Bringing bisexual voices together
The L Project is run by Sofia Antonia Milone and Georgey Payne of Greymatter. It’s aims are to raise awareness about the effects of LGBT bullying, to give hope to those suffering from it, and to raise money to help combat it.
The project has produced an anti-LGBT-bullying song called It Does Get Better.
“Back in October of 2011 The L Project, initiated by singer-songwriter Georgey Payne, brought together a group of UK music artists with the intention of recording a song she had penned. That song was It Does Get Better and it was initially written by Georgey in an attempt to cheer up a young friend who had confided in her that he had been the subject of homophobic bullying in school. Georgey quickly realised that the positive message of hope that her song conveyed was one that people all over the world could benefit from whether LGBT or not. Simply put, this song is for anyone who experiences the struggles that can come with being different, and the message is clear ‘It Does Get Better’, do not give up hope.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the growing online community that have turned out to support the project since the release of the song on February 11th 2012. The facebook page for the project is littered with wonderful messages from around the globe, from those who have been brought back from the brink of desperation, to those who have been spurred to action by the pure drive and tenacity the project coordinators have shown in their unending devotion to spreading the ‘L’.What started out as a song, has become a community, a bigger force than either of the co-ordinators could have foreseen. ‘The response we've had is just tremendous, and we have decided the release of this song is just the first of many projects to come’, says Sofia Antonia Milone.”
The L Project is run by Sofia Antonia Milone and Georgey Payne of Greymatter. It’s aims are to raise awareness about the effects of LGBT bullying, to give hope to those suffering from it, and to raise money to help combat it.
The project has produced an anti-LGBT-bullying song called It Does Get Better.
“Back in October of 2011 The L Project, initiated by singer-songwriter Georgey Payne, brought together a group of UK music artists with the intention of recording a song she had penned. That song was It Does Get Better and it was initially written by Georgey in an attempt to cheer up a young friend who had confided in her that he had been the subject of homophobic bullying in school. Georgey quickly realised that the positive message of hope that her song conveyed was one that people all over the world could benefit from whether LGBT or not. Simply put, this song is for anyone who experiences the struggles that can come with being different, and the message is clear ‘It Does Get Better’, do not give up hope.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the growing online community that have turned out to support the project since the release of the song on February 11th 2012. The facebook page for the project is littered with wonderful messages from around the globe, from those who have been brought back from the brink of desperation, to those who have been spurred to action by the pure drive and tenacity the project coordinators have shown in their unending devotion to spreading the ‘L’.What started out as a song, has become a community, a bigger force than either of the co-ordinators could have foreseen. ‘The response we've had is just tremendous, and we have decided the release of this song is just the first of many projects to come’, says Sofia Antonia Milone.”
Emily Dievendorf, Director of Policy at Equality Michigan, writes in the Huffington Post:
“The first time I was called "greedy" it was by a drag queen at the Michigan Pride Festival. She wasn't talking to me directly. She was calling out audience members in the unapologetic, hilarious, and crass way only a drag queen can, asking one attendee if she was a lesbian. The woman said, "No, I'm bi." The drag queen responded, "Oh, you're GREEEDY." Everyone laughed, myself included. But I also left thinking, "So that's how it is."
I could never be "greedy." I have terrible luck with women. But I probably wouldn't date you, male or female, regardless of luck. I'm very particular, maybe to the point of delusion, and my interest rarely has to do with physical attraction above all else. You would need to be funny, clever, overly literate, cultured, and committed to social justice. I'm also a serial monogamist and loyal to a fault, unable to focus on more than one person at a time. I'm not your stereotype, but few of us are.
I believe sexuality, as a continuum with no easy boxes to fit into, is the most logical explanation for the variations we see in human sexuality. Labels are vile and unrealistic to me, an attempt to satisfy others' need for simplicity when life just isn't so. I have struggled with how I would explain myself, resentful that I had to at all. My partners have always known me to be fluid and I hadn't considered it anybody else's business. At a certain point I decided that I had to claim my place in the community because my own invisibility would be part of the perpetuation of others pretending I don't even exist. I wrote 'bi' across my forehead and wore it proudly….
The stigma, or biphobia, that comes with being bisexual has serious consequences. Bisexuals have higher incidences of depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor physical health in general than their heterosexual, gay and lesbian counterparts. Bisexuals most often don't come out to their health provider and as a result receive incomplete information regarding their sexual health. Bisexual women with monosexual partners have an increased rate of domestic violence compared to every other female demographic. Compared to lesbians, bisexual women are twice as likely to live in poverty. Discrimination against bisexuals is greater in the workforce. While lesbians earn 2.7% less than straight men, bisexual women earn nearly 11% less.
There is an acute stress that comes from feeling like you are not a legitimate member of a community. In nonurban areas lesbians and bisexual women experience comparable levels of frequent mental distress, but in urban areas distress decreases for lesbians and nearly doubles for bisexual women. Resources and support are more likely to be available for lesbians in urban areas, and still likely to be nowhere to be found for bisexuals. Regardless of established need, projects addressing issues related to bisexuality are the least funded among programs for the lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender communities….”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-dievendorf/bisexual-invisibility-has_b_1370079.html
Emily Dievendorf, Director of Policy at Equality Michigan, writes in the Huffington Post:
“The first time I was called "greedy" it was by a drag queen at the Michigan Pride Festival. She wasn't talking to me directly. She was calling out audience members in the unapologetic, hilarious, and crass way only a drag queen can, asking one attendee if she was a lesbian. The woman said, "No, I'm bi." The drag queen responded, "Oh, you're GREEEDY." Everyone laughed, myself included. But I also left thinking, "So that's how it is."
I could never be "greedy." I have terrible luck with women. But I probably wouldn't date you, male or female, regardless of luck. I'm very particular, maybe to the point of delusion, and my interest rarely has to do with physical attraction above all else. You would need to be funny, clever, overly literate, cultured, and committed to social justice. I'm also a serial monogamist and loyal to a fault, unable to focus on more than one person at a time. I'm not your stereotype, but few of us are.
I believe sexuality, as a continuum with no easy boxes to fit into, is the most logical explanation for the variations we see in human sexuality. Labels are vile and unrealistic to me, an attempt to satisfy others' need for simplicity when life just isn't so. I have struggled with how I would explain myself, resentful that I had to at all. My partners have always known me to be fluid and I hadn't considered it anybody else's business. At a certain point I decided that I had to claim my place in the community because my own invisibility would be part of the perpetuation of others pretending I don't even exist. I wrote 'bi' across my forehead and wore it proudly….
The stigma, or biphobia, that comes with being bisexual has serious consequences. Bisexuals have higher incidences of depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor physical health in general than their heterosexual, gay and lesbian counterparts. Bisexuals most often don't come out to their health provider and as a result receive incomplete information regarding their sexual health. Bisexual women with monosexual partners have an increased rate of domestic violence compared to every other female demographic. Compared to lesbians, bisexual women are twice as likely to live in poverty. Discrimination against bisexuals is greater in the workforce. While lesbians earn 2.7% less than straight men, bisexual women earn nearly 11% less.
There is an acute stress that comes from feeling like you are not a legitimate member of a community. In nonurban areas lesbians and bisexual women experience comparable levels of frequent mental distress, but in urban areas distress decreases for lesbians and nearly doubles for bisexual women. Resources and support are more likely to be available for lesbians in urban areas, and still likely to be nowhere to be found for bisexuals. Regardless of established need, projects addressing issues related to bisexuality are the least funded among programs for the lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender communities….”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-dievendorf/bisexual-invisibility-has_b_1370079.html
