Bisexuals make up the largest portion of the LGBTQ+ community (40% of America), according to data from the Pew Research Center. However, society tries to erase them. How? The Bisexual Resource Center (BRC), America’s oldest national bisexual organization in Boston, reports that this community experiences significantly higher rates of physical, sexual, mental and social health. Almost a third of bisexual employees said they have hidden their identities at work.
Double Discrimination Queer and Non-Queer
One of the social prejudices and challenges faced by bisexual people is if they date the opposite sex, they are regarded as heterosexual. If they are romantically involved with women, people think they are lesbians. Either way, they are told to get off the fence and decide even by their parents who don’t understand their identities. (For this reason, The Trevor Project, has a new BiGuide for young people.
No wonder that:
- Gay men and lesbians are more likely to be out than bisexual.
- Only 28% of bisexual people in the United States said that all or most of important people in their lives are aware that they are LGBT.
- They earn less on the average, so they face economic challenges.
– Pew Research Center
Bisexual Awareness week every year not only draws attention to the experiences of this population that faces social, economic, and cultural prejudice, but also celebrates the resiliency of that community. It educates the public about its history of such icons , for example, as poet Edna St. Vincent Millay who was openly bisexual, to ex- Florida Mayor Andrew Gillum who recently came out.
The Bisexual Awareness Week, culminates in Bisexual or Bivisibility Day on September 23, 2020. Co-founded by GLAAD and Bisexual +, the week has events that include discussions and workshops that inform the public about the rights of the bisexual population. Organizations hold public outreach programs (many on-line due to the Corona Virus) for their community. They also hold lobbying events as part of their policy agenda where they influence local government and representatives to consider issues facing the bisexual as well as transgender populations.
Without a platform such as Bisexual Awareness Week, bisexuals would continue to feel less happy and suffer from anxiety.
When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know
For more detailed advice, see book, co-authored with a mother of a gay son and a psychiatrist, Jonathan L. Tobkes, M.D.
