By Jon Pressick
Many a social movement has, as its basis, a moment in time, or first struggle that is the impetus for continued resistance. The queer community has certainly seen its share of “moments” that galvanized collective action. The main event is, of course, Stonewall, with many considering this to be the moment in queer history that kickstarted awareness of the struggles that were to be fought and rights that are continuing to be gained. Other instances, it can be argued, have all informed the continuing battles including trans exclusion at the Michigan Women’s Music Festival, the fight for Gay Marriage, the legal battles of Little Sisters and Glad Day Bookshops and the Pussy Palace’s legal win over the Toronto Police Department. All of these have been specific wars that have influenced the queer community at large. But one subgroup of the LGBTQ umbrella has struggled for recognition, support, and understanding without benefit of a specific moment in time to rally around.
Canada’s bisexual community is a diverse and ever-growing group that is slowly, but surely starting to come together. With all of the other segments of the queer community, much can be accomplished through activism and participation in the cause of improving situations for bi people. However, the reality remains that being an activist for bisexual people is often a lonely fight.
So, what makes the prospect of bi-activism such an enigma? Surely, there are plenty of people out there who want to make Canada a better place for bi folks to be. Indeed, there surely are activists on the front lines and in the back rooms who are striving to break down stereotypes, organize events and eliminate biphobia. However, there are many factors that make being an activist impossible for many.
One of the most difficult influences to overcome when supporting bi-activism is the potentially chilly reaction one might receive from the rest of the queer community. Many bi folk have related outright bi-phobia from the gay and lesbian community, and this is a hard pill to swallow.
Nancy Leclerc, President of Bi Unité Montréal , considers this a “vicious cycle” where “we are sometimes told, explicitly and implicitly, by gay and lesbian activists that we should wait our turn. This makes it difficult for bisexuals to get involved as bisexuals.” Instead, many bi people, who are already involved in activism for the queer community shrink back a bit from participating in bi-centred work, instead choosing to support the greater good.
And Nancy is not the only one who has felt the sting of this hypocritical stance. “After I moved to Toronto I joined Toronto Bisexual Network (TBN) and Bisexual Women of Toronto (BiWOT). I also joined some GLBT groups and groups for queer women,” relates Margaret Robinson “…That was where I encountered biphobia stronger than I ever had before. Once a woman I had a huge crush on said some horribly biphobic things….Another time a woman went on a rant against bisexuals. A really vicious rant. Then she stopped and said ‘I’m sorry, I guess I should ask, are there any bisexuals here?’ I knew that if I didn’t put up my hand, I’d never forgive myself. So I did.”
That single act of defiance in the face of biphobia is, perhaps, the most potent form of activism that bi-people can embrace and work to use every day. There are many other things that bi-people can do, in and out of queer circles, to promote the understanding of all issues bisexual, but by openly questioning, challenging or disrupting biphobic statements or attitudes, you force those with those views to reflect on their own opinions.
Cheryl Dobinson, a prominent bi-activist in Toronto and creator of the bi women’s zine The Fence, agrees with this idea, but suggests there is more. “A lot of my bi activism,” she offers, “is simply speaking up in the different situations I find myself in, and also doing eduction and community development work within the bi community.”
Dobinson has been involved in some groundbreaking work on the part of the bisexual community. This past September, she successfully lobbied Egale, Canada’s national LGBT organization, to recognize and promote Celebrate Bisexuality Day (an internationally recognized day - September 23 - to embrace and support all things bisexual). She is also very involved with Toronto Bisexual Network and recently joined the Community Advisory Committee of David Kelley Services (LGBT-focused counselling services), where she will “certainly advocate for bi inclusivity.”
These types of activities, joining committees, serving on boards, are important to do in any political or social cause, but they are an action that not everyone can participate in. Many bi people do not feel they can, for many varied reasons, be a public figure associated with their bisexuality. Whether it is because of family issues, work issues, self issues, many bi folks are just not comfortable being on the front lines like that. Even very active and prominent figures such as Nancy and Margaret feel some concern with being so publicly involved in bi activism. Nancy says that she has “a recurring fear that my son will feel the effects of social stigma, since, at some point, people at his school could find out, either by seeing me at Pride, hearing me on some interview, seeing something I wrote in the paper…”
Nancy’s are legitimate concerns shared by many bisexual people, and this definitely detracts from the numbers of those who are able to be out and about. However, there is a different way to look at this seemingly impossible Catch-22. In every struggle there needs to be the few who, in the beginning, can take the reins and lead, with the hope of making things better for all those who are going to come after them. This is not to suggest that there are just a few leading the bisexual charge, indeed, there is a growing number of activists who are able to be prominent figures in media and community relations. And if you happen to be someone who can get involved, there are a number of great activities you can undertake to improve our community.
The first place you should look if you’re interested in getting involved in bi-activism is the outstanding national resource BiNet Canada. The organization’s vision is concise: “BiNetCanada educates others about bisexuality and sexual diversity. It is a means for sexually diverse Canadians to organize at national, regional and local levels; and can provide a forum for discussion about related issues and concerns.” The website, which is fully bilingual, breaks resources down according to province, as well as listing national resources. Also offered within the individual province pages, are links to events, support groups, student and youth groups, recreational groups, religious or spiritual groups and activist groups. So, if you are unsure what resources you have in your area, the BiNet Canada website will direct you to what might interest you locally.
However, this still does leave one specific obstacle to getting involved in bi-activism in your area. Perhaps, at this time, your area does not have an organized group that you can join. Maybe you live in a smaller town, maybe you live in a particularly conservative region. If you are alone in the beginning, the best thing you can do is research what is happening in other areas, and maybe make some phone calls to activists in other communities for guidance and support. It would also be helpful to look up what some specific activists are doing, people such as Robyn Ochs, Krista Taves, Loraine Hutchins, Lani Ka’ahumanu, Luigi Ferrer, Pete Chvany and Marshall Miller.
Pamela Sloan, the listings co-ordinator for TBN, gives these suggestions on what people can start doing more of to get bisexual issues more recognition:Of course, all of this sounds wonderful and productive, but it also sounds like a lot of hard work. And not just hard work in terms of hours spent, energies expended and noses worn by the social grindstone. All of this activism can take it out emotionally of even the most enthusiastic rabble-rouser. Therefore, perhaps one of the most vital forms of activism that we can organize and participate in are social events, gatherings or networking opportunities. These events should be fun, and not based on group discussion or overt political action (although any gathering of an underrepresented group is necessarily a political action!). These events should be accessible so that newcomers to the scene will feel comfortable enough to be in such a space.
- Visibility: Promote, promote, promote. Advertising and such is a dirty job, but VERY important. I think if the bi community was more ‘in your face,’ it would be taken a little more seriously, especially from the queer community. It would really help tackle the invisibility thing.
- Partnerships: The thing about bisexuals is we fit into so many categories, so we need to show people that. Partnering bi groups with other groups could also really cut down on the stereotypes. Bisexuals are labelled as STD transmitters, well, partner with [a local AIDS awareness group such as Toronto’s] AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and work together to promote safe-sex.
- Get more issues!: This may sound like asking for stress, but it's time for the next step. The LG communities fought to break down walls and stereotypes and have now moved on other issues, like safe sex, sex trade workers, etc. I believe we share these issues and need to show our presence there as well.
Last fall, to commemorate Celebrate Bisexuality Day, a group of volunteers in Toronto organized the first “Anything That Grooves.” This big bi bash featured a can-can performance, roaming kissers and a little stand up comedy. But, more than the entertainment or good times that were shared by all, the event was a big bi statement. Here were a big group of bi folks coming together—in a venue far removed from the ‘safe’ confines of Toronto’s gaybourhood—actively attending an event that was organized by bi folks, for bi folks. The community-building atmosphere was tremendous, the networking (and cruising!) was fun and flirtatious and the event was a great success. So much so that this past February saw the second “Anything That Grooves”!
It cannot be argued that the social and political situation that exists for bisexual people is still a work in progress. Whether bi folks face exclusion or personal restriction, much still needs to be fought for and won. However, despite the seemingly small numbers at times, there are dedicated people across the country working to create safe spaces, open discussion and easy networking for bisexual Canadians.
Jon Pressick is the new feature article editor for Bisexual.com. He is also the publisher of TRADE: Queer Things and a past contributor to Xtra!, Gaiety, Broken Pencil, Women’s Post and Quill and Quire.
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Re: Like Herding Cats? - Bisexual Activism in Canada
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