Bisexual Activism is FTW

The British Bi Magazine BCN - a very LIKE-able facebook page!

B is not for invisi-Bi-lity!

Fab facebook group :)

Say "Bi Do!"

UK bi magazine BCN want people to say “bi do!” to the UK government’s consultation on same-sex marriage. It’s definitely going to happen, but positive pressure for bold change could mean we get a better law.

UK Study Examines Unique Challenges For Bisexual Community

stfubiphobia:

ishachan:

A new report out of Britain’s Open University last week looks at the unique challenges facing the bisexual community and the compounding impact of homophobia and biphobia. A meta-analysis of various studies found that bisexual people face a higher risk of mental health problems — such as depression, anxiety, self harm, and suicidal thinking — than even gays and lesbians. This is because people who are bi face distinct forms of stereotypes and exclusion that come from both the straight and gay communities. Here are a selection of some of the recommendations the study makes for combating biphobia:

• Separate biphobia out from homophobia, recognising that there are specific issues facing bisexual people such as lack of acknowledgement of their existence, stereotypes of greediness or promiscuity, and pressure to be either gay or straight.

• Recognise the role that biphobia and bisexual invisibility play in creating negative outcomes for bisexual people.

• Recognise that bisexual people are also subject to homophobia, heterosexism and heteronormativity.

• Tackle biphobic hate crime by separating out the experiences of bisexual people in national surveys, examining bisexual-specific experiences, and particularly addressing sexual assault.

• Specifically target bisexual youth in sexual health campaigns, rather than subsuming them in lesbian and gay categories. Any restrictions relating to sexual health, such as the donation of blood, should be around safety of sexual practices engaged in rather than the genders or sexual identities of those involved.

The full report is worth a read, as it includes the testimony of many bisexual people and a helpful discussion for understanding the identity’s many possible variations. Given researchers are still wasting time on whether bisexuality even exists — it does — further examination for the unique experiences of bi people can further an understanding of all people’s sexualities and the way society treats them. (HT: Jane Fae.)

The bolds are fantastic.

BiCon 2012

lgbtq-uk:

BiCon is an annual gathering for bisexual people, their friends, partners and anyone with a supportive interest in bisexuality. It takes place annually and is held over a long weekend, usually in the summer, and has been hosted at various locations over the years. BiCon 2012 will take place in Bradford on Thursday 9th - Monday 13th August 2012.

Girl Panic: Ianto's Sexuality

girl-panic:

I know I shouldn’t get annoyed by other people’s ignorance about Ianto’s sexuality, but I kind of can’t help it. He is one of the only bisexual characters that I’ve ever seen portrayed on screen in such a honest, realistic manner, and he means a whole hell of a fucking lot to me. When people dismiss his bisexuality, they dismiss me.

Also, when they portray him as some simpering fool who magically develops an attraction to a man after never having been attracted to one before, it insults all the bisexual men out there who are constantly dealing with ignorance and biphobia from all corners. So many are told, “You’re not bi, you’re really gay or straight,” or “You’re just confused,” etc. But here’s a newsflash, folks. Bisexual men exist and it’s incredibly important that they get to have their cultural icons. Same goes for bisexual people of all genders. Don’t diminish who Ianto is and what he represents to us by blaming his attraction to Jack on 51st century hormones or some other god-like quality that Jack doesn’t actually have.

Ianto was a man with the capacity and inclination to love and be attracted to more than just women. Call him bisexual or pansexual, but please, for the love of all that’s holy, stop calling him heterosexual, because he wasn’t.

Someone reblogged this old post of mine today and I’m happy that it reminded me about it. If I remember correctly, I was set off by a post I saw under the Ianto tag saying that he was “only gay for Jack.”

Look, I know sexuality is not a static thing, nor does every person see the various labels and definitions that society uses in the same way. But when people say that Ianto was “gay for Jack,” it really gets under my skin. As I stated before, this is a form of bisexual erasure, and totally uncalled for. Stating that a person is straight but gay for one person (or gay but straight for one person) negates the existence of a broader range of sexualities than hetero and homosexual. There is no one or the other here; there is just one of many possibilities.

As for Ianto, the only time he ever expressed anything that could lead us to think that he was “gay for Jack” is in COE when he says “It’s not men.” Now, yes, you could interpret this literally to mean that Jack is the only man he’s ever been attracted to or had sex with, but you can also see this as part of the overall declaration he’s making to his sister, which is that he’s in love with Jack and only Jack, and that it’s not about his gender, it’s about the person he is. Never mind that Rhiannon was dragging him kicking and screaming out of the closet and that perhaps Ianto felt the need to downplay his bisexuality because he wasn’t entirely comfortable sharing that part of who he is with her. Maybe he hasn’t even fully come to terms with it. But we do know that he was sexually attracted to Jack from the very beginning, and did pursue a sexual relationship with him, so the chances of him being uneasy about his sexual attraction to men are slim.

Plus, there are instances in the various canon media and interviews that support him being bisexual. I have never seen any other piece of canon besides that one line in COE that could support Ianto being exclusively into women before Jack, or that he never had any experience with men besides Jack. Those are just ideas that fandom has created, and it annoys me when they’re presented as fact.