Bisexuals have a pride flag, safe spaces, researchers, advocates, experts, celebrities, and authors. We march in pride parades; paint our nails purple, pink and blue; and suffer the ignominy of being identified as people of privilege instead of the folks more likely to suffer disparities (no matter if we're married to straight people or not!). After decades of research we have finally begun to be understood as a community in dire need of specific approaches and interventions in areas like health, bullying, mental health, domestic/partner violence, HIV/AIDS, and the workplace.
Like many bisexuals, we ourselves have suffered discrimination in our workplace (see Faith's video on her experiences for the Center for American Progress here) and have been bullied and told we don't exist. We have survived breast cancer (see Ellyn's interview here) and sought assistance for the bad days brought on by the severe mental stress associated with being a person invalidated and unrecognized by society. We have every right to an existence that is celebrated and honored, just as much as any person who has loved any other person on this Earth.
Today, we and other leaders from the bisexual community will be attending a briefing at the White House on the issues impacting our community. It's a good day when our government reaches out to a community like ours that is facing systemic and institutionalized discrimination.
It's a better world when we have opportunities to directly dialogue with U.S. government agencies and other representatives of the LGBT community on some of the most urgent needs of our often-erased and stigmatized community.