As part of finding out what people were furious about, the start of the session involved having two large sheets of paper for the attendees to write on.
One was labelled 'shit', the other 'shit we can do something about'. Comments in italics were added by other people then, ones in [brackets] are mine now. Ones on the second sheet within {braces} were visibly linked together then as being related. There could be many more ways of linking them.
Shit
"Does your boyfriend know?"
NHS – mental health care waiting lists, services & general incompetence
Being hated on by gay & straight people alike ***
Femme-bashing
That noise [- the university thought doing some building work outside early on a hot Sunday morning was a good idea, so as well as the noise the need to keep the windows closed was really annoying…]
Being ignored / erased
Being repeatedly read as straight!
– as gay
'LGBT' orgs that don't have any recognition of bi in their names
– join?
General expressions of incomprehensibility of having two partners, one male, one female from people I come out to
"But which one do you REALLY like more???"
'Professional' researchers on LGBT who don't talk to the community before publishing their rubbish
Straight men who come to BiCon to pick up girls!
The fact that BiCon is the only space all year where I don't feel the need to repeatedly "come out" and/or apologise for my identities
The need to be the "acceptable bisexual" i.e. not too slutty
When a celebrity (etc) is biphobic and orgs/people who have recently massively contributed to biphobia condemn them with no commitment to change/action, or acknowledgement and/or apology for the crap they pull
– recently noted [probably a reference to Christopher Biggins]
– [Peter] Tatchell
– Stonewall (aka Rockfence)
The need for a BiCon just to be our own glorious selves
– Consistently
Bi-behaved characters in film and TV who don't use the 'b' word
– or who are evil / killed off / killers
TERFS
SWERFS
– including in bi spaces
Men's Rights Activists
Sex ed in schools – give the _full_ picture
Femme invisibility
Shit we can do something about
"LGBT" discussions never mentioning bisexuality
{
Bi group for men / women… ummmm…
– "mixed"
LGBT organisation structure split on gender binary lines
}
#CBB [Celebrity Big Brother – where Christopher Biggins had been biphobic, yet again.]
– not watch?
– removal?
– career ending?
{
Poor boundaries around power and privilege
Lack of intersectionality in bi spaces
– race
– trans
– disability
– race & ethnicity
}
Journalism which uses 'fluid' when they could use 'bi'
Stonewall 'inning' people in mixed-sex relationships
Bisexual invisibility (everyone assuming I am straight because I have a husband)
Throwing people who do fit a/many/some stereotype(s) under the bus for RESPECTABILITY
– slutty [can't read] fluid
– training not necessary but..
– pro-diversity
– not perfect (not heroes) [reference to Pride in London's 'heroes' thing: most people aren't flawless heroes]
– not "good bi / bad bi"
{
"LGBT" research / policies that don't consider subgroups + intersectionality
"Inequality among LGBT groups in the UK: a review of evidence"
– say it's crap
– do a Freedom of Information Act request for its cost
}
Stonewall
– yup!
– getting better, needs watching and involvement
No paid specific "Bi" worker in UK even in large LGBT organisations
Total lack of understanding if what being bi means to health + social care services & why they should care
Recording biphobic crime + dealing with it
{
Bisexual identity seen as sexualised & therefore inappropriate to use / raise in the workplace
Workplace visibility + understanding
}
Erasure in education
Access to bi support for low income folks
Cis bi folk who complain about intercommunity biphobia using "LGT" – like, hello, T =/= gay/straight
– more trans than cis people are bi!
– also axis of oppression much?!
{
The media's portrayal of what bi means
Lack of representation
Lack of positive representation – show how amazing we are!
}
Content notices on BiCon ents [- this was after a Friday evening cabaret which included a problematic quiz and a very problematic 'comedy' routine]
– Marcus BCN article
Lack of inclusion in LGBT+ history
L [very very large:] G [very tiny:] b t +?
– This
Aro/Ace erasure in bi communities
– trust each other: ask "how do you ID?"
– make it easy to say "no" to "are you bi?"
Setting the bi community up as a "Utopia" and refusing to acknowledge shit within it
Getting new people to do stuff in the bi community
– get people together
– say thank you
– Marcus' 5 mins [- 'five minute activism', i.e. things you can do in five minutes, as featured in Purple Prose]
– Purple Pages [- somewhere that lists skills etc in the community: oft proposed, not yet done]
– time bank [- 'I'll do this for you, and at some point someone else will do that for me' = everyone more or less happy]
– clique
– pay
– 'small roles'
– bring food
– time commitment
– activism strand [in BiCon etc session programming]
*** Not a footnote, just three stars around this one…
