How Mental Health Professionals Can Do Better for the Bi+ Community
How Mental Health Professionals Can Do Better for the Bi+ Community Zori A. Paul, PhD, LPC, NCC As a clinical mental health counselor, I learned early on that my clients are experts in their experiences. As a Black bisexual woman, I have also learned early on that for some clinicians, the client is only the […]
A Bi+ Guide to Navigating Healthcare
A Bi+ Guide to Navigating Healthcare Bailey Merlin, MFA, SM March is Bisexual Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shedding light on the unique health disparities faced by bisexual+ (bisexual, pansexual, queer, fluid, and otherwise non-monosexual) people. Started by the Bisexual Resource Center in 2014, this month-long campaign highlights the barriers bi+ people experience […]
Finding Queer Identity Through TV Representation
By Charmee Taylor Deep deep in the dark closet with only fear of anyone knowing, truly, who I am, I’m under my blanket in my apartment in Echo Park. It’s a Saturday and the LA sun comes up. I pull out my laptop and open it to a HelloGiggles article that I peruse and “Brown […]
Bisexual Microaggressions in Medical Contexts
By Heather Stewart, MA Bisexual or “bi” identified people are a significant portion of the larger LGBTQ+ community, with studies suggesting they make up just over half of the larger LBGTQ+ population. Within the bi community itself, there is substantial diversity as well. For example, “bisexual” is the sexual orientation category most self-identified by trans […]
Overlapping Flags: Loving Beyond the Gay/Straight Binary
By Ellyn Ruthstrom I was gathering with a group of LGBTQ activists outside the Trump Hotel in Washington, DC for a dance party on a global-warming-kind-of-day in January 2018. The action was to thumb our noses at the horror that had taken over the White House the previous year and to make the statement that […]
Lessons from the Field: What We Are Learning About Representation from Black Bi+ Men
By H. “Herukhuti” Sharif Williams and David J. Cork In 2016, we started the amazing task of documenting the stories of Black men on what it is to be sexually fluid in the United States. Black bi+ cisgender and transgender men as well as gender non-conforming people living within the complex spectrum of masculinities have […]
It’s Never “Just a Movie”
By Gabrielle Blonder As a tween, I spent many a weeknight watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved the creepy-crawlies, I loved the witty banter that was always ever-so-slightly over my level of understanding, and I loved the campy fight scenes. But most of all, I loved Willow Rosenberg. In Willow, I saw my own […]
Health and Wellbeing on the Margins: Exploring the Intersections of Biracial and Bisexual Identities
By Deana Williams, MPH As a first-year doctoral student at Indiana University, I am grateful for the meaningful experiences and collaborations I have had thus far while working at The Center for Sexual Health Promotion. Growing up, I faced challenges with openly embracing my identity as a queer black woman. I struggled to make peace […]
Why Bi+ Representation On-Screen Matters When Thinking About Intimate Partner Violence
Content warning: domestic violence, sexual violence, bi+ erasure, biphobia By Sarah Karerat Representation — and in many cases, the lack thereof — has real-world effects. We’ve heard this countless times, yet have we thought critically about how far-reaching the impact of representation truly is? Consider the high rates of violence that the bi+ community faces. […]
The Changing Tide: My Experiences with Conducting Bisexual Health Research
By Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bartelt, MPH As a doctoral student at the Indiana University Center for Sexual Health Promotion, I am lucky enough to have many one-of-a-kind experiences, from traveling to conferences to present research to sharing meals with my intellectual heroes, but my favorite by far is being able to conduct important research on bisexual […]