For some years now I've been involved in a local bi community, and have been on the committee of an organisation which provides support and engages in raising bi-visibility.
I am increasingly feeling like the proverbial Sisyphus because not only does it feel like that we are continually having to stick our hand up to say, 'don't forget about us' within the LGbTI (lower case 'b' intentional, see this post) communities, but I also feel like there is a lack of willingness to stand up and be engaged by those who identify as 'b' or otherwise attracted to more than one gender.
Even on our committee (which is currently two members short because we haven't been able to recruit people after two resigned due to personal/paid work reasons), only a few of us actively engage and respond to matters raised on a regular basis, including volunteering our time to attend events and working on the website and/or social media. There are also a couple more active than I am, and I look at them with admiration and wonder.
Honestly, I'm not trying to place slights against anyone for not being as engaged (although I acknowledge that some people may take what I have this way). I recognise everyone has full and busy lives that can lead to not having the time or energy. However, those of us who do engage also often have full and busy lives and yet we make it a priority to do so because we feel it is important to keep pushing the cause. For me personally, I see it as important because bisexuality seems far more maligned and forgotten than people who are gay or lesbian, and we have far worse health outcomes (see The Bisexuality Report for a recent literature review) than people who are monosexual.
After having a conversation with a friend who has been engaged in activism, including bi-activism, for over two decades and hearing their frustrations with the lack of engagement by others in the latter I can all but seriously ask, "Why is this so?".
We had this conversation as I was attending a meeting with a peak LGbTI organisation that evening to ask them to help us engage in raising the awareness and acceptance of bisexuality and multi gender attraction. In the end, however, I fear that I came across as exasperated about how little we seem to be able to engage people who experience multi gender attraction in the cause also. Looking at other countries, I feel that the case is similar to our own region, and during the meeting another attendee mentioned how they had heard similar frustrations expressed by a bi-activist in New South Wales who had felt the need to step back for the same reasons.
Since attending this meeting I have been seriously considering not nominating to be on the committee of the bi group because I don't know if I am doing myself or the community much good service when I attend a meeting and express this exasperation I feel. I will continue to assess how I feel on this as the elections for the committee are due in October. If I decide to not continue being on the committee, I hope that I will be able to continue to contribute in less formal ways when I feel capable.
I would like to hear from others (regardless of geolocation) about the following:
- If you don't engage in bi-activism, what do you see as barriers to doing so?
- If you do engage in activism (bi, or otherwise), how do you keep yourself motivated? Do you feel like you're getting support from a broad section of your peers or does your experience reflect mine insofar as there's little engagement coming from many?
- If you are involved in activism across different areas including bi-activism, have you observed a lower participation rate in bi-activism in comparison to other areas?
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| The Bisexual Umbrella, from this post on Radical Bi, a blog by Shiri Eisner. |
