Incite! Celebrates Bisexuality
London’s premier LGBTQ poetry night marks Bi Visibility Month with an evening dedicated to spoken word art that goes both ways.
Incite!@The Phoenix is the home of LGBTQ+ poetry as diverse as we are, hosted by LGBT Poet Laureate Trudy Howson and taking place monthly in an iconic west end venue.
September’s Incite! celebrates the B in LGBT with performances from Bella Cox and Dan Webber as well as an open mic slot. Admission free. 13th September, Phoenix Artists Club, WC2H.
“I feel tolerated, but very rarely more than that” – Being Bi on the Scene
Bisexual people were very nearly edged out of the Pride parade all together; a Guardian columnist (who can tell Divine Gender Identity without asking, even in dimly-lit London clubs) told a group of self-identified bisexual and queer people to stop dancing and kissing so aggressively in a gay space, before writing about it in the national media.
Exclusion is an experience that is ubiquitous among the bisexual community. As well as the obvious exclusion same-gender attracted people face from heterosexual society, bisexuals often can’t find refuge within LGBTQ created partly by and for them.
Although this phenomena is widely written about in the bisexual community, as is the imbalance of the effects being excluded from society has over being excluded from the feeble resources allotted to the LGBTQ community, it’s important that when these kind of incidents happen we take the time reflect on the prejudices we still… Continue reading
Activist Self-Care (Without the Bubble Bath and Puppies)
Every day, at least one person in my life asks me how I’m doing. My reply is usually some version of “I’m tired,” and they’ll laugh before moving on to other things.
It’s funny to some because I’m a young, active person and I’m supposed to have enough energy to be able to live my life, do my job, and keep up with school/my internship, while still having enough energy to do miscellaneous tasks throughout my day.
When I tell people all the things I do they get more understanding, but I’m still met with the occasional chuckle as I say, “I’m going to work in an hour, I’m going to take a nap”. The truth is,… Continue reading
Coming Out Sucked: How Biphobia Ruined My Coming Out
Coming out in the new millennium is nothing like it was for our predecessors, or we’re told. For them coming out was fearful and even dangerous. For us it should be a joyous occasion. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Biphobia, both external and internal, can make coming out just as hard as it ever was. Here, Alex takes us through her journey.
Coming out sucked.
I remember looking out over the black water as I stood in my favourite thinking place – a now eerily empty and quiet park on my way home in Berlin – and saying those three magical words for the first time: I am bisexual.
The thing is, they didn’t feel magical at all. I spat them out like bile rising in my throat. They never soared, they fell right back down on me, paralysing me with fear and dread. Those three words were… Continue reading
“I’m Not Interested In Moaning That All Men Are Hard Done By” – A Defence of Women Only Spaces
It seems like one of those debates that never ends: are woman only spaces empowering or discriminatory? Are they valuable or dated and unnecessary? Do they build bonds, or build walls?
We hear a lot from men who are against the concept, but bi activist Grant Denkinson is not one of them.
I’m a bisexual cisgender man and if women choose women-only spaces that is their business and not mine.
However, some people might be interested in my opinions including other men processing how they feel:
The first thing I think of is feeling excluded; unwanted; not allowed in. I’m a bit sensitive to that sort of thing as many of us are. I might feel a bit frustrated or annoyed. One of the things I’ve learned from polyamory is to stop a moment and take notice of feelings like jealousy; This might be a similar feeling. I… Continue reading
“If You Wanted Support, You Sent Off For Leaflets” – Finding a Bi Community Before the Internet
We at Biscuit are constantly surprised how many people simply don’t know that a vibrant and active bisexual community exists in the UK. In the digital age it’s much easier than ever before to connect with people just like you, but what did people do before Google? We asked Marcus Morgan of the Bisexual Index to tell us how he found a community he could call home.
The story of how I came to find the UK bisexual community is one I tell often – if you’ve heard it before I apologise – but it’s a useful example of the subtle, or perhaps not so subtle, biphobia we encounter. Of the way we are delegitimised with the kindest intentions.
I was 21 years old. I worked in a high street insurance brokers on the outskirts of London. I had keys to lock up the shop so I waited… Continue reading
Five Ways You Can Look After Bi Mental Health
Bisexual Mental Health Month (BMHM) may feel long over, but that doesn’t mean you need to wait another year to discuss the sweeping mental health issues facing the bi+ community, or to feel guilt-free about focusing on your own mental health troubles. Here are a few things bi+ people and our allies can do to help safeguard the mental health of the bi+ community.
BMHM is an American campaign that runs throughout March to raise awareness of the mental health issues facing the bisexual community. Due to its online presence, it’s beginning to become internationally observed. But mental health doesn’t isn’t just an issue once a year. Here’s how you can look after yours, and others, all year round.
Find bi+ friendly support
Unfortunately, many bisexual people have difficulty getting support for their mental health issues, despite having some of the worse mental health stats in the LGBT+ community.… Continue reading
Manchester LGBT Foundation Launches Bi Series
Manchester’s LGBT Foundation today launched a series of events aimed at the bisexual community.
The launch event, which was live-streamed on Facebook, included a talk on the forgotten history of bisexuals in the LGBT movement given by Bisexual Community News editor and recent MBE recipient Jen Yockney.
Speaking to a packed hall, Yockney spoke of the rich and varied history of the bisexual moment, from the erasure faced by the community in the early 1990s – some of which continues today – through protests against Section 28 and right up to the present day.
Great talk by @jenyockney at the #peopleshistorymuseum #Manchester @LGBTfdn busting myths about #bisexuality #biseries #lgbthistorymonth pic.twitter.com/4GXdXl6SIo
— Ellen Graham (@GrahamEllen) February 25, 2017
The event is the first in a series promising a varied programme of events. Check out the full programme here.
San Junipero: A Bisexual Character We Can Actually Admire
Bisexual communities don’t have a lot of luck when it comes to our portrayal in films and on television. Often our bisexuality is no more than a plot point to be forgotten when it’s no longer convenient, or rendered in broad stereotypes and insulting cliches. When we find a great depiction of bisexuality in an unlikely place, that deserves celebrating, says Holly.
(I have tried to keep this article as spoiler-free as possible, but if you don’t want to read any hint of the plot, go and watch San Junipero (Black Mirror series 3, episode 4) on Netflix before reading any further!)
Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is a show known for exploring the ways that technology might influence our future. The episodes are often dark, and happy endings are rare. I’ll be honest, it’s the last place I expected to find a beautifully nuanced, proudly bisexual character. But when I… Continue reading
“My Sexuality is Relevant to All Parts of My Life”: Parenting while Bisexual