President Obama Signs Executive Order Protecting GLBT Federal Employees, Media Ignores Representation from Bisexual Community at Signing Ceremony

Screen capture from White House video courtesy of Gary North, BiNet USA

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.