Happy Bisexual Awareness Week 2015!

Unfortunately I had to come back to Houston before the White House Bisexual Policy Briefing happened on Monday. but if you weren't aware of it. this is the second annual Bisexual Awareness Week.

It started on Sunday and #biweek is running through September 26.  Bisexual Awareness Week is a series of events around the country and online designed for the bi community and its allies to get to know the 'B' in LGBTQ better and realize there is a reason it's in the alphabet soup designation that covers our entire community.  

"Despite comprising more than half of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population, bisexual people are only about one third as likely to be out to their close friends and family," said Heron Greenesmith, LGBT Movement and Policy Analyst at the Movement Advancement Project. "As shown in our new infographic, two-thirds of bisexual people report hearing negative comments at work and bisexual people are more likely to report negative health outcomes."

And FYI, some bi peeps are proud Black folks, too.

It's a natural outgrowth of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, that is celebrated annually on September 23 and was created in 1999 by activists Gigi Raven Wilbur, Wendy Curry and Michael Page as a way to combat the invisibility our bisexual brothers and sisters have to grapple with.

On September 23, 2013 the first ever White House bisexuality issues roundtable was held, and the 2015 roundtable as I mentioned earlier, took place on Monday.

Said BiNet USA president Faith Cheltenham, "In a world increasingly acknowledging the complexity of human sexuality, including bisexuality and sexual fluidity, BiNet USA is thrilled to support a national conversation that accelerates the cultural acceptance of our community," said Faith Cheltenham, President of BiNet USA. "This year's awareness week has garnered unprecedented support from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations who are committed to amplifying the voices of bisexual people, who are often rendered invisible in the media and public spheres."

Happy Bisexual Awareness Week!  Here's hoping that it is one which continues to grow, does its job in ending bisexual media invisibility, educates us about the bisexual community and contributes mightily to the reduction and eventual elimination of the issues that bi people face.

Bi Community Not Shown Any Love In #ThisIsLuv Campaign

The #ThisIsLuv Campaign was organized by Wade Davis, Tiq Milan and Darnell Moore in conjunction with GLAAD, National Black Justice Coalition, Politini Media, Feministing.com, HRC Foundation (HRCF) and EBONY.com to highlight and affirm “LGBT love in Black communities”.

While that's an effort that is needed in our community, I was concerned that not only are the goals of this campaign not clearly defined beyond the nebulous 'highlight and affirm LGBT love in Black communities', I was bothered that BiNet USA was not included in the list of organizations taking part in this much needed educational and affirmation of love effort in our African descended community ranks.

And the Bi community is not feeling the love in the #ThisIsLuv campaign.   They are feeling dissed.

Just like the trans community, the 'B' in the LGBT community has been marginalized and ignored as well by the LG end, and the bi community ain't having it any more as this petition is evidence of along with a statement from non-monosexual leaders concerning the #ThisIsLuv campaign.

And yes, African-American bi community members exist.  I've been in contact and friends with many of them for years.

With Kate Brown in Oregon set to become the first out bisexual governor in the US today in the wake of the resignation of scandal ridden Governor John Kitzhaber (D), a bi congressmember in US Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ),  BiNet USA president Faith Cheltenham last year becoming the first out bi person to witness a White House bill signing, and a long list of current celebrities and historical figures who are part of it, the  'B' in LGBT is anything but invisible, especially in the African-American community.

Neither are the bi community's leaders like Faith Cheltenham.

Cheltenham didn't mince any words on her Facebook page about another sad case of  bi erasure.

"It's weird, it's like one good thing happens for bi visibility and the ENTIRE LGBT WORLD tries to stuff all the bisexuals in a closet. In a 24hr period I've witnessed a "blah" response on openly bisexual Kate Brown from LGBT Media elite, seen biphobia MISSPELLED by Black LGBT activists like Tiq Milan and Wade Davis, seen myself utilized to showcase diversity at a not so diverse conference, been told by a ‪#‎CSUN‬ researcher that pansexual is not a bisexual community label...and to top it all off? The ‪#‎ThisisLuv‬ press release bandied about "gay and transgender' like it didn't just kill half a dozen bi+ activists. GODDESS? I DON'T HAVE MUCH LEFT, I JUST DON'T. I'm agreeing with Dr. Heru Khuti, it's time to call it a ‪#‎Bisexual‬ ‪#‎StateofEmergency‬.

Screw the petitions, I say we start suing. It's fraud plain and simple to utilize bisexual stats and deny bisexuals service. It's deception to claim you're doing LGBT work when the B is always silent, forgotten and erased. And honestly, it's just plain cruel to follow up your slights with comments like "it's not like bisexual activists are on every corner". Honey, with higher poverty rates than our gay, lesbian and heterosexual peers we really ARE on a lot of corners. And I agree again with Dr. Herukhuti, it's a misstep to neglect to amplify BLACK TRANS WOMEN during this epidemic of violence against them. Just like its a misstep to erase bi folks from #ThisisLuv when family acceptance for bi youth is lower than their gay and lesbian peers experience.

I would hope that the #ThisIsLuv campaign organizers would expeditiously correct their error and immediately include African-descended bi community leaders.  As much as I like the idea and it's critically needed in the Black community, I can't support it if it continues to erase the bi community in words and deeds.

You can't legitimately claim that this is an LGBT community campaign when the 'B' was not only ignored, but wasn't sitting at the table to craft it.

Educating Us About Us Forum

One of the things the fight to pass the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance exposed is just how much education needs to be done about the various letters in our own chocolate Houston SGL trans and bi ranks.

Trans 101 is particularly needed, especially when we discovered in the repeal petition checking process some of our own LGBT people signed them or swallowed the lies Max Miller and company repetitively at the behest of their puppet master Dave Welch told about the trans community due to lack of knowledge about us. 

Now that we not facing in Houston the imminent threat of a referendum this November, are awaiting the January 19, 2015 trial date, and have some time to do some 'ejumacation', we are dong just that and holding community conversations that we'll eventually expand to the straight African-American community. 

Last Sunday (August 24) I took part in a forum held at the Montrose Center moderated by Austin D. Williams entitled Educating Us about Us.

 It started at 3:30 PM and featured some real talk about the HERO by Ashton Woods.    He talked about the fifteen categories it covers, busted the lies the faith-based haters have been saying about it, and it was a nice segue into my portion of the event  discussing Trans 101 and some of the historical background.

We spent about an hour and a half in spirited discussion talking about the trans community since that's where much of the educating needed to be done.  We eventually moved from talking about the 'T' and busting myths to the portions of the facilitated discussion about the other letters in our SGL community.   We broke down some of the myths about lesbians, gay Republicans, gay Christians, gay men and finally the DL peeps that cause dissension and drama.. 

6:30 PM came way too soon, and a group of us decided to take the discussion to the Midtown Grill, a nearby Montrose area restaurant on West Gray where that SGL community centered discussion continued over a meal and spilled out into the parking lot for a little while longer.

But it was clear to many of the passionate and intelligent folks in that room that more of these H-town community building conversations need to (and will) happen.   And when the next one is scheduled, I'll let you know on these TransGriot electronic pages when it does.

'I Am Visible' Video Campaign

As much as I and other transpeople gripe about 'T' in the GLBT community being ignored, marginalized and silenced and whitewashed out of the rainbow community history and politics, the 'B' or bi part of the community has the same issues and gripes with the GL peeps.

We had a major example of that in the recent kerfluffle over the GL only NAACP panel discussion that was devoid of representation from the 'B' and 'T' end of the community.    

One of the events I took part in before I moved from Da Ville last year was a wonderful and informative 'Black and Gay' panel discussion on the U of L campus sponsored by blkout and the Delta Theta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,.Inc.  I was on a five person panel in which four of the people were bi.  I was the lone trans panelist and interestingly enough it was moderated by a gay man..

In the run up to Bi Pride Day on September 23, the Bi Social Network is coordinating an 'I Am Visible' video campaign for bi visibility and to build bi community pride.

Since the bi community had mine and the trans community's back in more than a few scuffles with the GL end of the community, this is giving me an opportunity to help support my bi allies by getting the word out about this 'I Am Visible' video campaign.

People are being asked to create videos as to why bi visibility matters and you can see them at this link.

And for those of you on the 'B' end of the community, you are encouraged to make your own video and send it in.