Celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week Sept. 16th - 23rd

Bisexual Awareness Week, September 16-23, is a week dedicated to the support and acceptance of our bi community members culminating on the 23^rd with Bisexual Awareness Day. To celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, we want to help teach people about a part of the LGBTQIA+ community that often gets overlooked. Here are some things to know:

Bisexual people make up a large part of the LGBTQIA+ community

There are many LGBTQIA+ holidays that are all equally important, but it must be said that Bisexual Awareness Week celebrates a substantial portion of the LGBTQIA+ community. Bisexuality is common among LGBTQIA+ members, with some studies finding that over 50 percent identify as bisexual. While bisexuals make up a large portion of the community, their presence is imagined to be even larger because there are many people who are still questioning or unsure about their sexuality. Bisexual Awareness Week is many things, but it is also a way to show people who aren’t out that they are not alone.

Bisexual erasure is exclusionary

Bisexual erasure is the lack of acknowledgment of bisexual existence in a person. This often comes to light in same-sex partnerships. For example, two men in a relationship are typically labeled as gay, completely erasing the bisexual identity that one, or both of them may have. Labeling a bisexual person based on the sex of the person's partner is a form of bi erasure (and doesn’t acknowledge the intersectional and complicated identities of people). Going beyond erasure is outright denial of bisexuality in people. The belief that a bi person needs to “pick a side” is a form of biphobia. Just like with every other LGBTQIA+ identity, bisexuality is not a choice. Being bisexual isn’t experimentation, and while a bi person may be able to choose who they want to have relations with, the split attraction to both sexes is not, and never has been a choice.

(Graphic credit: Bisexual Resource Center)

Being an ally

To be an ally is to have an open mind. Bi+ identity is not always what people imagine it is. Just like many identities in the LGBTQIA+ community it isn’t black and white, but is instead a rainbow of diversity. Great allies realize there isn’t always a catch-all, and they work to learn more to become a better supporter. They go out of their way to do their own research, actively working to become a better ally- rather than when it’s convenient. A true ally will support and speak up for the LGBTQIA+ community regularly and in public, not just when it benefits them.

The meaning behind the bi flag

The bisexual pride flag was created in 1998 by Michael Page. The bisexual flag is pink at the top and blue at the bottom, with an overlapping purple stripe in the middle. The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex. Blue stands for sexual attraction to the opposite sex, and purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes.

Donate!

If you would like to see more bisexual spaces at Pride events, let us know! One of the best ways of doing so is by donating, which you can do by visiting our Donate Page.

For more information on Bisexual Awareness Week visit glaad.org/bisexual and check out our LGBTQIA+ Holidays and Remembrances Page to learn more about upcoming days you should know about!