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
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.
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
Here at Biscuit we’re kicking off the new year by asking what the British bisexual community wants in 2017, not just from the wider world, but from itself.
With that in mind, we asked working class BiCon attendees to tell us what they want they want to see from their communities . Here’s what they said.
There’s no denying that working class bisexuals in the British bi community are a hidden minority. We’re not easy to spot, mainly because so few of us look like traditional working class stereotypes, but that doesn’t mean we’re not there. And when you’re invisible, as bi people know all too well, it’s easy for the prevalent group to assume you’re not there at all.
But it’s really shouldn’t take much for BiCon and the communities it hosts to grow their awareness of working class bis. Here’s what we need.
It’s not… Continue reading
The bisexual pride flag was today raised over a London council building for the first time.
Nadia Shah, who was appointed Mayor of Camden in May 2016, hoisted the flag in a small ceremony on the roof of Camden Town Hall at 1oam today. The ceremony was attended by members of the Bisexual Index and Camden LGBT Forum as well as local activists and civic staff.
Mayor Nadia Shah addresses the crowd
The flag has been flown at Council buildings in Brighton and Hove since 2012, but other councils have been reluctant to follow suit. This year, just five further councils (including Camden) – out of more than 410 – have chosen to follow suit.
The Bisexual Index told Biscuit, “a lot of councils have told us that they fly the rainbow flag for gay pride, and that we’re included in that. But bisexuals… Continue reading
Bisexuals face many problems, including higher than average rates of interpersonal violence (IPV) and homelessness, but at top of that list is mental health. In a Biscuit poll in February 88% of respondents reported having had mental health problems at some point, with 37% reporting saying that theirs were severe.
But this is only just scratching the surface, as a 2010 study conducted by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission found bisexuals to be around six times more likely to have mental health problems than heterosexuals. The study also incorporated data from a 2002 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which reported that rates of mental health issues amongst bisexual people were significantly higher than those amongst lesbians and gay men.
My partners and I constantly argue over whether our mental health is a function of our bisexuality, vice versa, or unrelated. – Phil
From the erasure of bisexual participation in the early Pride movement, to incidences of biphobia at Pride events today, the bisexual community has had an uneasy relationship with Pride. But when we focus on the worst Pride can be, we can forget about the best. Here Clara from Retrogreat.com reminds us just how important it can be.
I’m 9 years old. Some friends and I play “Mummies and Daddies”. It turns into a campaign at school of calling me a dyke and a lesbian. I don’t understand – I have crushes on both men and women, but assume puberty will establish a preference.
I’m 17 years old. One night at a classmate’s house, she strokes my waist, she feels different to the lone boy I’ve kissed so far. Her boyfriend watches from a chair. After a while, she leaps away without warning, begins to cry and… Continue reading
Pansexuality may be as old as the hills, but the pansexual movement is still young, and that means that it’s still a little mysterious to outsiders. We’re natural allies, and we’re nosy, too, so we caught up with advocate Elle Long to get the skinny on what’s happening in pan activism right now.
I am a junior at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, majoring in Political Science and Law, minoring in Ethnic Studies. I’m involved with the Speech and Debate team for the school but that’s about as sporty as I get!
My main focus in advocacy for pansexuality has been education and it started when I came… Continue reading
“My Sexuality is Relevant to All Parts of My Life”: Parenting while Bisexual