Midwest Bi* Activist

Midwest Bi Activist is a website dedicated to building and empowering the Bi* movement. The mission of the website is to provide resources, inspire dialogue, and build power by, for, and about Bi* communities. Midwest Bi* Activist envisions a world where all Bi* people live happy, empowered lives and where Bi* communities are visible, well-resourced, and celebrated.

[bisexual-community]

[USA]: 2017 National School Climate Survey (Encuesta sobre el Ambiente Escolar)  LGBTQ+ youth, speak out about your school experiences! (Jóvenes LGBTQ+ – ¡Hable de sus experiencias en la escuela!)

The 2017 National School Climate Survey is GLSEN’s tenth national survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual+, transgender, and queer youth. It is a crucial tool in GLSEN’s mission for fighting anti-LGBTQ+ bias in K-12 schools across the nation. The information gathered from this survey will help GLSEN to inform education policymakers and the public about the right of all students to be treated with respect in their schools. 

La Nacional sobre el Ambiente Escolar 2017 es la décima encuesta de jóvenes lesbianas, homosexuales, bisexuales, transgéneros, y queer. Es fundamental a la misión de GLSEN a luchar contra los prejuicios anti-LGBTQ+ que existe en las escuelas K-12 en todo el país. La información recopilada a partir de esta encuesta ayudará a GLSEN a informar legisladores de educación y el público sobre el derecho que tienen todos los estudiantes ser tratados con respeto en las escuelas.

If you attended high school or middle school sometime during the last school year (2016-2017), identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual+, transgender, queer or questioning, and are at least 13 years old, tell us about your experiences in school. (If you did not complete the entire school year you can still participate in the survey.) The survey is completely anonymous.

Si asistió un colegio o una escuela mediana alguna vez durante el último año escolar (2016-2017), identifica como lesbiana, homosexual, bisexual+, transgénero, queer o está cuestionando su sexualidad, y tiene al menos de 13 años, cuéntanos sus experiencias en la escuela. (Si no completó todo el año escolar todavía puede participar en la encuesta.) La encuesta está completamente anónima.

The survey asks questions about your experiences in school, including hearing homophobic remarks, being harassed because of your sexual orientation and/or how you express your gender and how supportive your school is of LGBTQ+ students.

La encuesta contiene preguntas sobre sus experiencias escolares, incluyendo si ha oído comentarios homofóbicos, si ha acosado a causa de su orientación sexual y/o como expresa su género y como su escuela apoya los estudiantes LGBTQ+.

To take the survey, click here. Para hacer la encuesta en español, haz click aquí.

[ffspunk]

stop making bisexuals feel invalid in the lgbtq+ community, what we went through to figure ourselves out was just as hard as what you went through.

[facts-about-bisexuality]

Fact: You don’t need anyone’s permission to identify as bisexual. There are no interviews, no entry exam. If you are attracted to multiple genders, you can identify as bisexual. 

[binetusa]

BiNet USA Op-Ed: #BiQuestionsTrump by Faith Cheltenham, VP BiNet USA 

Honestly? As a bisexual person of color, I have many questions for President Trump. And, I have questions for the bi+ community and our allies too––questions about who we are, what we stand for, how we’re surviving, and how we can hold each other, our leadership, and the President accountable.

Are you, like me, terrified for the present and futures of bi+ youth, trans youth, people of color (POC) youth, and bi+ trans POC youth? For all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual people? …

Is mainstream and LGBT media amplifying misinformation about bisexual people when they incorrectly report on bi+ celebs like Mel B, Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard and their very real experiences of violence? Is it that better or worse than when they neglect to report on our experiences at all? …

Once again, is our collective experience being used to sell records and films, to generate donations to organizations, and be silently consumed without a single whisper of “our letter” or an acknowledgment of our very existence? …

“Kudos to the dreamers, the fighters, rule breakers and boundary makers. Keep on letter writers! Keep strong and carry on.”

[midwestbiactivist]

[Tulsa OK]: OkEq Brought to You Bi the Letter B

Welcome to the "Brought to You Bi the Letter B”, the bisexual+ programming group for the“Dennis R. Neill Equality Center” in Tulsa, Oklahoma- happy to be able to serve the Bisexual+/Biromantic+, Non-Monosexual, Same Gender Loving (SGL), Queer + Questioning Community in the Tulsa Oklahoma are.

Please come join their facebook group for announcements regarding upcoming support groups, social outings, and other events and information. 

Note: Bisexual+ (Bi+ for short) is just *shorthand* for ALL Non-Monosexual people inclusive of but not limited to: Bisexual & Biromantic as well as Ambisexual, Flexisexual, Fluid, Heteroflexible & Homoflexible, Multisexual, No Labels, Omnisexual, Pansexual, Polysexual, Pomosexual, SGL (Same-gender Loving), Sapiosexual, Queer-identified, Questioning et al. Additionally the Bisexual+ Community has always/will always include people of ALL genders/gender identification including but not limited to: Androgynous, Cis, Genderqueer, Gender-Nonconforming, Non-binary, Trans, et al.

[binetusa]

Looking for some cool Mother’s Day Gifts to express your love for that special Out + Proud Bisexual+ Partner, Parent or Grandparent? BiNet USA’s online store has you covered with a variety of different items. Plus you’ll be Doing Well by Doing Good, becasue your purchase goes to support BiNet USA, an American 501c(3) non-profit that has been advocating for the bisexual community since 1990. We are the B in LGBT!

[bisexual-community]

Ask Anna: I thought I was bisexual, but am I actually a lesbian?

RedEye sex columnist Anna Pulley answers a readers question about bisexuality.

We accept that a person can enjoy cake and pie (and ice cream and macarons, whoever those people are), yet, it’s harder for us to accept a view of sexuality as expansive … Basically, our desires can incorporate far more options if only we’d allow it.

However, we do live in a culture that seeks to dismiss, downplay and deny bisexuality.

I’m wondering if you are (perhaps unconsciously) feeling this pressure to “pick a side already!” As a bisexual+ in a long-term relationship with a woman, I am quite familiar with this pressure, as well as the many struggles and stereotypes that the bisexual+ label is yoked to.

Rather than ask yourself “Am I really bi+ or really a lesbian?” I suggest you work on accepting the complex and contradictory parts of yourself—to revel in them. Because those tensions and ambiguities are what define the complex topography of you. And life, generally.

[binetusa]

Shout Out 2 All Bisexual+ People

Shout out to the bisexuals out here slutting it up. Shout out to the bisexuals who enjoy threesomes (or foursomes+) and take advantage of those opportunities. Much love to the polyamorous bisexuals and the bisexuals who say they’re bi-curious and those who don’t like sex at all.

Glory be to the trans, gender non-conforming and nonbinary bisexuals. Y'all foine AF.

Hugs to the bisexual+ women/femmes who leave their lesbian partners and eventually end up with male partners and vice versa. Relationships of all orientations end and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for getting out or for moving forward with whomever you please. It’s your life. Fuck their judgment.

Bowing deep to all my black and brown bisexuals who have been shining in every way since humanity was a thing. Sending prayers of protection to all my immigrant and refugee bisexuals, restorative justice to my indigenous bisexuals and two-spirit folks, profound respect and recognition to all the elder bisexuals who got us here, and access to every single differently-abled bisexual on this planet.

Protection and healing to all the closeted bisexuals who feel like they have to use gay, lesbian or straight labels to survive. We’re here for you when and if ever you decide to take the glorious and terrifying leap.

Love to the bisexual+/pansexual/polysexual/omnisexual/asexual/biromantic/aro/fluid/no label/queer/questioning/OMG-I-don’t-know-sexuals just trying to find their way. Shout out to all the bisexuals under the vast bi+ umbrella who feel like a more specific label suits them a little better. Love and light to the bisexuals who will hold onto their bi+ label and you’ll have to pry it from their cold dead hands. Bi+ is not binary (or transphobic) and pan is not sanctimonious (or transphobic). We are a community and we had better act like one because we can’t win without each other.

Eternal love, familial bonds and transformative wisdom to all the bisexuals out here trying to live our best lives, whether we fit their dusty and falsely monolithic stereotypes at times, or nah. We are more of the queer community than anyone else and our expressions of bisexuality are not always going to look or be the same. That’s ok. Just know that when the bi+ bat signal goes up and the bat phones ring, whatever your label, or lack thereof, we had better show up and show out. For all of us.

[midwestbiactivist]

Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP)

The Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) strives to build the Bisexual+, Biromantic+, Non-Monosexual, and Allied community that is accepting of all people across gender and sexuality spectrums in the greater Twin Cities Metro area.

The Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit social & service organization dedicated to providing resources and information for the bisexual+ community at large in the greater Twin Cities Metro area. BOP strives to build community thru a large variety of Groups and Events that can be found here on our MeetUp Group, that all that are interested are invited to join.

Note: Bisexual+ (Bi+ for short) is just *shorthand* for ALL Non-Monosexual people inclusive of but not limited to: Bisexual & Biromantic as well as Ambisexual, Flexisexual, Fluid, Heteroflexible & Homoflexible, Multisexual, No Labels, Omnisexual, Pansexual, Polysexual, Pomosexual, SGL (Same-gender Loving), Sapiosexual, Queer-identified, Questioning et al. Additionally the Bisexual+ Community has always/will always include people of ALL genders/gender identification including but not limited to: Androgynous, Cis, Genderqueer, Gender-Nonconforming, Non-binary, Trans, et al.

[binetusa]

BiNet USA Salutes President Obama’s Appointment of New Civil Rights Commissioners

BiNet USA wholeheartedly supports today's appointment of Catherine Lhamon + Debo Adegbile to be Commissioners for six-year terms on the US Commission on Civil Rights.

“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 LGBT 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 bisexuals+, trans, gay, lesbian, queer, intersex, and asexual people, we’re all in this thing together, working for social justice.” ~Martha Hardy​ for the Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP​)

Catherine Lhamon and Debo Adegbile’s work is crucial to the well-being of Bisexual+ Americans. BiNet USA​ wholeheartedly supports today’s appointments as Commissioners for six-year terms on the United States Commission on Civil Rights​.  As part of the #bistories project, BiNet USA​, working with Freedom for All Americans​, discovered hundreds of instances of bisexual+ discrimination in education, housing and work.

To learn more about the disparities facing Bisexual+ people in the USA please see:

“Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them” (2016) Movement Advancement Project​

The Bi Stories Project: (2016) First person narratives from Bisexual Americans from a joint project of BiNet USA and Freedom For All Americans

[binetusa]

Dear BiNet USA​ Supporters,

In the past eight years, BiNet USA​ and other bisexual+ advocates have fought hard for increased visibility in national politics and social justice movements…

As the most LGBT-friendly presidential administration in American history comes to an end, and an openly hostile administration takes over, our fight for equality and justice may look different, but it certainly won’t stop … it has already become clear that the fight for social justice will require more support than ever in the next four years.

Although the entire LGBTQ community faces challenges to our rights and our humanity, the Bisexual+ Community​ remains particularly vulnerable when it comes to issues like health care access, discrimination, and anti-LGBTQ violence.

Bi+ advocacy organizations like BiNet USA​ are also struggling to plan our work ahead, knowing that the current major disparities in funding bi-specific work will only become more severe as resources become scarce.

All of this is to say that we need your support more than ever.

We are a volunteer-run organization, and while we will continue to donate our own time and resources, our programmatic work does cost money. Moreover, the bi+ community faces disproportionate levels of poverty compared to the gay and lesbian community, so we recognize how important it is to support each other and enlist help from our allies.

To that end, we are asking for your financial support in the form of a tax-deductible donation to BiNet USA. 

Together we will remain strong!

[bisexual-community]

beautiful trans flag inspired havdala candle!

Resources For Bisexual/Non-Monosexual, Queer + Questioning People of Faith (any faith):

Bisexual People of Faith - A facebook-based community and resource by and for bisexual/non-monosexual, and all other middle sexuality(s) people from all faith, religious, spiritual, spirit and wisdom traditions

“Blessed Bi Spirit” edited by Rabbi Debra Kolodny - a book containing over thirty articles, poems, prayers, and stories from bisexual people on a wide variety of spiritual paths

Bisexuality: Making the Invisible the Visible in Faith Communities - a guidebook to aid congregation’s to welcome and minister to bisexual people and their families

FaithfullyLGBT - a space for queer people of all faith traditions. Created by Eliel Cruz, a self-described “Professional Bisexual. Culture Commentator. Writer, YouTuber, Speaker.”

[bialogue-group]

Transgender People and People of Color comprise large portions of the Bisexual Community  ~Health Disparities Among Bisexual People by HRC (September 2015).

Transgender people and people of color comprise large portions of the bisexual community –– with more than 40 percent of LGBT people of color identifying as bisexual, and about half of transgender people describing their sexual orientation as bisexual or queer (according to various other research studies Bisexual is the largest self-identity for Trans people. Followed by percentages: Queer, Heterosexual/Homosexual, Other, and Asexual) –– making these groups vulnerable to further disparities that occur at the intersections of biphobia, racism and transphobia.

[binetusa]

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance 2016. We remember. We will not forget. We will ally, flank and do whatever it takes to stand with trans folks, including the many bisexual+ trans people in the U.S. who face increased anti bisexual+ and anti transgender sentiments but still keep living, thriving and working to help us all b free.

In the name of the so many who came before, I send prayers up in the memory of Sylvia Rivera, trans bi+ Latinx icon FOR ALL transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people in the world.

I hope that they, and my own beautiful nonbinary child, experience every day in the love they deserve.

I pray that the times the T in LGBT experience hatred or discomfort become rare, but *when* it does happen that trans people are quickly be surrounded in love and in light, with an explicitly anti-racist and a delightfully pro trans soft place to heal.

I pray as well that more and more cisgender people begin to celebrate the awesomeness of trans and nonbinary experience, for we should be a more grateful people to so often be blessed with bravery beyond measure.

I, and my family, personally pledge to more frequently open my home, heart and wallet to ensure that safety under the rule of the D.

I extend my thanks to all the trans allies of bisexual+ people, including bi+ trans folks who work without cease to see themselves authentically represented in the LGBTQIA movement. There would be too many names to list if BiNet USA were to call out all the trans leaders who have consistently stood bi us or with us, sometimes because they are us too and sometimes because they will do whatever it takes to ally us. Hayden L Mora Monica Roberts Bamby Salcedo Lourdes Ashley Hunter Diego Miguel Sanchez Apr Cecilia C ChungBrynn Tannehill Scout Kylar Broadus Kris Hayashi Masen Davis blessings to you!

As well, BIG BI HUGS, major thanks and BI+ Blessings to the many bi+ trans leaders in the bisexual+ movement like Julia Serano Andrea Jenkins Kayley Margarite Whalen Zeam Porter Bryan John Ellicott Aud Traher Martin Rawlings-Fein Tara Madison Avery Colleen Elizabeth McTigue Andy EyeAlex Iantaffi Sonya Saturday and the most recently honored by the QUEEN OF ENGLAND Jen Yockney MBE.

I hope you all, including those unnamed, find yourself surrounded with more work that uplifts every intersection of your being, and that you get to laugh and live in love every day of your life. You deserve to.

Thank you for blessing my life both personally and professionally, and I pray that the bi+ community is more frequently seen at your side in pride.  ~~ Faith Cheltenham, President BiNet USA

That’s my personal prayer this Transgender Day of Remembrance. What’s yours?

(1) Find a TDoR 2016 Event (2) More TDoR 2016 Resources

[bisexual-community]

Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20th): May Transphobia die Instead of the Innocent (courtesy of WipeOut Biphobia on Facebook)

[midwestbiactivist]

[Minneapolis, MN]:  Bi+ Book Club

Twin Cities folks! The Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) is so excited about their new Bi+ Book Club! If you love to read and love to talk about books, please join us on the evening of Wednesday, September 7th 2016 starting at 7:30 pm at the Minneapolis Central Library (part of Hennepin County Library).

The Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP)'s Bi+ Book Club for the entire Bisexual+ Community is a place to read fiction, biography, creative non-fiction, history, theory, and activist works. So please come join us to discuss readings and ideas about, for, and by #bisexual+ and other non-monosexual folks.

Can’t make it tonight? Join the  Bisexual Organizing Project Meetup to keep up with this and all other of the many events BOP organizes for the Bi+ Community in the Twin Cities area. 

[midwestbiactivist]

Jamaica is widely recognized as one of the most homophobic countries on Earth; same-sex intimacy remains criminalized, and anti-gay hate crimes are stunningly common. Yet the immigration judge inexplicably held that bisexual people are not persecuted in Jamaica. ~Mark Joseph Stern, Slate

Immigration and Seventh Circuit Judges Reject Bisexual Man’s Request for Protection; Here’s Why They Were Wrong

The Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals this week denied a petition from a Jamaican immigrant, 51-year-old Ray Fuller, for relief from an order sending him back to Jamaica where he feared being persecuted and tortured due to his bisexuality.  Fuller’s fear of persecution was not theoretical; he provided evidence of having been the victim of violent harassment in Jamaica because of his sexual orientation...

In denying his petition for relief, the immigration judge not only expressed skepticism that bisexuals are persecuted in Jamaica, but also concluded that Fuller is not really bisexual, largely because of his relationships with women ... In a scathing dissent, Judge Posner criticized the Fuller v. Lynch majority opinion, the effect of which is to perpetuate harmful misconceptions about bisexuals and the dangers they face... 

First, the immigration judge’s conclusion that bisexuals do not face persecution in Jamaica is disturbingly ill-informed.

Second, the singling out of bisexuality for additional skepticism reveals a profound lack of understanding about bisexuality.

As Judge Posner aptly concluded in his dissent, the Seventh Circuit decision places Fuller in peril. 

The author of this article Nancy Marcus is Lambda Legal's Law & Policy Project Senior Staff Attorney.  Ms. Marcus is also an active member of BiLaw a group of bisexual-identified and bi-allied attorneys, academics, and law students.