Amy André is a bi woman married to a lesbian. When walking together one day, near their home in San Francisco, a man in a pick-up truck shouted at them as he drove by: “Lesbians!”

“I’ll take it!” was André‘s reply. “Because even though I'm not a lesbian, it's certainly no insult to be mistaken for one, especially if the mistake is based on my awesome hair style!”

André is the co-author of Bisexual Health, published by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and is an in-demand speaker on bisexual and overall LGBT issues. She holds a masters in Sexuality Studies and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

And she has short hair. Was that the marker then for this truck driver? Short hair marks a woman as lesbian? André and her spouse, Dr. Kami Chisholm, ponder this, both seriously and humorously, as they walk on: “Considering the fact that studies show that twice as many women identify as bisexual than identify as lesbian (yes, bi women outnumber lesbians two to one), the odds were just higher anyway that, if he thinks I'm not straight, then I'm probably bi. So, what could it be that made him assume we were both lesbians?”

What Does a Bisexual Look Like? by Amy Andre, filed at the Bilerico Project, 27.Sep.11.

 

Amy André is also the author of Married, Like as in Married Married for LGBT | POV.

Photo credit: Marlo Gayle

Amy André is a bi woman married to a lesbian. When walking together one day, near their home in San Francisco, a man in a pick-up truck shouted at them as he drove by: “Lesbians!”

“I’ll take it!” was André‘s reply. “Because even though I'm not a lesbian, it's certainly no insult to be mistaken for one, especially if the mistake is based on my awesome hair style!”

André is the co-author of Bisexual Health, published by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and is an in-demand speaker on bisexual and overall LGBT issues. She holds a masters in Sexuality Studies and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

And she has short hair. Was that the marker then for this truck driver? Short hair marks a woman as lesbian? André and her spouse, Dr. Kami Chisholm, ponder this, both seriously and humorously, as they walk on: “Considering the fact that studies show that twice as many women identify as bisexual than identify as lesbian (yes, bi women outnumber lesbians two to one), the odds were just higher anyway that, if he thinks I'm not straight, then I'm probably bi. So, what could it be that made him assume we were both lesbians?”

What Does a Bisexual Look Like? by Amy Andre, filed at the Bilerico Project, 27.Sep.11.

 

Amy André is also the author of Married, Like as in Married Married for LGBT | POV.

Photo credit: Marlo Gayle

BC Radio Manchester follows up on It’s My Story: Tom Robinson – Getting Bi with another hour-long show about bisexuality.

The Big Bi Debate: LGBT Citizen Manchester.

BC Radio Manchester follows up on It’s My Story: Tom Robinson – Getting Bi with another hour-long show about bisexuality.

The Big Bi Debate: LGBT Citizen Manchester.

It’s My Story: Tom Robinson – Getting Bi was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm on Monday September 19th. It is now available on the BBC iPlayer.

Tom Robinson is an English songwriter who came to prominence in the 1970s with the punk/New Wave band, The Tom Robinson Band. His song Glad to be Gay became a ground-breaking anthem for the gay community. The song was originally written for the 1976 London Pride event and the lyrics were intended to have an in-your-face, Sex Pistols style confrontational impact. And they did. “Glad to Be Gay is built around four verses criticizing British society's attitudes towards gay people. In the first verse, it criticizes the British police for raiding gay pubs for no reason at all, once homosexuality had been decriminalized.”

Robinson’s song affected many and he became a poster child of the British gay movement. Many young men and women coming out during that time have said how much he and his song meant to them. So, when Robinson later came out as bisexual, because he happened to fall in love with a woman, he was booed from stage, slated for being a hypocrite and was even accused of being a traitor to the LGBT cause.

As far as the bisexual cause goes, Tom Robinson didn’t initially establish himself as a friend to the bi community, being quoted in the media making dismissive comments such as, "I have much more sympathy with bisexuals now, but I am absolutely not one". In a new programme for Radio 4, produced by MIM (Made in Manchester), Robinson “examines how he came to terms with his sexuality and finds out how bisexual people in different parts of the UK cope with attitudes towards their relationships.” In this 30 min radio programme, he will take us along as he describes his own journey from denying his bi identity to understanding and coping with being bi in Britain today: "Our enemies do not draw the distinction between gay and bisexual,” he has said.

And as regards the public discussion of bisexuality in Britain -- even this far into the 21st century, a sober, non-sensationalist discussion of bisexuality via a major media outlet breaks new ground.

“For some reason bisexuality remains a bit of a taboo in the media and society at large,” commented MIM producer Ashley Byrne. “We’ve been trying to cover the issue on both TV and radio for years. So it’s a real credit to Radio 4 that they’ve had the courage to commission this programme. It’s clear there’s a whole swathe of the population who don’t see their sexual identity in neat pre-defined boxes – and this 30 minute doc begins to challenge some of the basic assumptions many people have about those who identify as bisexual.”

Tune in on the 19th or via iPlayer after and do please come back here to share your thoughts! Thanks.

It’s My Story: Tom Robinson – Getting Bi was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm on Monday September 19th. It is now available on the BBC iPlayer.

Tom Robinson is an English songwriter who came to prominence in the 1970s with the punk/New Wave band, The Tom Robinson Band. His song Glad to be Gay became a ground-breaking anthem for the gay community. The song was originally written for the 1976 London Pride event and the lyrics were intended to have an in-your-face, Sex Pistols style confrontational impact. And they did. “Glad to Be Gay is built around four verses criticizing British society's attitudes towards gay people. In the first verse, it criticizes the British police for raiding gay pubs for no reason at all, once homosexuality had been decriminalized.”

Robinson’s song affected many and he became a poster child of the British gay movement. Many young men and women coming out during that time have said how much he and his song meant to them. So, when Robinson later came out as bisexual, because he happened to fall in love with a woman, he was booed from stage, slated for being a hypocrite and was even accused of being a traitor to the LGBT cause.

As far as the bisexual cause goes, Tom Robinson didn’t initially establish himself as a friend to the bi community, being quoted in the media making dismissive comments such as, "I have much more sympathy with bisexuals now, but I am absolutely not one". In a new programme for Radio 4, produced by MIM (Made in Manchester), Robinson “examines how he came to terms with his sexuality and finds out how bisexual people in different parts of the UK cope with attitudes towards their relationships.” In this 30 min radio programme, he will take us along as he describes his own journey from denying his bi identity to understanding and coping with being bi in Britain today: "Our enemies do not draw the distinction between gay and bisexual,” he has said.

And as regards the public discussion of bisexuality in Britain -- even this far into the 21st century, a sober, non-sensationalist discussion of bisexuality via a major media outlet breaks new ground.

“For some reason bisexuality remains a bit of a taboo in the media and society at large,” commented MIM producer Ashley Byrne. “We’ve been trying to cover the issue on both TV and radio for years. So it’s a real credit to Radio 4 that they’ve had the courage to commission this programme. It’s clear there’s a whole swathe of the population who don’t see their sexual identity in neat pre-defined boxes – and this 30 minute doc begins to challenge some of the basic assumptions many people have about those who identify as bisexual.”

Tune in on the 19th or via iPlayer after and do please come back here to share your thoughts! Thanks.

I’ve been swamped with life stuff lately and very slow getting things posted, but wanted to get this link up to keep this blog in the ‘conversation’ so to speak:

True Blood star Anna Paquin says there is a lot of prejudice against bisexual people.

“The 28-year-old actress, who is married to her co-star Stephen Moyer, came out as bisexual last April when she filmed an advert for an LGBT charity.

Speaking to W magazine, she said: ‘Frankly no one had ever asked me about being bisexual before.

‘There is a lot of prejudice against us but the more people talk about it, the less of a deal it will be’.”

I’ve been swamped with life stuff lately and very slow getting things posted, but wanted to get this link up to keep this blog in the ‘conversation’ so to speak:

True Blood star Anna Paquin says there is a lot of prejudice against bisexual people.

“The 28-year-old actress, who is married to her co-star Stephen Moyer, came out as bisexual last April when she filmed an advert for an LGBT charity.

Speaking to W magazine, she said: ‘Frankly no one had ever asked me about being bisexual before.

‘There is a lot of prejudice against us but the more people talk about it, the less of a deal it will be’.”

I have been quiet recently, but didn’t want the month to pass without a post…

What I shall do this post is share important news about bisexual and overall LGBTI issues.

Firstly and most pressingly, within 24 hours the Ugandan parliament will vote on what is being called the “Kill the Gays” bill. I have written about the situation in Uganda for “kuchu” people before (Bisexevil: Uganda, Hate in Focus). It’s important to make all of our voices heard on this issue, putting pressure wherever we can (on our own governments regarding aid and loans, and directly on the Ugandan government via petitions and media).

Full human rights must be afforded to all Ugandan citizens, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. This petition is taking signatures now – very short and simple, making it easy to do the right thing!

UPDATE: less than 12 hours to go to the parliamentary vote.

Here is another petition that is aiming to reach 1 million signatures:

“To President Museveni of Uganda, Members of the Review Committee, Parliament, and donor governments:

We stand with citizens across Uganda who are calling on their government to withdraw the Anti-Homosexual Bill, and to protect the universal human rights embodied in the Ugandan constitution. We urge Uganda’s leaders and donors to join us in rejecting persecution and upholding values of justice and tolerance.”

☮      ☯       ☮

Also, there is a brilliant article distributed via the Associated Press highlighting the bisexual struggle for respect and recognition. It finally brings to wide public attention key issues facing bisexuals in nations in North America and Europe specifically, but also in other parts of the world. The article begins by focusing on the marriage of two bisexual women:

The couple have been married three times...

"For the last 13 years, Lindasusan Ulrich has been in a committed relationship with the same woman. The couple have married three times, twice before it was legal in California and once while it briefly was. But if acquaintances were to assume Ulrich and her wife, Emily Drennen, are lesbians, they would be wrong. They identify as bisexuals and are proud of it.

“This doesn't mean their sexual orientation hasn't presented challenges. Even in a do-as-you-like city such as San Francisco, the women have found bisexuals to be a misunderstood and often overlooked minority. During the state's 2008 campaign to ban same-sex marriages, they forcefully reminded gay rights leaders -- in the form of a cake decorated with the words Having Our Cake and Eating It Too! Bisexuals Exist! -- that political advertising and fundraising appeals referring only to gay and lesbian couples did not encompass their imperilled union.

It's a unique identity as opposed to half one and half the other

…said Ulrich, a 41-year-old writer and musician who recently authored a report on ‘bisexual invisibility’ for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

“The commission unanimously adopted the report, and that could prove a significant step, said Denise Penn, director of the American Institute of Bisexuality.

“Because San Francisco takes its commitment to gay and lesbian rights so seriously, shining a spotlight on the hostility bisexuals sometimes encounter from gay men and lesbians could help ease one of the most painful aspects of having a bisexual identity, Penn said.

"’People don't trust bisexuals, and I've heard some really, really nasty stuff’, Penn said. ‘Oh, you are going to just go back and hide in your straight world.' Bisexuals are (seen as) tourists in the community, opportunists’."

“As gay, lesbian and transgender people have succeeded in putting their fight for equality front and centre in American politics, bisexuals -- the often forgotten B in the LGBT rainbow -- have been waging their own fight for recognition. From adopting a bisexual pride flag and commemorating Sept. 23 as bisexual pride day to urging researchers and government agencies to treat bisexuality as a distinct category, activists who acknowledge their attractions to both men and women say they want to assert their existence.

More Americans identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian

“In promoting their not-insignificant ranks, activists point out that a UCLA demographer estimated last month that slightly more Americans self-identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian. But the activist argue their task is complicated by stereotypes of bisexuals as fickle sex fiends, the difficulty in pinning down who counts as bisexual, and discrimination from both the straight and gay communities.

“‘Even people who would not feel comfortable saying bad things about gay or lesbian people feel comfortable trashing bi people,’ said Robyn Ochs, a veteran bisexual activist in Boston [who married long-time partner, Peg Preble, on the first day same-sex marriage was allowed in Massachusetts, May 17, 2004].

“Johnny Fesenko, 42, a computer programmer in San Francisco, said that contrary to popular belief and jokes about male fantasies involving threesomes, living as a bisexual can sometimes feel like the worst of all worlds instead of the best of both. Gay friends and potential partners tell him his interest in women is just a phase. He's had straight women refuse to date him because he's not ‘a real man’. He once was punched in the face while walking with a boyfriend in Manhattan, he said.

"’It's almost like being called an atheist -- you would rather call yourself agnostic because there is such a stigma associated with it,’ Fesenko said.

“Despite the inherent obstacles, activists point to signs of progress. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, one of the nation's largest gay rights groups, a few years ago started holding bisexual-specific meetings and panels. Students at Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota have established groups for bisexuals. Out & Equal, a San Francisco-based organization that advocates for workplace rights for gays, last year sponsored an international survey aimed at uncovering on-the-job issues that bisexuals face.“

read more: “Bisexuals work for recognition in the LGBT rainbow”

I have been quiet recently, but didn’t want the month to pass without a post…

What I shall do this post is share important news about bisexual and overall LGBTI issues.

Firstly and most pressingly, within 24 hours the Ugandan parliament will vote on what is being called the “Kill the Gays” bill. I have written about the situation in Uganda for “kuchu” people before (Bisexevil: Uganda, Hate in Focus). It’s important to make all of our voices heard on this issue, putting pressure wherever we can (on our own governments regarding aid and loans, and directly on the Ugandan government via petitions and media).

Full human rights must be afforded to all Ugandan citizens, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. This petition is taking signatures now – very short and simple, making it easy to do the right thing!

UPDATE: less than 12 hours to go to the parliamentary vote.

Here is another petition that is aiming to reach 1 million signatures:

“To President Museveni of Uganda, Members of the Review Committee, Parliament, and donor governments:

We stand with citizens across Uganda who are calling on their government to withdraw the Anti-Homosexual Bill, and to protect the universal human rights embodied in the Ugandan constitution. We urge Uganda’s leaders and donors to join us in rejecting persecution and upholding values of justice and tolerance.”

☮      ☯       ☮

Also, there is a brilliant article distributed via the Associated Press highlighting the bisexual struggle for respect and recognition. It finally brings to wide public attention key issues facing bisexuals in nations in North America and Europe specifically, but also in other parts of the world. The article begins by focusing on the marriage of two bisexual women:

The couple have been married three times...

"For the last 13 years, Lindasusan Ulrich has been in a committed relationship with the same woman. The couple have married three times, twice before it was legal in California and once while it briefly was. But if acquaintances were to assume Ulrich and her wife, Emily Drennen, are lesbians, they would be wrong. They identify as bisexuals and are proud of it.

“This doesn't mean their sexual orientation hasn't presented challenges. Even in a do-as-you-like city such as San Francisco, the women have found bisexuals to be a misunderstood and often overlooked minority. During the state's 2008 campaign to ban same-sex marriages, they forcefully reminded gay rights leaders -- in the form of a cake decorated with the words Having Our Cake and Eating It Too! Bisexuals Exist! -- that political advertising and fundraising appeals referring only to gay and lesbian couples did not encompass their imperilled union.

It's a unique identity as opposed to half one and half the other

…said Ulrich, a 41-year-old writer and musician who recently authored a report on ‘bisexual invisibility’ for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

“The commission unanimously adopted the report, and that could prove a significant step, said Denise Penn, director of the American Institute of Bisexuality.

“Because San Francisco takes its commitment to gay and lesbian rights so seriously, shining a spotlight on the hostility bisexuals sometimes encounter from gay men and lesbians could help ease one of the most painful aspects of having a bisexual identity, Penn said.

"’People don't trust bisexuals, and I've heard some really, really nasty stuff’, Penn said. ‘Oh, you are going to just go back and hide in your straight world.' Bisexuals are (seen as) tourists in the community, opportunists’."

“As gay, lesbian and transgender people have succeeded in putting their fight for equality front and centre in American politics, bisexuals -- the often forgotten B in the LGBT rainbow -- have been waging their own fight for recognition. From adopting a bisexual pride flag and commemorating Sept. 23 as bisexual pride day to urging researchers and government agencies to treat bisexuality as a distinct category, activists who acknowledge their attractions to both men and women say they want to assert their existence.

More Americans identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian

“In promoting their not-insignificant ranks, activists point out that a UCLA demographer estimated last month that slightly more Americans self-identify as bisexual than as gay or lesbian. But the activist argue their task is complicated by stereotypes of bisexuals as fickle sex fiends, the difficulty in pinning down who counts as bisexual, and discrimination from both the straight and gay communities.

“‘Even people who would not feel comfortable saying bad things about gay or lesbian people feel comfortable trashing bi people,’ said Robyn Ochs, a veteran bisexual activist in Boston [who married long-time partner, Peg Preble, on the first day same-sex marriage was allowed in Massachusetts, May 17, 2004].

“Johnny Fesenko, 42, a computer programmer in San Francisco, said that contrary to popular belief and jokes about male fantasies involving threesomes, living as a bisexual can sometimes feel like the worst of all worlds instead of the best of both. Gay friends and potential partners tell him his interest in women is just a phase. He's had straight women refuse to date him because he's not ‘a real man’. He once was punched in the face while walking with a boyfriend in Manhattan, he said.

"’It's almost like being called an atheist -- you would rather call yourself agnostic because there is such a stigma associated with it,’ Fesenko said.

“Despite the inherent obstacles, activists point to signs of progress. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, one of the nation's largest gay rights groups, a few years ago started holding bisexual-specific meetings and panels. Students at Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota have established groups for bisexuals. Out & Equal, a San Francisco-based organization that advocates for workplace rights for gays, last year sponsored an international survey aimed at uncovering on-the-job issues that bisexuals face.“

read more: “Bisexuals work for recognition in the LGBT rainbow”