Faith Cheltenham, chair of BiNet USA, has written a beautiful, sad blog post and a call for the importance of community:
Bisexual community mourns loss of bisexual teen, Adam Kizer Every day I hear from bi, pan, fluid and queer kids, adults and elders that they are encouraged to accept "the privelege" of hiding who they are. They are denied services from gay and lesbian resource centers because "they should be fine, how hard can it be?" And so they die, frequently without none to claim them as their own. The bisexual community claims this young person! YOU WERE PRECIOUS TO US AND YOUR LOSS WILL BE REMEMBERED. We will keep fighting for you and share your story in hopes it is one less often told. Click for full blog post at BiNetUSA's blog.
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By Martha Hardy BiNet USA's Faith Cheltenham just published a wonderful piece about solidarity on The Bilerico Project called "Bisexuals at the Gates" in which she further reflects on being present a the signing of President Obama's Executive Order prohibiting workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In this piece, Faith Cheltenham calls upon us to work together not only within bisexual communities but also with lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, asexual, and intersex people. It is hard to pick just one pull quote, so here are a couple: "We can't save lives alone, and I'm proud we have amazing gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, ace, intersex, and heterosexual allies who stand with us and against every stupid myth, stereotype, and slight against complex sexualities. Together we're fighting against a monosexist society that would call for bisexuals to "come out," and then close the gates to desperately-needed resources when they do. Bisexual resources and support opportunities still need to be created at nearly every major LGBT organization, and doing so will ensure bisexual people won't continue to face immediate sexual assault, stigma, and suicidality upon disclosing they are bisexual." "Having frank conversations about acephobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and classism are necessary in order to keep our entire community safe and whole, even if inclusive language is sometimes unfamiliar and suspiciously lacking in cynicism. Sexual and gender minority movements have never had a "more perfect union," but we can still build one on the backs of our collected strength." "How I got up there onstage with President Obama last week is also the story of how I survived growing up black, broke, and bisexual. It's the tale of how I got up from thinking I was alone and never at home in the world, let alone at home with a word that described my own community. And it's another step in the nearly fifty years of modern bisexual history that belongs to us all. As bisexual people, we're used to being erased, or ignored, or overlooked. We're rightfully frustrated when others act as if the B in GLBT is silent or not there at all. We get caught up in debates about labels. All of these conversations are crucial for bi+ folks to have AND we also need to remember that, as bi+, transgender, gay, lesbian, queer, intersex, and asexual people, we're all in this thing together, working for social justice.
When President Obama recently signed an Executive Order protecting GLBT federal workers from employment discrimination, it was a big deal. Representatives from a variety of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities were present at the signing. Most media reports, however, neglected to note the presence of BiNet USA president and long time bisexual activist Faith Cheltenham, who has spoken and written incisively about workplace discrimination experience by bisexual folks in the past (see Workplace Discrimination Series: Faith Cheltenham). Bi+ folks are speaking up about this notable instance of bisexual erasure. BOP Chair Camille Holthaus wrote an excellent piece on her blog called Bi Erasure or Why Presidential Hugs Don’t Mean We’re Visible. Bi erasure is complicated. It is done to us when bisexuals are relabeled as gay, lesbian or straight by the media or historians. It is done to us when headlines, event announcements and “inclusive” pride parades don’t say bisexual. We do it to ourselves whenever we allow someone to assume that we are straight, gay or lesbian. GLAAD is one of the few groups that reported on the presence of Faith Cheltenham at this historic event: Obama Historically Joined by Trans and Gay Faith Leaders, Bi Advocates in Signing Executive Order. GLAAD also reported on the bi erasure by most news and other media in Reporting Erases Bi Presence, Community Members at Executive Order Signing and they quoted extensively from Camille Holthaus' blog post. You can read more about the Executive Order and the signing ceremony here: President Obama Signs a New Executive Order to Protect LGBT Workers and watch video of the ceremony below. |
BECAUSEBECAUSE 2023
September 30 - October 1, 2023 Wellstone Center St Paul, MN We hope you will join us for the BECAUSE Conference in fall 2023! 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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