The Bisexual Organizing Project, along with BiNet USA and the Bisexual Resource Center, is proud to support a new report from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called Supporting and Caring for Our Bisexual Youth. Bisexual youth face a unique set of challenges that affect their ability to flourish in their families, schools and communities. You can download a PDF of the report below.
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Happy #bivisibility day!
I use bi+ to be intentionally inclusive of all non-monosexual identified and behaving people. When I speak to youth, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled are salient ways that many express who they are to others. I hear about the importance of the bisexual identity from many of the elders who tell me about their fight for recognition in straight and gay spaces. For me, as a white, middle class racial justice leader, I feel that bivisibility has to be about making and transforming spaces for ourselves and each other so all of us can thrive and be honored as the beautiful, deep, and complex people we are. So, today and everyday, I'm calling out and making intentional space for bi/pan/fluid/poly/omni/queer/and unlabeled folks with intersectional identities. Bi+ people of color and indigenous people, bi+ people who are transgender/gender variant, bi+ people who speak multiple languages, bi+ Muslims/Hindi/Jews/Budhists/Pagans/Atheists, bi+ people who have crossed national borders, bi+ folks with disabilities, bi+ folks with limited financial resources, bi+ youngsters and elders -- I believe that all of our stories matter! I believe we are stronger and more powerful when we recognize and honor each other. Honoring each other extends beyond just calling out the presence of those whose voices might otherwise be absent. I ask for each of us to get uncomfortable and reflect about the needs of bi+ people everywhere. We won't find easy solutions to the problems bi+ people face, but we won't find solutions at all if we don't listen to those whose voices might be quiet or full of anger. That's the spirit behind the Bi+ Story Project. We have to get creative to make space so we can listen radically to bi+ people. You can improve #bivisibility by sharing your own story. It's quick and easy: STEP 1. Record a video (aim for 7-10 minutes). STEP 2. Sign into your YouTube account through your gmail address and upload your video. Copy the link to your video when you're done loading it. STEP 3. Visit http://www.bistoryproject.org/submit-your-video.html, complete the brief survey, and paste the link into the survey when prompted. #bistoriesmatter Peace, Mary Hoelscher By Lou Hoffman
At a discussion group recently a woman said that she believed bi activism was at a low point. I was astonished, since in my view bi activism is going like crazy for the last couple of years. Bis have been included in all of the LGBT White House Pride receptions and were on stage when President Obama signed the Federal Employee Act. More importantly for bis was the first ever White House Roundtable on Bisexual Issues on September 23, 2013, which was work, not for show (and there is another one this year). Locally, BOP and BECAUSE have been on a steady upswing since 2008, and local groups across the nation are connecting for regional support. LGBT groups are being challenged about their “silent Bs and Ts” and some are taking Bi and Trans inclusion seriously. Having been around bi activism for more than 40 years, right now reminds me a lot of the late 1980's and most of the 1990's. We had a visible presence at large events that were then styled as “Gay and Lesbian”. We had our own national gatherings, our own conferences and newsletters, Newsweek declared us the new latest trend. (Bisexuality gets called new and trending about every 10 years or so.) Local groups popped up all over the place. It was exciting! But there did come a crash. 2004 was the 8th International Conference on Bisexuality in Minneapolis and while it was very successful, it burnt out many of the local activists. When the BECAUSE Conference failed in 2005, there wasn't anyone to pick up the pieces. BOP lost it's office and while events both local and national never quit completely, there was certainly a down swing in activities. And as I said, things really picked up again starting in 2008. A few people got their breathe back and decided to restart things, and new people jumped up and grabbed for the possibilities. I am so pleased! But, you can see why this feels so 1990's to me. And why I'm concerned that we are heading for another burnout. I've said this before: Community is not something you passively consume. If you want to be part of a Bi Community, you have to BE part of it. Go out and make history. |
BECAUSEBECAUSE 2024
October 4th - 6th, 2024 Murzyn Hall Columbia Heights, MN We hope you will join us for the BECAUSE Conference in fall 2024! MissionBuild, serve and advocate for an empowered bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community to promote social justice. Vision
Within the next five years grow Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) into a successfully-run Upper Midwest nonprofit organization with annual funding of $100,000 that provides community building, education, and advocacy for the bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community and our allies.
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