As part of NAACP's 102nd convention on Monday, the organization held a town hall discussion on LGBT issues within the African American community. The town hall was hosted by out CNN anchor Don Lemon. The panel included lesbian comedienne Wanda Sykes, professor Beverly Guy-Sheftall of Spelman College, actor Darryl Stephens from 'Noah's Ark' and writer/activist Kenyon Farrow. The panel also included former director of the NAACP, Julian Bond.
Look at the panel in the above picture. This was supposedly a discussion on "LGBT issues", yet at the table there is a lesbian, two gay men, another lesbian, a straight guy and a third gay man. Notice anything missing? Not one bisexual or transgendered individual was on stage. Let's just call this what it was then, shall we? A town hall to discuss gay and lesbian issues.
'The Advocate' brought the subject to light on their website Sunday. While, at first, I was going to praise the magazine for bringing this to people's attention, upon further reading, the article simply added insult to injury. The article was titled 'Trans Activists Criticize NAACP'. Immediately, by the title of the piece, it painted the picture that transgendered activists have found something new to whine about, not that the NAACP actually did anything wrong. The article goes on to quote trans activist and blogger, Monica Roberts, as writing on her blog, TransGriot:
This is just the most recent incident in a long line of scenarios where the bisexual and transgendered population has been the victims of ignorance, or invisibility and erasure at the hands of the rest of the queer community. In an environment where 70% of LGBT hate crime victims are minorities, and 44% of victims are transgender women, having someone on the panel that could actually speak of that issue, firsthand, should have been a given.
Speaking as a bisexual man, I see time after time when my sexuality is discredited and discounted by the most vocal members of the gay community. For example, 'It Gets Better' creator and media darling, Dan Savage, has published numerous blog posts that, at the very least, could be considered bi-phobic. What he preaches about bisexuals is demeaning, insulting and....well, let Dan explain his position on the topic. ***LANGUAGE IS VERY NSFW AT AROUND THE 2:00 MARK***
So, just as a recap, bisexuality is a "phase" and a "choice". I guess, according to Savage, gays and lesbians are "Born This Way", but bisexuals choose their sexual orientation. As for myself, I'm 36 years old, and my "bi phase" has lasted 25 years now. I didn't "choose" to be bisexual. Believe me. As an American male, it would have been so much easier growing up straight or gay, than growing up bi. I have faced ridicule from both sides of the aisle. For most of my ex-girlfriends, I was too gay for them. For most men, I was too straight. Yes, I am in an opposite sex relationship now. I have been with my wife six years in September. Though I have been faithful to her, men turn me on too. They always have. Just because I happen to be in a relationship with a woman, doesn't mean that I'm any less bisexual than what I was six years ago. If nothing else, I probably find myself more attracted to men now than what I have been my entire life.
Does my attraction to men mean that I am not able to sustain a loving, healthy relationship with a woman? Does my attraction to women mean that I am not a suitable candidate for a long term relationship with another man? Does that mean that the bisexual citizens of New York that married their same sex partners this week have made a terrible mistake? According to Dan Savage it does:
There were plenty of representatives of the bisexual and transgendered community that could have been invited to be part of the NAACP's panel. Adrienne Williams, founder of Bi Social Network, has been a proven leader in the bi community, building bridges with not only the gay and lesbian community, but straight allies nationwide. In June, she was honored at the White House's LGBT Pride reception.
Regina Wells is the founder of This Is H.O.W., a non profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of trans persons here in the Phoenix area. Founded in 2006, TIH provides counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and shelter for trans individuals that are at risk or in danger. She was Echo Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2007.
These women know first hand the struggles that minorities in the bisexual and transgendered community face. Their years of experience make them experts in their field. Why then, were they not invited? What excuse can the NAACP give?
You know, last month, Dan Savage presented a challenge to those in the bi community. In my mind, the words ring true for our trans brothers and sisters. He said,
Look at the panel in the above picture. This was supposedly a discussion on "LGBT issues", yet at the table there is a lesbian, two gay men, another lesbian, a straight guy and a third gay man. Notice anything missing? Not one bisexual or transgendered individual was on stage. Let's just call this what it was then, shall we? A town hall to discuss gay and lesbian issues.
'The Advocate' brought the subject to light on their website Sunday. While, at first, I was going to praise the magazine for bringing this to people's attention, upon further reading, the article simply added insult to injury. The article was titled 'Trans Activists Criticize NAACP'. Immediately, by the title of the piece, it painted the picture that transgendered activists have found something new to whine about, not that the NAACP actually did anything wrong. The article goes on to quote trans activist and blogger, Monica Roberts, as writing on her blog, TransGriot:
"Not sure how the bi portion of our community feels about it, but I can say with certainty that the trans part of the rainbow community is not happy about the erasure of African descended trans people from this historic panel. NAACP, if your goal is to have a serious discussion of the issues that face African American LGBT people, then you can't erase the people who are taking the brunt of the casualties and discrimination."The one problem with the quote, was that it was initially credited to Stephanie Stevens, another trans activist altogether. After complaints came in to 'The Advocate' from both Roberts and Stevens, the article was eventually changed to reflect the correct blogger. By then, the damage had already been done.
This is just the most recent incident in a long line of scenarios where the bisexual and transgendered population has been the victims of ignorance, or invisibility and erasure at the hands of the rest of the queer community. In an environment where 70% of LGBT hate crime victims are minorities, and 44% of victims are transgender women, having someone on the panel that could actually speak of that issue, firsthand, should have been a given.
Speaking as a bisexual man, I see time after time when my sexuality is discredited and discounted by the most vocal members of the gay community. For example, 'It Gets Better' creator and media darling, Dan Savage, has published numerous blog posts that, at the very least, could be considered bi-phobic. What he preaches about bisexuals is demeaning, insulting and....well, let Dan explain his position on the topic. ***LANGUAGE IS VERY NSFW AT AROUND THE 2:00 MARK***
So, just as a recap, bisexuality is a "phase" and a "choice". I guess, according to Savage, gays and lesbians are "Born This Way", but bisexuals choose their sexual orientation. As for myself, I'm 36 years old, and my "bi phase" has lasted 25 years now. I didn't "choose" to be bisexual. Believe me. As an American male, it would have been so much easier growing up straight or gay, than growing up bi. I have faced ridicule from both sides of the aisle. For most of my ex-girlfriends, I was too gay for them. For most men, I was too straight. Yes, I am in an opposite sex relationship now. I have been with my wife six years in September. Though I have been faithful to her, men turn me on too. They always have. Just because I happen to be in a relationship with a woman, doesn't mean that I'm any less bisexual than what I was six years ago. If nothing else, I probably find myself more attracted to men now than what I have been my entire life.
Does my attraction to men mean that I am not able to sustain a loving, healthy relationship with a woman? Does my attraction to women mean that I am not a suitable candidate for a long term relationship with another man? Does that mean that the bisexual citizens of New York that married their same sex partners this week have made a terrible mistake? According to Dan Savage it does:
"Sorry, but avoiding bi guys is a good rule of thumb for gay men looking for long-term relationships. Outside of San Francisco's alternate-universe bisexual community, there aren't many bi guys who want or wind up in long-term, same-sex relationships -- monogamous or not.
Judging from my mail, when a gay guy or a straight girl gets involved with a bi guy, someone always winds up getting hurt. And guess what? It's rarely the bi guy.
There are definitely some people who should fool around with bisexual men: OTHER BISEXUAL MEN! Jesus Christ, bisexuals -- if straights and gays treat you unfairly, then why not turn to each other for love and comfort? Judging from my mail of late, there's an unlimited supply of easily offended, extremely verbose, highly ethical bisexuals out there looking for love. Fuck each other!"Lovely, isn't it?
There were plenty of representatives of the bisexual and transgendered community that could have been invited to be part of the NAACP's panel. Adrienne Williams, founder of Bi Social Network, has been a proven leader in the bi community, building bridges with not only the gay and lesbian community, but straight allies nationwide. In June, she was honored at the White House's LGBT Pride reception.
Regina Wells is the founder of This Is H.O.W., a non profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of trans persons here in the Phoenix area. Founded in 2006, TIH provides counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and shelter for trans individuals that are at risk or in danger. She was Echo Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2007.
These women know first hand the struggles that minorities in the bisexual and transgendered community face. Their years of experience make them experts in their field. Why then, were they not invited? What excuse can the NAACP give?
You know, last month, Dan Savage presented a challenge to those in the bi community. In my mind, the words ring true for our trans brothers and sisters. He said,
"I'm sorry, bisexual activists, but you're doing it all wrong. Instead of berating me for my alleged bi-phobia—and if I'm the enemy, you're in real trouble—berate your closeted compatriots. If they all came out tomorrow, you could put an end to bi-phobia, take over the LGBT movement, and kick my ass out of it."I say we take him up on his offer. The LGBT community should be just that: a community. We have all been through the same prejudices in life. We have all been victims of discrimination. We all want equal rights. What many in the "community" fail to understand is that gay rights are bisexual rights, just as they are trans rights. We are all connected, whether we want to admit it or not. Together, as a community, we are stronger. You would think that those in the LGBT community would want as many voices as they could get. Maybe it's time that some of us became more vocal.
1 comments:
Wow, this pisses me off!
I'm one of the lead mods in our local Bi group and we are constantly getting erased or ignored. It's so hard to keep your energy up when it's a constant thing.
So, yes, we need to be louder, and the more of us who are loud, the better it will be, but for me, sometimes I just need to rest or I lose my energy altogether.
Don't even get me started on Dan Savage, ugh!
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