It’s not uncommon for people to come out as gay after being in heterosexual relationships. But when the gay/straight binary is so enforced, these storylines become a media trope that disregards bisexuality. Because Drew is now partnered with a man, he must be gay–no one mentions the idea that Drew could be bisexual. When closeted people only have the option of coming out as gay, as opposed to bi or queer, we perpetuate two harmful tropes: that there are only two sexual orientations, and that the gender of your partner determines your sexual identity.
Eradicating biphobia within gay communities and gay media (via cbrachyrhynchos)

(via caffeine-queer)

Source: feministing.com

bidyke: [Image: Dark green grunge background. First line text: “Did you know?”. Second line image: 10 people symbols/silhouettes, of which 4.5 are colored dark orange, and 5.5 light orange. Third line text (large): “nearly 45% of bisexual youth have been bullied online”. Fourth line, smaller text: “By contrast, 19% of straight youth and 30% of gay youth experienced online bullying.” Fifth line: “STOP biphobia and monosexism!”] The third in a series of infographics. First one. Second one.Source: Inequities in Educational and Psychological Outcomes Between LGBTQ and Straight Students in Middle and High School The second chapter in my book: Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution is dedicated to explaining the effects of biphobia and monosexism.
Pop-upView Separately

bidyke:

[Image: Dark green grunge background. First line text: “Did you know?”. Second line image: 10 people symbols/silhouettes, of which 4.5 are colored dark orange, and 5.5 light orange. Third line text (large): “nearly 45% of bisexual youth have been bullied online”. Fourth line, smaller text: “By contrast, 19% of straight youth and 30% of gay youth experienced online bullying.” Fifth line: “STOP biphobia and monosexism!”]

The third in a series of infographics. First one. Second one.

Source: Inequities in Educational and Psychological Outcomes Between LGBTQ and Straight Students in Middle and High School

The second chapter in my book: Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution is dedicated to explaining the effects of biphobia and monosexism.

(via bisexual-community)

Source: bidyke

Eradicating biphobia within gay communities and gay media

bialogue-group:

modernbisexual:

This is an excellent read right here.. Have a look.

It’s not uncommon for people to come out as gay after being in heterosexual relationships. But when the gay/straight binary is so enforced, these storylines become a media trope that disregards bisexuality. Because [Ed Note: the show’s character] Drew is now partnered with a man, he must be gay–no one mentions the idea that Drew could be bisexual.

When closeted people only have the option of coming out as gay, as opposed to bi or queer, we perpetuate two harmful tropes: that there are only two sexual orientations, and that the gender of your partner determines your sexual identity.

Biphobia and bi-invisibility are not new concepts. And yet, as we challenge heteronomativity and homophobia in straight spaces, so too must we challenge the bi-invisibility that continues to exist in LGBT spaces.

Bisexual people deserve to be respected, believed, included, and taken seriously by their gay peers.

Biphobia is not that different than homophobia: it’s the fear of the unknown, of the different. As we look to eradicate prejudices and homophobia in straight communities, so too must we eradicate the prejudices we hold onto within our LGBT communities.  CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

This is the show’s Facebook Page: “The Outs”
Bisexual Men and Bisexual Bloggers are calling for “respectful and constructive comments please”

Source: feministing.com

bidyke: [Image: Dark blue grunge background. First line text: “Did you know?”. Second line image: 10 people symbols/silhouettes, of which 4 are colored dark pink, and 6 light pink. Third line text (large): “over 40% of bisexual people have considered suicide”. Fourth line, smaller text: “By contrast, 8.5% of straight people and 27% of gay people considered suicide.” Fifth line: “STOP biphobia and monosexism!”] The second in a series of infographics. For the first one, click here. For more information, see: http://radicalbi.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/snippet-4-the-bisexual-invisibility-report/ The second chapter in my book is dedicated to explaining the effects of biphobia and monosexism.
Pop-upView Separately

bidyke:

[Image: Dark blue grunge background. First line text: “Did you know?”. Second line image: 10 people symbols/silhouettes, of which 4 are colored dark pink, and 6 light pink. Third line text (large): “over 40% of bisexual people have considered suicide”. Fourth line, smaller text: “By contrast, 8.5% of straight people and 27% of gay people considered suicide.” Fifth line: “STOP biphobia and monosexism!”]

The second in a series of infographics. For the first one, click here.

For more information, see: http://radicalbi.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/snippet-4-the-bisexual-invisibility-report/

The second chapter in my book is dedicated to explaining the effects of biphobia and monosexism.

GLAAD Affirms Commitment To Trans and Bi People, Alters Name

The organization announced it is formally dropping the ‘Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’ from its name and will be known henceforth simply as GLAAD, the LGBT Media Advocacy Organization.

BY JASE PEEPLES

image

On Sunday, March 24, GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz appeared on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry to affirm the organization has formally dropped the ‘Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’ from their name and will now be known simply as GLAAD, the LGBT media advocacy organization. The name change brings with it a commitment from the organization to incorporate trans and bi people in their efforts to support the LGBT community in its entirety.

“It is a natural progression that reflects the work GLAAD’s staff is already leading,” Cruz told Harris-Perry. “We respect and honor the full name that the organization was founded with, but GLAAD’s work has expanded beyond fighting defamation to changing the culture. Our commitment to marriage equality, employment nondiscrimination, and other LGBT issues is stronger than ever, and now our name reflects our work on transgender issues as well as our work with allies.”

“The enemies of the LGBT community have gotten louder and more desperate,” said Cruz. “As we move into a media cycle that will include decisions around marriage equality from the Supreme Court and on inclusion from the Boy Scouts of America, our community needs GLAAD to work overtime on fair and accurate media coverage.”

GLAAD’s announcement reaffirms the organization’s commitment to upholding media accountability for accurate portrayals from people across the entire LGBT spectrum and combat the hateful rhetoric of anti-LGBT activists.

“The enemies of the LGBT community have gotten louder and more desperate,” said Cruz. “As we move into a media cycle that will include decisions around marriage equality from the Supreme Court and on inclusion from the Boy Scouts of America, our community needs GLAAD to work overtime on fair and accurate media coverage.”

Click the header link to watch the video.

Bisexuals Worthy of Celebration During Black History Month: June Jordan

Faith Cheltenham by 

Just in time for Black History Month, I’d like to take a moment to remember the many black bisexual folks who came before. Famous black folks who identify as bisexual or have a proud history of sexual fluidity include: Alvin Ailey, Josephine Baker, Countee Cullen, Lee Daniels, Grace Jones, Hattie McDaniel, Me’shelle Ndegeochello, Little Richard, Sapphire and Frank Ocean. For more names click here.

Today, I single out for attention noted and esteemed poet, author and thought leader, June Jordan (1936-2002).

[I]f I am not free and if I am not entitled equal to heterosexuals and homosexuals then homosexual men and women have joined with the dominant heterosexual culture in the tyrannical pursuit of E Pluribus Unum and I a bisexual woman committed to cultural pluralism and, therefore to sexual pluralism, can only say, you better watch your back!” —June Jordan On Bisexuality and Cultural Pluralism, in Affirmative Acts

2013-02-21-Faith-jordan.jpg

Like June Jordan, I am of West-Indian/African descent and bisexual! According to this great article:

Jordan derived her bisexual and biracial perspectives from having transgressed two more societal boundaries — an interracial marriage with a white man, and having given birth to a biracial child, both scoffed at during her time by blacks and whites in this country. But it is Jordan’s “boundary crossings” that gave her the intellectual breath on an issue, and by extension she gave us a new way to see ourselves and the world.

And in this amazing piece by the Rev. Irene Munroe, she explains why we all have to work hard to remember Jordan’s legacy, because like too many others her legacy can fall within the cracks of identity politics. Munroe states:

Within lesbian circles, the place of bisexual women within the queer women’s community was often marginal, if not non-existent, and their commitment to feminism was always suspect. Many lesbians believed that any women who had the ability to sexually love another women had a political obligation to identify as lesbian. Others believed that the compulsory nature of heterosexuality in our culture precluded all possibilities of women freely choosing a heterosexual relationship.

That’s a sentiment I’ve heard but rejected my whole life, just because I can love a woman (or a man) doesn’t means I have to. My body is mine and belongs to me; the freedom of my bisexuality is the ability to define love within my own heart, instead of someone else’s. Munroe goes on to speak about destiny in a way I found encouraging and uplifting:

Bisexuals are individuals who transgress the artificial socially constructed boundary of gender identity as well as the biologically constructed boundary of sex. Called “gatekeepers” by the Dagara of West Africa and “Two Spirit” by many Native Americans, bisexuals in these cultures were seen as having a special spiritual inheritance and earthly destiny.

Never have I heard so well put the calling I hear in my heart! Many thanks to Heron Greensmith for turning me onto June Jordan. I highly recommend you check out Heron’s excellent legal article, “Drawing Bisexuality Back Into The Picture: How Bisexuality Fits Into LGBT Legal Strategy Ten Years After Bisexual Erasure”

For First Time, Music Icon Clive Davis Talks Publicly About Being Bisexual

He’s helped make the careers of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, and Kelly Clarkson a success — among many others — and in Davis’s memoir he talks about his long-term relationship with a man.

BY LUCAS GRINDLEY

image

Music great Clive Davis, who discovered some of the biggest names in the business, talks for the first time about being bisexual in his new memoir. In the book, The Soundtrack of My Life, Davis reveals that he’s been in a relationship with a man for the last seven years, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Do I feel I could have been similarly attracted to a woman?” Davis writes. “The answer is yes.”

According to USA Today, Davis writes that his sexual orientation is “something that my children and close friends have always known.” “Bisexuality is misunderstood; the adage is that you’re either straight or gay or lying, but that’s not my experience,” he writes, according to USA Today. “To call me anything other than bisexual would be inaccurate.”

Davis, who is now 80, recalls his first experience with a man who he met at New York’s famous club, Studio 54, some 30 years ago. “Was I nervous?” writes Davis, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Absolutely. Did the heavens open up? No. But it was satisfying.” Davis is famous for finding big talent, most notably his discovery of Whitney Houston while she was still a teenager. He founded Arista and J Records and he’s now chief creative officer for Sony Music.

Click the header link above to watch the video.

World's Oldest Petroglyphs Show Bisexuality

Barely written about, some of the earliest artwork in Asia shows some super queer happenings.

BY DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL

image

A copy of the Kangjiashimenji Petroglyphs, surprisingly queer artwork from 1000 B.C. (or earlier).

A new report from Mary Mycio inSlate/Huffington Post shows that the Kangjiashimenji Petroglyphs, bas-relief carvings in a massive red-basalt outcropping in the remote Xinjiang region of northwest China, show “the earliest—and some of the most graphic—depictions of copulation in the world.” And they show that bisexuality was common even then. Mycio writes that Chinese archeologist Wang Binghua discovered the petroglyphs in the late 1980s, but little has been written about them. 

Click the header link above to read the full article.

WATCH: The Staircase Tackles Murder, Biphobia, and a Complex Justice System

BY DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL
TW: murder, blood

image

Michael Peterson

When novelist Michael Peterson made a 911 call in 2001, about his wife Kathleen — who was then laying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs — he had no idea that it would launch one of the most fascinating, shocking, and biphobic trials of our time. Peterson was allegedly filled with grief over the accident, and family and friends testified his marriage was ideal, but investigators immediately believed Kathleen’s death was no accident and arrested Peterson for her murder. 

During the North Carolina trial there were a series of revelations that stunned the jury, none more damaging than the fact that Peterson was bisexual and had sex with other men. The case became front page news across the country with everyone weighing in on Peterson’s guilt or innocence.

The Sundance doc-series, The Staircase, which begins tonight at 10 p.m., follows the entire case from the day of Kathleen’s death to the final verdict in court.  Academy Award-winning director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (who did Murder on a Sunday Morning) has unprecedented access to Peterson, his legal team, forensic experts, and others. This 8-episode series includes the original 6 episodes that aired on Sundance in 2004, and two gripping new follow up episodes that update the case and the complexity around the guilt or innocence of Michael Peterson. 

The series might just be Lestrade’s pièce de résistance and it’s a must-see for LGBT viewers interested in crime, social justice, and sexual liberty. 

Click the link above to watch the trailer.

HIV-Positive Country Star Jimbeau Hinson

Country music crooner Jimbeau Hinson is back with a new album and a new outlook on being bisexual and HIV-positive.

BY MICHELLE GARCIA

image

Jimbeau Hinson found success in Nashville in the 1990s, writing songs for artists such as Patty Loveless and the Oak Ridge Boys. But at the height of his career in the mid ’90s, Hinson’s HIV, which he was keeping secret, caught up with him and he fell into a coma. His status as an HIV-positive man—he came out as bisexual in the ’70s—was revealed to the country music industry. But instead of turning their backs on him, Hinson’s peers embraced him, and the songwriter’s health slowly improved. Hinson, who’s been with his wife, Brenda, for over 33 years, recently released his debut album, Strong Medicine, which chronicles his relationship not just with his wife but also with HIV.

Click the header link above to read the interview.

Sinema, First Openly Bisexual Member Of Congress, Represents 'Changing Arizona'

by PETER O’DOWD

Rep.-elect Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., appears at a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members in Washington on Nov. 13.

Rep.-elect Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., appears at a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members in Washington on Nov. 13. 

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Arizona’s new 9th Congressional District is sending a different type of representative to Washington this week: She’s young — 36. She grew up homeless for a time. And she’ll be the first openly bisexual member of Congress.

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema marvels at the number of women, minorities and members of the LGBT community who will join her in the freshman class, which will be sworn in Thursday.

“I’m just really proud of the Democratic caucus,” she told voters in her district at a coffee meeting on a recent rainy winter morning. “I look around in our meetings, and I think we really look like America.”

For a while it was unclear whether Sinema — a social worker who rose quickly through the state Legislature — would make it to Congress. It took nearly a week after Election Day for Sinema to learn she had beaten her Tea Party opponent by 10,000 votes.

“How often can you say a kid who was homeless is going to Congress?” she says.

Click the header link above to read the full story or listen to it.