073 Medina Rd, Akron, OH 44333. The hotel is 7-10 minutes away from the training. Call Tami Mahoney, 330.666.4422 to make a reservation.

--Limited community housing will be offered, so please request that on the registration form.                        


For More Information:

Call or text Kathleen Campisano, 202-577-3139; kcampisano@thetaskforce.org.                        


Sponsoring faith organizations include:
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources, Integrity Episcopalians, More Light Presbyterians, Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ, Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation, Reconciling Ministries Network, Equality Ohio Education Fund, the Ohio Faith Council, the Overbrook Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and Believe OUT LOUD.                         


The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country's premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. (C) National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. 1325 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005. Phone 202.393.5177. Fax 202.393.2241. TTY 202.393.2284. theTaskForce@theTaskForce.org.                                                                                                                  

                                                                
BUILD POWER     TAKE ACTION     CREATE CHANGE   
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Call for Papers 2015 UNC Asheville Queer Studies Conferenc

Call for Papers: 2015 UNC Asheville Queer Studies Conference April 2-4, Asheville, NC

“Navigating Normativities, Queering Institutions and Challenging Inequalities”

Abstract Deadline Monday, November 24, 2014

The UNC Asheville Queer Studies Conference, a biennial event established in 1998, attracts an international audience of activists, academics, and artists who showcase a range of creative and scholarly pursuits related to the investigation of genders and sexualities. All GLBTQ-related proposals will be considered. We invite a diverse representation of approaches and participants, including faculty, staff, graduate students, community members and undergraduate students.  All formats will be considered, including paper presentations (15 minutes), panels (60 to 75 minutes), workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, and performances. Paper presentations will be organized into groups of 3 to 4.

Elaborations on the theme Navigating Normativities might include:

·         what gets lost with gained rights?

·         queer gains and losses in the classroom, health care, military, and workplaces

·         navigating legal, cultural, educational, professional or faith-based discourses

·         navigating race, disability, ethnicity, class

·         queering gender borders, identities, spaces

·         navigating our queer bodies through straight spaces

·         transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or intersexed action or voices

·         queer activism: measured means and/or outcomes

·         investigations of shame, privilege, home, space, reclamation

·         queer youth/older adults: lived experience and activism

·         queer representations, expressions and cultures in art, literature, craft, and performance

In addition, we are issuing a special call for papers, presentations or performances on the theme of Black Mountain College. Inquiries and submissions for this special theme should be sent to Dr. Brian Butler, bbutler@unca.edu.

Panel proposals, paper abstracts, and proposals for art exhibitions, workshops, film screenings and performances are due as a PDF or .Doc file attachment no later than Monday, November 24, 2014.

Please email individual paper abstracts (up to 500 words), panel and workshop proposals (up to 700 words) and other proposals (up to 1000 words when appropriate include images, samples, or clips). All proposals should include a title for the presentation, panel or performance, type of format preferred, length of time preferred, audio/visual and accessibility needs as well as full names, email addresses and affiliations of all the authors. Send your completed abstract/proposal to: qsconf@unca.edu.

Registration: To register, please fill out and mail the registration form. All speakers must register for the conference. Registration (due February 23, 2015) is $100 for faculty/professional, $80 for graduate students/non-profit professionals, and $60 for undergraduate students/unemployed or underemployed. Late registration (after February 23rd) is $125 for faculty, $100 for graduate students, and $70 for undergraduate students (includes breakfasts and lunches). Daily community passes (to attend sessions) will be available at the conference ($20); the fee to attend only a keynote address will be $20.

Keynote Presenters

Kate Clinton - Thursday Evening, April 2

Urvashi Vaid - Friday Afternoon, April 3

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For additional information, email questions to Lori Horvitz: lhorvitz@unca.edu, or Sophie Mills: smills@unca.edu

For more information: https://wgss.unca.edu/queer-studies-conference

Public Policy Priorities for the Bisexual Community

Bisexual people have been a driving force in the LGBTQ community since before Stonewall and continue to be leaders within local, regional and national organizations and issue-based campaigns. Every day, bisexuals work side by side with the larger LGBT community to effect change and equality.
What does it mean to be bisexual? Renowned gender and sexuality advocate Robyn Ochs puts it this way: “Bisexuals are people who acknowledge in themselves the potential to be attracted—romantically and/or sexually—to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.”

2013 Bisexual Community Issues Roundtable at the White House *Source: BiNet USA

Bisexual Public Policy Priorities

Statistics show quite clearly that bisexual people report higher levels of physical and mental health disparities, sexual and domestic violence, and poverty than gays and lesbians. Often these disparities can be attributed to bisexual discrimination and anti-bisexual bias. Wendy Bostwick’s study on microaggressions against bisexual people points out that many of these negative interactions are initiated by lesbian and gay people, so it is not surprising that Pew research has shown that bisexual people report much lower levels of feeling connected to the LGBTQ community. For more on the important issues facing Bisexual Americans please check out Movement Advancement Project’s Understanding Issues Facing Bisexual Americans report.

The Bisexual Resource Center has designated March as Bisexual Health Awareness Month to raise awareness about bisexual health disparities. Source: Bisexual Resource Center

About Bisexual Erasure

Bisexual erasure/bisexual invisibility is a pervasive problem in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright. For example, two married women might spend time in community spaces dominated by lesbians. Perhaps one of the women is bisexual and objects to the assumption that she is a lesbian (i.e., when others call the two women a “lesbian couple”). However, every time she mentions this, others insist that she can’t really be bisexual or that her orientation doesn’t matter (perhaps with the subtext that she shouldn’t talk about it) now that she is partnered. Bisexual scholar, activist and theorist, Dr. Herukhuti has cautioned, “By selecting which loved ones and sexual partners in someone’s life are worthy of being recognized, bisexual erasure is a violent amputation of a person’s chosen family and community.”

Bisexual erasure plays a critical role in reducing access to the resources and support opportunities bisexually oriented people so desperately need. Source: Bisexual Resource Center

Talking about bisexuals can help save lives.

Thankfully the bisexual community has displayed a high level of resiliency and despite many challenges has worked to create awareness of important bisexual public policy priorities. Whether it be speaking with President Obama about the bisexual community, launching bisexuality related social media campaigns or advocating for fair treatment in the media, the bisexual community’s hard work towards equality should be recognized and supported.
Every day is a day you can support people who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, non-monosexual, no labels, pomosexual, bi-romantic, pan-romantic, polysexual, multisexual or any of the several dozen “labels” the bisexual community celebrates and supports as equally valid and equally brave.

Examples of anti-stigma campaign done by the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto. Posters, buttons, and postcards available for sale at http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/rhostore

Bisexual cultural competency training is a necessity to understand bisexual history, identity, culture, politics and community. Please contact one of the three U.S. based bisexual non-profit community organizations to be connected to trainers affiliated with The Bisexual Resource Center, Bisexual Organizing Project and/or BiNet USA.

Bisexual Awareness Week Reporting Best Practices

For more best practices, see GLAAD Media Reference Guide – In Focus: Covering the Bisexual Community at glaad.org/reference/bisexual.

• Don’t make assumptions about how someone identifies. For example, do not refer to a married male couple as a gay couple unless you know they both identify as such. The same goes for a female couple or a different-sex couple; any of the people in any of these types of relationships may identify as bisexual. The same goes for single individuals; do not assume they are lesbian, gay or straight unless they identify themselves that way.
• Don’t assume that bisexuals cannot be monogamous. Monogamy, non-monogamy and polyamory are separate from bisexuality; there are people of all orientations with those relationship styles, and there are bisexuals with various types of relationship styles. Don’t conflate sexual orientation with relationship type.
• Don’t assume that bisexuals necessarily are interested in threesomes, open relationships or casual sex. Do not choose sexualized photos/illustrations/videos for pieces about bisexuals unless it is germane to the specific story. For example, a profile of a bisexual woman should not be illustrated with clip art or photos that allude to group sex.
• Don’t assume or imply that a bisexual who is in a monogamous relationship has “chosen” an orientation and/or become lesbian, gay, or straight.
• Don’t assume that a person must have had sexual experiences with both men and women (or any particular set of sexual experiences) in order to be bisexual. Just as many lesbian and gay people come out without having had a same-sex sexual experience, bisexuals, too, often go through a coming out process without having had either a same-sex or different-sex sexual encounter.
• Don’t assume that bisexuality is a less valid identity because you know of someone who once identified as bisexual and now identifies as lesbian or gay. The reverse is also true; there are people who once identified as lesbian, gay or straight who have since come out as bisexual. Coming out is a process, and sometimes identity evolves. That does not invalidate bisexuality.
• Ask people how they identify if the information is relevant to your story.
• Avoid implying that someone’s orientation or gender identity is suspect. For example, don’t call someone a “self-identified bisexual” or say she or he “currently identifies as bisexual” when you would not use such phrases to refer to a lesbian, gay or straight source.
• Don’t imply that bisexuals are inherently transphobic or only recognize two genders. Many bisexual people have transgender partners, and many bisexual people are themselves transgender or genderqueer.
• If a source identifies as pansexual or fluid, use their identity word to describe them—but do so without making or repeating assumptions about those who identify as bisexual. For instance, a source may say that she or he identifies as pansexual because of a capacity to be attracted to people of any/all genders. Do not assume that the same is not true for someone who uses the term bisexual.

• Do recognize that people who fall under the “community identity label” bisexual may use “personal identity labels” such as fluid, multisexual, pansexual, polysexual, pomosexual and omnisexual. The use of these labels may vary by region, ethnicity and socioeconomic class. Understand that the bisexual community (and the LGBT community as a whole) has ongoing conversations about labels. Those conversations do not invalidate the label bisexual–or the labels lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, etc.
• Do not assume that someone must be equally attracted to men and women to be bisexual. Within the bisexual community, you will find that people have a broad array of attractions. Some bisexuals may be more attracted to people of a particular sex/gender identity, while others may experience attraction as unrelated to sex/gender identity.
• The Kinsey Scale is one metric that expressed the concept of a continuum of attractions; that tool tracks a spectrum of attractions from 0 (heterosexual) to 6 (homosexual) with shades of bisexuality between the two poles.
• Another metric is the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which charts multiple factors–including sexual attraction, experiences, fantasies–over time.
• When reporting broadly about LGBT issues, don’t make assumptions or statements that exclude bisexuals. For example, it is not accurate to state that LGBT couples do not have to worry about birth control or unintentional pregnancy, which are relevant to bisexuals who have relationships with partners of other sexes/gender identities.
• Recognize that bisexuals are part of the LGBT community, regardless of their current relationship status. Don’t refer to bisexual people as straight, and do not call them “allies” of the LGBT movement. For example, media coverage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie frequently characterized both as supporters or allies of the LGBT movement (or, in some cases, their support has been questioned). In fact, Jolie is a bisexual woman who has been out for years. The fact that she married a different-sex partner does not change that she is part of the LGBT community, not an ally/supporter.
• Understand that bisexual people frequently encounter prejudice from lesbian and gay people as well as from straight people. They may face the perception that their identity makes them inherently indecisive, greedy, untrustworthy and/or promiscuous. Don’t assume that any of those things are true of a bisexual person.
• Do not hyphenate the words bisexual or bisexuality.
• Spell out the word bisexual on first reference. The abbreviation bi is often acceptable on subsequent references; however, some members of the bisexual community prefer that the full word always be used. Ask your sources and respect their preferences. Other abbreviations of bisexual may include bi* and bi+ to indicate the diversity of identities within the bisexual community (i.e. pansexual, non-monosexual, fluid, queer). The label bi* maybe considered analogous to the abbreviation trans*, which is similarly used to indicate diversity within the transgender community. These abbreviations are not widespread, and if you use them you will most likely want to include a note of explanation for readers.
• Avoid phrases that are frequently used to mock the idea of bisexuality. For example, do not say someone “plays for both teams,” is “on the fence,” gets “the best of both worlds” or has twice as many chances to get a date.
• Avoid using the word gay as an umbrella term for the LGBT community. Likewise, “gay and transgender” is not inclusive of the whole community and should be used only if you’re referring only to gay men and transgender people. If your intention is to refer to the whole community, LGBT is the most commonly accepted term. In some cases, it may be acceptable or preferable to use: LGBTQ; LGBT and questioning; or queer.
• Avoid using the phrase “gay marriage” in favor of “marriage equality.” Likewise, “same-sex couple” should be used instead of “gay couple” or “lesbian couple” unless you know the people referenced identify as gay or lesbian. See glaad.org/reference/marriage for more on covering marriage equality.
• Don’t assume or advise that coming out as bisexual is anything to be ashamed of. Don’t imply that saying you are bisexual is suggesting that you are sexually available or saying anything about your sex life. Bisexuality is a sexual orientation, just like being straight, lesbian or gay; it should not be stigmatized.

Thank you to Our Supporters

Working collaboratively BiNet USA, Bisexual Resource Center, The Bisexual Organizing Project and GLAAD wrote the “Open Letter Supporting Bisexual Awareness Week”. We asked that LGBT service providers, organizations and media outlets join us during #biweek by agreeing to:

• Write blog posts by bisexual, pansexual, fluid or non-monosexual identified writers sharing their pride
• Write blog posts by allies sharing their support for bisexual communities and bisexual culture
• Post on Twitter, Facebook and other social media engagements that visibly affirm, celebrate and support bisexual people
• Host an event to celebrate Bi Pride Day on September 23rd or another day during the awareness week

Bisexual Awareness Week co-partners have also committed to having their staff trained in bisexual cultural competency by the end of 2015.

Co-partners of Bisexual Awareness Week include:

• GLAAD
• Bisexual Resource Center
• Bisexual Organizing Project
• Center for Culture, Sexuality, and Spirituality
• National Black Justice Coalition
• Human Rights Campaign
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
• Movement Advancement Project
• Huffington Post
• San Francisco Human Rights Commission
• Pridelines Youth Services
• Alliance of Multicultural Bisexuals of Metro DC
• BiRequest NYC
• BiMagazine.org
• The BiCast
• Center Bi
• Equality Michigan
• Bi Community News
• Los Angeles Bi Task Force
• Bi Women’s Quarterly
• BiMedia
• bisexual-books.tumblr.com
• The Bisexual Index
• Transgender Violence Tracking Portal
• Transgender Human Rights Institute
• Nehirim
• Boston Bisexual Women’s Network
• Bay Area Bisexual Network
• Elixher

Download the Open Letter Supporting Bisexual Awareness week here.

To join us as co-partners please email binetusa@binetusa.org

Why We Use The Word Bisexual

Bisexual is a Community Identity Label (similar to “lesbian,” “gay,” “straight,” or “queer”).
Many bisexuals use Personal Identity Labels that serve a vital function in describing differences while giving each individual a space to be unique.
Personal Identity Labels can include (but would never be limited to): fluid, multisexual, non-monosexual, pansexual, polysexual, pomosexual, and omnisexual.
The internal conversation between bi, pan, fluid, queer community members about labels should not be used as a rationale for not serving the needs of the same community.
“Bisexual or Pansexual?” can be considered the bisexual equivalent to internal community conversations many gay and lesbian people have regarding personal approaches to identification (e.g. “masculine,” “butch,” “femme,” or “queer”). Some older bisexuals only prefer bisexual, some younger folks only prefer bi, and some only prefer using a personal identity label like non-monosexual or pansexual. All identifications are equally valid so don’t “identity police” but DO spend time acknowledging the diversity that exists within the “B in LGBT”.

Bisexual, bi definition

From the 1990 Bisexual Manifesto

Bisexuality is a whole, fluid identity. Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature: that we have “two” sides or that we must be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. In fact, don’t assume that there are only two genders. Do not mistake our fluidity for confusion, irresponsibility, or an inability to commit. Do not equate promiscuity, infidelity, or unsafe sexual behavior with bisexuality. Those are human traits that cross all sexual orientations. Nothing should be assumed about anyone’s sexuality, including your own.

New York Area Bisexual Network Marching, 1991

Some bisexual identity reporting best practice tips

• If a source identifies as pansexual or fluid, use their identity word to describe them—but do so without making or repeating assumptions about those who identify as bisexual. For instance, a source may say that she or he identifies as pansexual because of a capacity to be attracted to people of any/all genders. Do not assume that the same is not true for someone who uses the term bisexual.
• Do recognize that people who fall under the “community identity label” bisexual may use “personal identity labels” such as fluid, multisexual, pansexual, polysexual, pomosexual and omnisexual. The use of these labels may vary by region, ethnicity and socioeconomic class. Understand that the bisexual community (and the LGBT community as a whole) has ongoing conversations about labels. Those conversations do not invalidate the label bisexual–or the labels lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, etc.
• Do not assume that someone must be equally attracted to men and women to be bisexual. Within the bisexual community, you will find that people have a broad array of attractions. Some bisexuals may be more attracted to people of a particular sex/gender identity, while others may experience attraction as unrelated to sex/gender identity.
• Recognize that bisexuals are part of the LGBT community, regardless of their current relationship status. Don’t refer to bisexual people as straight, and do not call them “allies” of the LGBT movement. For example, media coverage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie frequently characterized both as supporters or allies of the LGBT movement (or, in some cases, their support has been questioned). In fact, Jolie is a bisexual woman who has been out for years. The fact that she married a different-sex partner does not change that she is part of the LGBT community, not an ally/supporter.
• Do not hyphenate the words bisexual or bisexuality.
• Spell out the word bisexual on first reference. The abbreviation bi is often acceptable on subsequent references; however, some members of the bisexual community prefer that the full word always be used. Ask your sources and respect their preferences. Other abbreviations of bisexual may include bi* and bi+ to indicate the diversity of identities within the bisexual community (i.e. pansexual, non-monosexual, fluid, queer). The label bi* maybe considered analogous to the abbreviation trans*, which is similarly used to indicate diversity within the transgender community. These abbreviations are not widespread, and if you use them you will most likely want to include a note of explanation for readers.

For more best practices, see GLAAD Media Reference Guide – In Focus: Covering the Bisexual Community at glaad.org/reference/bisexual.

About Bisexual Awareness Week

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, held every September 23rd, GLAAD, BiNet USA and other bisexual organizations are launching Bisexual Awareness Week.
Bisexual Awareness Week (#biweek) exists to help draw attention to the public policy concerns of bisexual people while also celebrating the great resiliency of bisexual culture and community.
Bisexual Awareness Week will utilize a social media campaign that provides daily themes to keep changing hearts and minds about bisexual people, and bi lives. Themes will focus on the history, culture, community and current policy priorities of bisexual communities.

Themes and Hashtags For Bisexual Awareness Week

In addition to the usual hashtags (#bipride, #bisexual, #BiDay, and #BiVisibilityDay), the following hashtags will be used on given, corresponding days during #biweek:

• Sunday 9/21 #BiHistory – Post, status update and tweet about important moments in bisexual movement history and/or the names and images of famous bi* people throughout history
• Monday 9/22 #BiFacts – Post, status update and tweet facts about being bi* e.g., stories and statistics about bi* health, safety/security, quality of life, or funding and social disparities
• Tuesday 9/23 “My #bisexuality looks like…” – Post, status update and tweet “My #bisexuality looks like” finishing the sentence to express bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer and fluid pride and experience
• Wednesday 9/24 #BiMedia – Post, status update and tweet the names and images of your favorite bisexual blogs, films, tv shows, authors, artists, cultural workers, and thank them for their work
• Thursday 9/25 #RecognizeBiMen – Post, status update and tweet selfies of bisexual men. Allies can post, status update and tweet selfies with bisexual men in their lives or holding up an image of the book Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men
• Friday 9/26 #BiTrans – Post, status update and tweet affirming statements and images about being bi* and trans*
• Saturday 9/27 #BiAllies – Post, status update and tweet selfies of bisexuals with people that love, support and champion them

About Celebrate Bisexuality Day

Official name	Celebrate Bisexuality Day
Also called	Bisexual Pride Day, Bi Visibility Day, CBD, Bisexual Pride and Bi Visibility Day
Observed by	Bisexual, pansexual, fluid community and their families, friends, allies and supporters

September 23 is Celebrate Bisexuality Day (often abbreviated CBD), an international awareness day that is also referred to as Bi Visibility Day and Bisexual Pride Day. Three bisexual advocates–Wendy Curry, Michael Page and Gigi Raven Wilbur–conceived of the event as a way to combat bisexual invisibility. CDB, which began in 1999, is celebrated with events around the world celebrating bisexual culture, community and history. In 2013, the White House held its first bisexual community issues roundtable on Celebrate Bisexuality Day.

In addition to the usual hashtags #bipride, #bisexual, #BiDay, and #BiVisibilityDay the following hashtags will be used on given, corresponding days during #biweek:

• Sunday 9/21 #BiHistory – Post, status update and tweet about important moments in bisexual movement history and/or the names and images of famous bi* people throughout history
• Monday 9/22 #BiFacts – Post, status update and tweet facts about being bi* e.g., stories and statistics about bi* health, safety/security, quality of life, or funding and social disparities
• Tuesday 9/23 “My #bisexuality looks like…” – Post, status update and tweet “My #bisexuality looks like” finishing the sentence to express bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer and fluid pride and experience
• Wednesday 9/24 #BiMedia – Post, status update and tweet the names and images of your favorite bisexual blogs, films, tv shows, authors, artists, cultural workers, and thank them for their work
• Thursday 9/25 #RecognizeBiMen – Post, status update and tweet selfies of bisexual men. Allies can post, status update and tweet selfies with bisexual men in their lives or holding up an image of the book Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men
• Friday 9/26 #BiTrans – Post, status update and tweet affirming statements and images about being bi* and trans*
• Saturday 9/27 #BiAllies – Post, status update and tweet selfies of bisexuals with people that love, support and champion them

 

It’s Bisexual Awareness Week! Here Are Five Ways To Celebrate

This article was posted in Politics + Activism, reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com,

Posted by Audrey on September 22, 2014 at 6:23pm PDT

feature image via thenextgreatgeneration.com
Bisexual people make up more than 50 percent of the LGB community, but media, the mainstream, and even LGBT groups often erase our experiences and specific needs or fold them into lesbian and gay programs and statistics. BiNet USA, GLAAD and other organizations hope the first ever Bisexual Awareness Week will be a step toward making more space for for the B in LGBT.
September 23, 1999 was the first Celebrate Bisexuality Day, and in that tradition a big part of the week aims to celebrate what makes bisexuality and bisexuals great, and honor our accomplishments throughout history and today. Organizers also want to make people aware of the stark realities non-monosexual people face, like poorer health, higher rates of sexual assault and relatively low rates of being out as bisexual — only 28 percent of bi people say they are out to the most important people in their lives, compared to more than 70 percent of gay and lesbian people.
“Bisexuals are coming together to say we can’t live with this anymore,” said Faith Cheltenham, the president of BiNet USA. “Because we haven’t been living with it — there have been a lot of suicides. I’ve lost three friends in this work since I started doing it because they had no hope.”
Bisexuals have successfully worked together to gain more visibility and pursue proactive policies and services in recent years. There are many ways to celebrate and honor Bisexual Awareness Week. Here are a few! Add your own in the comments.

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1. Educate yourself about the specific challenges of bisexual people and support efforts to improve our lives.

A new report from the LGBT Movement Advancement Project uses data to demonstrate the ways in which bisexual people face specific challenges and thus require targeted solutions. The report collates a lot of data that has been widely shared and discussed on this website and many other places — and that’s because there simply isn’t much reliable data on bisexuals, said Heron Greenesmith, a movement and policy analyst for LGBT MAP. It’s startling and important to see so much data collected in one place. The report highlights poor physical and mental health among bisexuals compared to heterosexual, lesbian and gay people; higher levels of poverty; and higher rates of intimate partner and sexual violence among bisexual women.

via LGBT Movement Advancement Project

This report gives the media, service providers and bi people a comprehensive place to go to look for information and statistics about bi people. Says Greenesmith:

I’m hoping that media will use it and all the resources collected during the week to speak more competently about the LGBT movement and understand that even the LGB part is not a monolith. I’m hoping LGBT organizations will see it as an invitation to showcase their bi-specific programming and for those who don’t have any to understand the necessity and the importance of having bi-specific programming. I’m hoping that bi folks will see it and know that not only are they not alone but other people are going through the same challenges they are facing in their lives and folks are out there who are supporting them. I’m hoping that service providers and researchers will take it as an invitation to be more culturally competent and precise in their language around LGBT people and in their work.

The research presented demonstrates why it’s harmful to fold bisexuals in with gays and lesbians or heterosexual people when doing research and providing services. For example, Cheltenham noted that many LGBT-oriented health centers can’t or won’t provide bi-specific health care and may even turn away bisexual patients. The lack of information and awareness has very real consequences. As Greenesmith said, there is a dearth of research on bisexuals, and not much of what does exist accounts for the intersections of oppression that put some bisexual people, like those who are transgender, gender nonconforming or non-binary, of color or low-income at greater risk. With more knowledge, policymakers and service providers can better target their work to reach the most people and improve outcomes for bisexuals and everyone in the larger LGBTQ community.

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2. Read and share books about bisexuality.

I semi-regret getting the incredible Bi: Notes From A Bisexual Revolution by Shiri Eisner on Kindle because it makes it harder to foist it upon people and make them read it. Before I read it, I was timid about identifying as bi because I felt like it carried baggage I wasn’t prepared to handle. After reading Eisner’s book, I became excited and proud to call myself bi (in addition to queer) and quote it at anyone who will listen. Now I’m making my way through Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around The World, an anthology of more than 200 essays from bisexual people from 42 countries who speak from many different experiences of gender, race, class and more. Its editors, Robyn Ochs and Sarah Rowley, are among the most trusted and active bi women in the U.S. and internationally. Next up on my list is Bisexuality and Transgenderism: Intersexions of the Other. It’s a textbook, so it’s expensive and hard to track down, but it is an important resource for people interested in the ways bisexual and transgender identities, movements and oppressions overlap and diverge. Because bisexuals are often erased in mainstream works about lesbian and gay people, bisexuals are creating our own texts, with many awesome results.

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3. Donate to organizations that support bisexuals.

Although bisexual people make up a very large portion of the LGBT community, funding for bi-specific work makes up a small part of funding for LGBT programs. If you’ve got extra dollars floating around, put them toward the work of improving quality of life for bisexual people. National organizations like BiNet USA and Bisexual Resource Center are collecting resources, energizing communities and working directly with LGBT and mainstream leaders to promote bisexual causes and get information into the public. Find out if your local LGBT resource center provides bi-specific programming and give a donation marked for that program. Become an A+ member to help financially support the bisexuals who work at this website, and so you can read our staff emails where we finally explain bisexual orgasms (hint: they involve ghosts).

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4. Engage with people online and in real life about bisexuality.

Cats are like “I always knew I was different but didn’t have the words to express it before.” via bidyke.tumblr.com

BiNet has a series of hashtags for the week to highlight different aspects of the bisexual movement, which you can find on their site. The hashtags so far — #bihistory and #bifacts — have provided some amazing insights and resources, so check them out on the twitters and contribute! There are also a ton of official events, like meetups, trainings and concerts, plus online activities like a Google Hangout with bisexual Christian heartthrob Eliel Cruz hosted by Campus Pride. If none of that is your bag, just paint your face blue, purple and pink and go to brunch.

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5. Acknowledge and celebrate bisexuals and bisexuality.

It seems so simple, but it often doesn’t happen. Bisexuals are often an afterthought, lumped in with bigger headings like gay, queer and LGBT without being named as our own community with specific needs. Subtle changes to daily language — the simple act of naming bisexuality and actively including bisexual people and concerns in activism, policy language and service provision will make an impact. The fight is so much bigger than visibility, but reversing the damaging impact of erasure and silencing is an important first step toward caring for bisexual people and communities. Some people aren’t comfortable with using the term bisexual for themselves or as an umbrella term, and all these suggestions apply to people of many non-monosexual identities.

Bisexual Awareness Week is about more than awareness — it’s a chance to loudly declare our presence in the LGBT community and the world and work for the rights, respect and services that will keep us alive and help our community become healthy and vibrant.