40 Years of BRC: Still Not A Phase
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Loring Greenough House, 12 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
You’re invited to a big bi+ birthday party!
Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day is back, and this year, we’re going big. Join the Bisexual Resource Center at the Loring Greenough House on September 21 for an outdoor afternoon of joy, connection, and reflection as we mark 40 years of bi+ activism, visibility, and community care.
Whether you’re bi, pan, fluid, queer, unlabeled, questioning, or proudly outside the binary, we’re throwing this party for you.
This event is free and open to the public. Kids, family, and friends are all welcome.
What is Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day?
Celebrate Bisexuality Day was launched in 1999 by three bi activists—Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur—as a day to be seen. It was a bold declaration: bi+ people exist, we matter, and we deserve joy, visibility, and community.
Here in Boston, the BRC has been doing that work since 1985. What began as the East Coast Bisexual Network is now the longest-running bi+ advocacy organization in the U.S., and we’re still creating space for bi+ people to connect, thrive, and organize.
Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day Awards
The Bisexual Resource Center is proud to announce the winners of the Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day Awards! These awards honor the incredible individuals and allies who make our bi+ community stronger, more visible, and more vibrant.
Too often, bi+ people’s contributions are overlooked, taken for granted, or erased. Today, we change that by recognizing the labor, creativity, and love that sustain our community every day.
Unsung Hero
The Unsung Hero Award honors a bi+ person whose tireless contributions often happen behind the scenes. They may not always seek recognition, but their dedication, care, and persistence keep our community alive and thriving. This year’s Unsung Hero awardees embody the quiet, consistent, powerful work that makes bi+ life possible.
Bailey Merlin (she/her)
Bailey Merlin is a writer, podcaster, community builder, and professional bisexual. She’s the author of A Lot of People Live in This House and the co-host of the Bisexual Killjoy podcast, where she and her co-host stir up conversations about identity, culture, and justice with equal parts bite and humor. Bailey is also the founder of the international writers’ collective Bi+ Book Gang and serves as the Events Chair for the Bisexual Resource Center.
Bailey is the driving force behind so much of today’s bi+ community work here in Boston and beyond, often quietly, behind the scenes, and with a level of energy that seems superhuman. She has organized nearly everything for the Bisexual Resource Center this past year, from managing 14 Pride events in June (ensuring bi+ representation at every single one) to pulling together this very Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day event. Most people who attend don’t realize just how much of what they’re enjoying is the result of Bailey’s countless hours of planning, coordination, and labor.
Her leadership extends far beyond Boston. Bailey founded and sustains the Bi+ Book Gang, a vibrant online community and Discord space that has become a lifeline for hundreds of writers and readers around the world. Through accountability sessions, workshops, critique groups, and socials, she has built not just a writers’ collective but a safe and affirming queer space. Members describe the group as life-changing, a place that kept their creative flames alive, made them feel safer being out, and gave them the confidence to tell bi+ stories. This year, Bailey also edited and compiled the Gang’s first bi+ anthology, Bi All Accounts, out on Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day, further cementing her commitment to amplifying voices too often erased.
And that’s not all. She co-hosts and co-produces the Bisexual Killjoy podcast, manages its social media, and uses the platform to spark thoughtful, researched, and affirming conversations. She works with bi+ organizations across the country, champions just about every BRC event, and still makes the effort to connect with people personally, whether that’s remembering someone’s name at an event or encouraging emerging artists to keep going.
As one community member put it, “Bailey is breathing life back into the bi+ community here in Boston.” Another said, “Without her, so many bisexual works wouldn’t get published.” She uplifts underdogs, creates spaces where bi+ folks feel like they matter, and keeps showing up, no matter how heavy the load. For her resilience, creativity, generosity, and extraordinary dedication, we recognize Bailey as an Unsung Hero of the bi+ community.
IG: @bamaram_merlin
Richie Smith (he/him)
Richie Smith is a composer, guitarist, producer, and multimedia artist from Boston whose multimedia performance Color Room brings synesthesia into the physical world. He is the sound engineer for the podcast Bisexual Killjoy, baritone guitarist of the alternative group Holystone, and is a passionate advocate for all things bi+ and queer. He is also a pretty decent seamstress.
Richie embodies what it means to be an Unsung Hero: he is always showing up, giving his time, creativity, and labor so that the bi+ community can shine. This year alone, Richie attended 10 Pride events in person, ensuring that bi+ people were visible, celebrated, and supported. When the Bisexual Resource Center needed a flag that would make our presence undeniable, Richie hand-sewed a massive 30-foot bisexual flag, the very flag that allowed us to march in the Boston Pride for the People Parade for the first time since 2020. His work not only symbolized our pride but also made history by returning bi+ visibility to the streets of Boston.
Community members say it best: without Richie, bi+ events in Boston simply would not happen at the level they do now. He is the steady, behind-the-scenes force making sure the work doesn’t just get done; it gets done beautifully and meaningfully. His dedication, creativity, and generosity make him someone every community dreams of having, and we are proud to honor him as an Unsung Hero.
IG: @richiesmithmusic55
JB
In Washington, DC, JB has quietly become one of the most vital forces behind the local bi+ community. They organize and host social events that bring people together, building connection and belonging without ever seeking the spotlight. Whether through the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center’s Bi+ Group or community meetups, JB ensures that everyone feels welcome, remembered, and included.
Community members describe JB as the reason they kept returning after nervously attending their first event, the person who welcomed newcomers who had just moved to DC, and even the one who reached out with personal support during times of illness and struggle. Their thoughtfulness goes beyond event organizing; JB notices who needs to be brought in, who might be feeling left out, and always takes the time to make sure no one slips through the cracks.
They are a connector, a therapist, a friend, and a steady presence who makes the DC bi+ community stronger and more compassionate. As one person put it: “Our DC Bi community wouldn’t be what it is without JB.” For their consistent, heartfelt, and generous leadership, we are proud to honor JB as an Unsung Hero.
Bi+ Ally
The Bi+ Ally Award recognizes someone outside of the community who has gone above and beyond in supporting bi+ people. Whether through advocacy, partnership, or steadfast personal support, these allies show up in meaningful ways as partners, friends, family members, or advocates. This year’s recipients remind us that solidarity in action can change lives.
Larry Nelson (he/him)
Larry Nelson has spent decades showing up for the bi+ community with steadfast dedication and heart. As the straight-identifying partner of Brenda Howard (a.k.a. the trailblazing bisexual activist and “Mother of Pride”), Larry has worked tirelessly to honor her memory and continue her mission. After Brenda’s passing in 2005, he carried her legacy to affirm the legitimacy of bisexual identity and preserve her legacy as a leader who helped spark the global Pride movement.
Larry’s allyship has never been symbolic. It is lived, consistent, and deeply personal. He has organized the Bi+ contingent at NYC Pride and countless other events, carrying bi pride flags and hope year after year. Community members recall him arriving early to support groups at New York City’s LGBT Community Center, unfurling a giant bi pride flag across the room so no one could forget that bi+ people belong. More recently, he placed bi pride flags at the Stonewall National Monument in defiance of attempts to erase bisexual and trans people from its history.
Through his advocacy with PFLAG Queens, his organizing, and his enduring presence at marches, rallies, and memorials, Larry has ensured that the “B” in LGBTQ+ is not forgotten. His dedication reminds us all that true allyship is about showing up again and again, with passion, visibility, and love. For his decades of support and unwavering commitment to honoring Brenda Howard and uplifting the bi+ community, we are proud to present Larry Nelson with a Bi+ Ally Award.
Learn more about Larry and his bi-con of a partner, THE Brenda Howard, in this touching video from #StillBisexual.
Rodolfo Ramirez (he/him)
Rodolfo Ramirez is a musician from Boston who plays the drums in the bands Hot Slander and Tovarisch and guitar at the occasional open mic night. He didn’t choose the bi+ volunteering lifestyle the bi+ volunteering lifestyle chose him. LGBTQ+ veterans hold a special place in his heart, and he enjoys talking to them at Pride events. While Rodolfo may have started his volunteering journey as a favor to his bi+ girlfriend, he’s found it to be very fulfilling and is proud to support the Bisexual Resource Center.
Over the past year, Rodolfo has been a steady presence who has ensured that many Pride events went off without a hitch. His willingness to pitch in—whether it’s hauling supplies, setting up, or simply being there to support—has made him someone the community can always count on. Beyond logistics, what people notice most about Rodolfo is the way he shows up: with warmth, authenticity, and genuine interest in connecting with others.
His presence at bi+ events is always a welcome one. In his quiet, dependable way, Rodolfo reminds us that allyship isn’t about grand gestures but about showing up again and again with authenticity and heart. For his generosity, steadfast support, and dedication to making bi+ spaces shine, we are proud to honor Rodolfo with a Bi+ Ally Award.
IG: @hotslanderband
Liz Zonarch (she/her)
Liz Zonarich is a Boston-based designer and illustrator who specializes in transforming complex ideas into accessible, vibrant visuals. As the founder and editor-in-chief of COPE Magazine, she has built a platform where people living with chronic illness can share their stories, connect with others, and find solidarity through creative expression, one page at a time.
Liz has also dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to bi+ projects, and her creative work has made an immeasurable difference in how our community is seen and celebrated. Through her thoughtful, striking designs for organizations like the Bisexual Resource Center and the Bi+ Book Gang, Liz has helped amplify voices, foster belonging, and ensure that our work is taken seriously, shared widely, and talked about with pride. Her ability to turn ideas into vibrant, professional visuals has not only elevated our projects but has also given bi+ people the visibility and respect they deserve.
Her generosity, consistency, and artistry remind us how powerful it is when someone puts their talents in service of community. For all the hours, the designs, and the heart she has poured into bi+ spaces, we are proud to honor Liz as a Bi+ Ally.
IG: @cope_magazine
Bee Hero
The Bee Hero Award celebrates a public figure who has boldly championed bi+ visibility, representation, and rights. Bee Heroes are trailblazers, artists, leaders, or icons whose impact resonates far beyond our community, inspiring bi+ people everywhere to live authentically and proudly. This year’s Bee Heroes join the ranks of past awardees like Rebecca Sugar and Robyn Ochs, carrying forward the work of making bi+ lives visible and celebrated.
Bisexual Killjoy
Bisexual Killjoy is not here to play nice. It’s here to disrupt. A podcast and newsletter born out of frustration with bi+ erasure, it refuses to dilute, simplify, or sanitize the bisexual+ experience. Each episode blends humor, research, and lived reality, offering listeners a sharp, feminist, and decolonial take on what it means to live and fight as bi+ people. It’s part academic seminar, part group therapy, part joyful rebellion. And it has quickly become a lifeline for bi+ listeners who are tired of crumbs and ready for the full feast of affirmation, complexity, and truth. @bisexualkilljoy
The Hosts
The voices behind Bisexual Killjoy bring both rigor and radical care.
- Jeiselynn “Jace” N. Ríos Rivera (any/all) is an award-winning researcher with a profound commitment to centering Bi+ and Latina people in research. Understanding how liberating the union between theory and practice can be in the lives of Bi+ people, they’re passionate about expanding that knowledge in accessible ways through Bisexual Killjoy. @bi.academic
- Bailey Merlin (she/her) is a writer, activist, and community-builder whose projects include Bi All Accounts: An Anthology of Bi+ Voices and the Bi+ Book Gang, an international network for bi+ writers. She insists that bi+ art and activism deserve to be visible, serious, and celebrated. @bamaram_merlin
Community members didn’t just vote for Bisexual Killjoy because it’s smart, though it is. They voted because it acts. One nominator said: “They support their words with action and actually care about creating and maintaining community.” The show has become more than media; it’s infrastructure for connection, accountability, and hope. It has helped listeners name themselves, see their struggles reflected, and imagine futures where bi+ people thrive.
For its unapologetic voice, its commitment to both critique and care, and the relentless work of its co-hosts, Bisexual Killjoy is recognized as a 2025 Bee Hero.
Bi History
Bi History is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting bisexual+ history. Through archival research, heritage training, advocacy, and public storytelling, the project ensures that bi+ lives are recognized as integral to LGBTQ+ history. With resources like the Bi+ Archive Atlas—a centralized guide to bi+ records in collections worldwide—and the Bi History podcast, the project creates visibility where there has too often been silence. It equips museums, libraries, and archives to be more inclusive, while giving bi+ people themselves the chance to discover and connect with their history. @bihistory
The Founder
At the helm of Bi History is Mel Reeve (she/her), an archivist, heritage professional, and award-winning writer. Mel has worked with national libraries and community archives alike, always centering underrepresented voices and expanding access to cultural collections. Her leadership combines expertise with vision: by bringing bisexual+ history into public memory, she insists that bi+ people have always existed, and will always exist. Beyond heritage work, Mel is an accomplished author whose fiction and nonfiction have been widely recognized and published, bringing the same dedication to storytelling that she brings to archiving. @melreeve
Community members nominated Bi History because it has transformed how bi+ people see themselves in the past and present. As one supporter put it: “Through Bi History, Mel has given thousands of bi people the resources and cultural highlights to discover and celebrate their identity in spaces that often diminish bi+ voices.” Others praised her “tireless dedication to researching and spotlighting the stories of bi persons throughout history in order to show that LGBTQ+ folks, including bisexual people, have always existed, will always exist, and deserve to have their voices and stories heard.”
For reclaiming erased histories and building a living archive of resilience, Bi History and Mel Reeve are honored as a 2025 Bee Hero.
bi+ (in)visibility
bi+(in)visibility is a global community dedicated to supporting bi+ people in straight-presenting relationships as they navigate identity, pride, and connection. Through monthly meet-ups, guided reflections, workshops, and an active Discord community, the project creates spaces where bi+ folks can show up fully, whether they’re newly out, still exploring, or long-established in their identities. With its online reach and consistent presence, bi+(in)visibility has become a lifeline for people who might otherwise feel isolated, giving them community, courage, and visibility. @bi_invisibility
The Founder
The project is led by Rebecca Minor, LICSW (she/they), a gender specialist, clinician, educator, and author with more than a decade of experience supporting LGBTQ+ youth, adults, and families. Rebecca combines clinical expertise with lived experience as an openly bisexual woman in a straight-presenting marriage, offering unique insight and radical affirmation. Beyond bi+(in)visibility, she is a published author, identity coach, and workshop facilitator whose work has helped parents, allies, and professionals better support queer and trans people.
Community members nominated bi+(in)visibility because it has given people the strength to embrace their bi+ identity openly. One person shared: “Having this community gave me the strength to come out to my family and in my professional life. I’m now a proud and open bisexual attorney practicing in Texas. I wouldn’t have had the fortitude to do so without her and the community she created.”
For transforming isolation into solidarity, invisibility into pride, and for building a global community where bi+ people feel seen and celebrated, bi+(in)visibility and Rebecca Minor are honored as a 2025 Bee Hero.
Nominees
The Celebrate Bisexuality+ Day Awards remind us just how much brilliance, passion, and resilience exists in our community. While we highlight the winners of each category, we also want to recognize the incredible nominees who make our bi+ world stronger every day. Their work uplifts, protects, and inspires, and and they deserve to be celebrated.
Unsung Hero Nominees
Chelsea Guindon (she/her)
Co-Facilitator of the Winnipeg Bi+ Network/Bi+ Social Group
Chelsea is a proud member of Winnipeg’s vibrant bisexual+ community. Since 2023, Chelsea has volunteered as a co-director and co-facilitator of the Winnipeg Bi+ Network. Through this initiative, she helps run the Bi+ Social Group at the Rainbow Resource Centre, which provides a warm and welcoming space for discussion groups and social gatherings, plus an extensive compilation of bisexual+ resources and increased bisexual+ visibility at community events such as Pride Winnipeg. Chelsea was also involved in the launch of Bi+ Canada, a burgeoning non-profit organization that offers advocacy, support, and information to bisexual+ individuals nationwide. Outside of her volunteerism, Chelsea is a teacher who is passionate about creating empowering, holistic learning environments. She is dedicated to providing comprehensive, intersectional education that would contribute to a safer, more inclusive world in which bisexual+ communities can flourish.
For her unwavering support of the bi+ community, Chelsea is celebrated as a 2025 Unsung Hero nominee.
IG: @winnipegbiplusnetwork
Amanda Haley (Mandi) Maxwell (she/her)
Founder, Co-Director & Co-Facilitator of the Winnipeg Bi+ Network/Bi+ Social Group
Founding Board Member & Graphic/Brand Designer for Bi+ Canada
Mandi is a bi/queer writer, multidisciplinary artist, creative communications specialist, and the founder of the Winnipeg Bi+ Network/Bi+ Social Group, a volunteer-led community group that runs out of the Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, she co-facilitates the monthly bi+ discussion group, plans seasonal events, designs graphics, manages the social media accounts, and co-directs the group’s operations. Recently, Mandi became a founding board member of Bi+ Canada, a newfound non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the rights, safety, well-being, inclusion, and fair treatment of the diverse bisexual+ community across Canada. In addition to being on the board, Mandi designed the organization’s logo, brand kit, and the upcoming website’s wireframe. Having grown up without bi+ representation, Mandi finds empowerment in creating safer spaces for the bi+ community. She hopes that one day bi+ people will be seen, heard, and affirmed, no matter what space they’re in.
For her unwavering support of the bi+ community, Mandi is celebrated as a 2025 Unsung Hero nominee.
You can learn more about Mandi on her website: www.amandahaleymaxwell.com
IG: @winnipegbiplusnetwork
CheekyFaceStyles (Jp) (he/they)
CheekyFaceStyles (Jp) is a bisexual activist, educator, and cultural agitator whose work refuses to soften the truth. Their focus is dismantling the erasure and systemic invisibility imposed on bi+ communities while demanding accountability from healthcare, media, education, and politics. They create blunt, unapologetic educational content that reframes history, culture, and justice through a bisexual lens, insisting that bisexual education is not niche but essential.
With a voice that is sharp, grounded, and uncompromising, CheekyFaceStyles tries to help push bisexuality out of the margins and into full visibility forcing society to reckon with bisexual presence, power, and permanence. He is a co-founder of Bi+ Support Squad, a safe space built to confront the silence and isolation forced on bi+ people. The group provides peer led education, community care, and a digital space for bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, fluid, and queer individuals to name their struggles, resist systemic erasure, and build resilience together.
For CheekyFaceStyles, advocacy is not about token inclusion but about active liberation. Their mission is to expose myths, confront biphobia, and transform bisexual identity into a weapon of accountability, survival, and collective joy.
For their educational materials, social media curation, and support group facilitation, CheekyFaceStyles is celebrated as a 2025 Unsung Hero nominee.
IG: @cheekyfacestyles
Other Fabulous Unsung Hero Nominees
- Tamara Davie Castleberry
- Ash Lazarus Orr
- Michael Szymanski
Bee Hero Nominees
Laura Clarke (she/they)
Laura Clarke is an award-winning sex & gender specialist and the author of Step Bi Step: The Ultimate Guide for Bisexual, Pansexual & Queer Young People. Laura’s mission is to educate others—through her talks, workshops, and writing—on topics that are considered taboo, uncomfortable, or politicized. She lives in a cottage in the UK with her partner, their rescue dog Atlas, and over 100 books about sex. @mybodyandyours
Community members nominated Laura for her fearless commitment to bi+ inclusion and visibility. From co-authoring the Hard Done Bi report to writing Bi & Borderline, the first-ever study on BPD diagnostic bias in bi+ women and femmes, Laura has pushed bi+ issues into national conversations. One nominator explained: “Laura noticed that there was a distinct lack of bi-specific guidance for teenagers and decided to do something about it.” Others praised her volunteer talks at the London Bi+ Community Fair and her writing for DIVA magazine, where she tackles bimisogyny and bi erasure head-on.
For her groundbreaking authorship, her advocacy, and her refusal to let bi+ youth grow up without resources that affirm them, Laura Clarke is celebrated as a 2025 Bee Hero nominee.
Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber (he/him)
Chief Activist, Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice
As the founder and Chief Activist of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) in Princeton, NJ, Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber (he/him) has built a nationally recognized hub for LGBTQIA+ youth, families, and marginalized communities. The Center honors Bayard Rustin’s legacy by blending intersectional activism, education, and care: from hosting Pride parades and Drag Story Hours to launching initiatives like the Trans Enby Justice Collective, Queer Youth Brigade, Defenders of the Right to Read, and community breakfast programs rooted in mutual aid. Open seven days a week with trained volunteers, the BRCSJ has become a model for what a queer safe-space can be: inclusive, radical, and sustaining. @rustincenter
Robt describes himself as “proudly bisexual” and lives it loudly. After more than two decades as a teacher (including founding New Jersey’s first middle school Gay-Straight Alliance), he established the BRCSJ to provide what so many communities lacked: a space where people walk in as visitors and leave as family.
Community members nominated Robt Martin because of his fearless commitment to uplifting others and making bi+ people visible. As one nominator wrote: “He is and always has been beautifully bisexual, but it took him almost half his life to be able to embrace this piece of himself fully. His choice to let people in for a true celebration of bisexuality created the space for so many others to feel validated and accepted.”
For his decades of angelic troublemaking, his refusal to let anyone be left behind, and his extraordinary ability to transform spaces into communities, Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber is celebrated as a 2025 Bee Hero nominee.
Other Fabulous Bee Hero Nominees
RK Russell
Zachary Zane
About the BRC
The Bisexual Resource Center (BRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has supported bi+ communities for four decades. Our work includes:
Support groups and community events
Educational resources and publications
Advocacy for bi+ health and inclusion
Visibility campaigns, history archiving, and more
We believe bi+ people deserve spaces where they can be their full selves, and that building those spaces is a radical act of care.
