Raising Our Standards: How to Get Your Local Council to Fly the Bi Flag
It may only be February, but bi activists up and down the country are already planning their activities for Bi Visibility Day 2017, and getting our flag raised is on most of their agendas. But how do they do it?
After successfully hoisting the bisexual flag over Oxford in 2016, Stephanie talks us through the steps.
This is a photo of the Bi flag flying proudly over Oxford Town Hall for the first time on Bisexual Visibility Day 2016. Since I began lobbying councillors and senior staff to make this happen I have acquired a detailed and unprecedented knowledge of flag flying protocol at Oxford City Council, (OCC). Not every council is the same, but most are at least similar. Here’s my handy ‘how to’ guide should any other bi activists feel inspired to give it a go.
Realise it will take time
I first had the idea to do… Continue reading
WATCH: Tonight’s Livestream of White House Bisexual Community Briefing
Tonight you can livestream a team of bi campaigners at the White House, challenging US government leaders on on bisexual awareness and inclusion.
The committee says: “This briefing will focus on policy and cultural issues of significance for the American bisexual community as a part of the White House’s effort to help increase visibility of bisexual people during Bisexual Awareness Week (September 19th – 26th, 2016).”
At the time of writing, there was just over an hour and a half to go (there’s even a handy countdown on the YouTube page)! We can hardly wait…
Bisexual Woman Tops List of Top LGBT Executives
A bisexual woman has been given the top slot in a list of 100 LGBT business executives.
CEO of Lloyds of London Inga Beale was given the honour by Out Standing, an LGBT advocacy group that encourages diversity in business. She is, according to OUTStanding, “one of the few – perhaps the only – openly bisexual business leaders at her level”.
As the first female CEO of historic insurance firm Lloyds of London, Beale, has launched a market modernisation programme and opened offices in Dubai and Beijing. She has also introduced Inclusion@Lloyd’s, which aims to ensure Lloyd’s is a diverse and inclusive market, and Pride@Lloyds, an internal LGBT employee resource group.
Beal said, “I am proud of the commitment of Lloyd’s and the London insurance market to celebrate diversity and ensure we are an attractive, globally relevant and inclusive… Continue reading
New York Pride: A View From The Parade from a Christian Bisexual
The Rev. Francesca Bongiorno Fortunato gives us the a personal account of the Bi Contingent at NYC Pride 2015.
We had 125 people marching with the Bi Contingent this year – our largest Bi presence ever at NYC Pride March. There were about half a dozen extra-large Bi Pride flags as well as a couple of Trans Pride flags. Marchers with our group included elder statesmen and women of the American Bisexual Pride movement (notably Larry Nelson, long-time Partner of the late “Mother of Pride,” Brenda Howard) as well as newly-out Bi folk and first time marchers. We even had a Bi mother and daughter marching together and (on the truly young end of the age spectrum) one approximately year-old baby! (I can’t say whether the baby was Bi, but his moms were, and one of them handed him to me so she could free her hands for a… Continue reading
The Biscuit Purple List 2015
Your nominations have been collected, heated discussions have been had and disagreements have been thwarted, and now we are proud to be able to present the first ever Biscuit Purple List.
The Purple List was conceived as a reaction to the bi-erasure of similar honours lists, which neither recognise the work done that specifically benefits the bisexual community, nor the importance using the word ‘bisexual’ to describe the non-monosexual people who do appear in them.
We think that it’s important to make a really big deal about the awesome people who give their time, energy, cash and resources to make life a little bit better for bisexual people. As a group we have lower rates of well being than gay and lesbian identified people. We’re more likely to commit suicide and to self harm. We are more likely to misuse drugs. Our teens have … Continue reading
Hoisting our colours: A brief history of the bisexual pride flag
The bi pride flag has become internationally recognised symbol of our movement, so it’s surprising that so many people don’t really know where it came from of what it represents. Now, we can’t have that, so with a little help from thewaybackmachine, and the good people at BiNet USA, Biscuit presents a history of the bisexual flag.
There are lots of symbols that represent homosexuality. From the (pun not intended) gaiety of the rainbow flag to the somber significance of the inverted pink or black triangles or the mythological connections of the labrys, you can usually find a motif that suits your purpose.
But until 1998, when Michael Page designed the flag that would become a global shorthand for bisexuality, there was no universal symbol under which the movement could unite. Many bisexual people did not feel a connection to the already iconic rainbow flag, which seemed to belong… Continue reading
Bi Visibility Day: “I was invited to the White House to discuss bisexuality.”
Whenever the administration requests an off-the-record meeting, attendees are not allowed to discuss specifics. The privacy allows individuals to talk freely. As much as I’d love to share the details, I need to respect the condition.
The eight policy briefs decided, however, have been made public. These focus on the following: Data Collection; Education; Employment and Entrepreneurship; HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care; Immigration and Asylum; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention; Physical Health; and Violence. More information on these is available here
For this piece, however, I would like to share… Continue reading →