bi history is so interesting and it makes me so sad knowing so many of us are uneducated on our own rich history and involvement in the lgbt and so I decided to pick some good things/important things that I think you should know!
๑ In 1969, a series of spontaneous and violent riots in response to the June 28th police raid of the Stonewall Inn took place—commonly known as the Stonewall riots. The patrons of the bar, bisexuals included, followed Stonewall leaders such as Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and Miss Major to the streets in order to fight for LGBTQ rights.
๑ bisexual activist Stephen Donaldson (also known as Donny the Punk) founded the first university-sanctioned gay student group, the Student Homophile League, at Columbia University.
๑ In response to Stonewall, bisexual activist Brenda Howard organized the Christopher Street Liberation Day March a month after the riots.
๑ A year later, Howard coordinated another march to commemorate the year anniversary of the Stonewall riots, thus beginning the longstanding tradition of pride parades each year. Because of this, she is often known as the "Mother of Pride."
๑ Brenda went on to found the New York Area Bisexual Network to coordinate resources for regional bi+ individuals. NYABN is still active.
๑ The first bisexual political organization, BiPOL, was established in San Francisco in 1983.
๑ BiPOL sponsored the first Bisexual Rights Rally, which took place outside of the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
๑ BiPol advocate Dr. David Lourea successfully persuaded the San Francisco Department of Public Health to recognize bisexual men in their AIDS statistics,
๑ The AIDS epidemic was especially significant for bisexuals because they were often unfairly blamed for spreading AIDS to their partners.
๑ Newsweek's 1987 issue portrayed bisexual men as "the ultimate pariahs" of the AIDS epidemic. (this one isn't good, but I feel like people ignore bi men when it comes to compassion towards these types of issues. bi men deserve the same medical care.)
๑ As a result of BiPOL's nationwide lobbying efforts, bisexuals were successfully included on the platform of the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation.
๑ The Bisexual Pride flag was designed by Michael Page and unveiled in 1998.
๑ The inaugural Celebrate Bisexual Day, now sometimes referred to as Bi Visibility Day, was created by Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur in 1999 and continues to be celebrated every September 23rd.
( here )
๑ Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, two trans activists of color who were key actors in the Stonewall riots and following decades of activism, were also bi.
๑ While the groups of the 1970s were often predominantly male, in the 1980s bisexual women took the organizational lead.
๑ Many of these woman had been working in the Lesbian and Women’s Movements and the groups they formed often reflected their feminist politics.
๑ 1986 – BiPOL’s Autumn Courtney is elected co-chair of San Francisco’s Lesbian Gay Freedom Day Pride Parade Committee.
๑ This election marks the first time an openly bisexual person holds this or a comparable position in the US.
๑ 1989 – BiPAC, the New York-based Bisexual Political/Public Action Committee which forms in 1989, challenges biphobia in the lesbian and gay community with a national letter writing campaign in 1990.
( here )
๑ 1989 – Openly bisexual veteran Cliff Arnesen testifies before the US Congress on behalf of gay, lesbian and bisexual veteran’s issues.
๑ Arnesen is the first veteran to testify about gay, lesbian and bisexual issues and the first openly non-heterosexual veteran to testify on Capitol Hill about veteran’s issues in general.
๑ The campaign successfully persuades an educational institution to remove an offensive workshop it offers called “Bisexual Men: Fact or Fiction?”
basically, two black bisexual trans women and bi activist's are why we have the lgbt and pride parade celebration today. and I think that needs to be more common knowledge.