A Forum Response

The following thread was taken from a forum I belong to. It is in response to "My Take on Bisexuality" that can be found on this blog.

Forum member:

Thanks.
The entire aspect of stereotypes for bisexuals is a hornets nest imo. Not all bisexuals live in a cross orientation relationship and are as happy doing so. Some of us really are promiscuous and proud to be so. Some of us do not agree with you that non monogamy as far as gender is a choice for some bisexuals. There is more in your OP that is pure subjectivity. Remember that please when you are educating. Other than that aspect I like your black box comment and agree.

BNAV:

We are speaking to the identity of bisexuality in an attempt to build a community within the LGBTQ. We want to put the "B" in LGBTQ. By opening the invitations to all, we are hoping to engage others to have a dialog with us. We hope these dialogs will show those who doubt our existence that we really do exist and function just like they do. We also seek to break the stereotypical views that others may have.

Forum member:

To demonstrate my support of bisexual activism I offer the following for your edification.
.................................

Here is an article from February, 2013 about the lack of bisexual inclusiveness in GLBTQ organizations. I'm happy for the OP organization offering space but I wonder how the organization would do on the survey below.

This shows the need for removing bisexuals from these groups and demanding funding for the majority in the non hetero world ..that is bisexuals.
Or as this report shows, demanding inclusiveness

“Given the overwhelming evidence in the past few years showing that bisexual persons exist in greater numbers than the combined gay male, lesbian and transgender populations, we must ask whether some of the national queer organizations are themselves paying attention to the particular needs of bisexual folks, not merely as lip service, not just as an afterthought, but in any sort of tangible way.”
The questionnaire:

1. Does the organization have full-time personnel solely dedicated to the advancement of bisexual issues or advocacy for bisexual clients and/or members?
2. How does the organization provide services for or market to bisexual persons?
3. Does the organization have out bisexual persons on its board of directors, executive board or foundation board?
4. Are bisexuals specifically mentioned in the organization's mission statement?
5. Does the organization recruit bisexuals among its members?
6. Does the organization include bisexual persons on its staff and among its volunteers?
7. Does the organization educate its staff and volunteers on bisexuality and biphobia?
8. Does the organization's website have the word "bisexual" or "bisexuality" listed among its topics or tabs (not just including the letter "B" in the acronym)?

“According to the responses, it appears that there is nobody devoted specifically to bisexual issues or bisexual advocacy in these groups.”
“Any national LGBTQ organization that does not specifically commit itself to bisexual inclusion should know it is targeting less than half of the LGBTQ population. “- Lauren Beach, former BOP chairperson
"

With several of the major LGBT organizations not even taking the time to respond to this questionnaire, it's evident that the concerns of the largest segment of the LGBT population, bisexuals, are being neglected and ignored." Ellyn Ruthstrom, president of the Bisexual Resource Center of Boston

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-su...b_2748342.html

BNAV:

I appreciate your well thought out responses. Some of the points you make are well founded. I agree with several. The questionnaire you posted, while extremely narrow in its focus, does have some merit. In my opinion a national LGBT organization should have all the elements of its acronym built into its mission statement with a corresponding support structure within the organization. Those organizations that choose to incorporate the all-encompassing “LGBT” or “LGBTQ” acronyms should indeed have the personnel on staff dedicated to the advocacy of that group. One of the reasons I chose to meet at the Gay & Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada is to give the “B” in their “LGBTQ Center” a bisexual voice. As for the promiscuity factor I say to each their own. I personally do not agree with promiscuity in any community including the bisexuals. I feel that what we write, discuss and act out under the guise of anonymity of the internet tarnishes the communities that exercise this practice.

In Summary:

Even those within our bisexual community doubt our true existence mainly because we are routinely dismissed as confused lesbians or closeted gays looking for a quick "no-strings-attached" sexual liaison. We are routinely dismissed as cheaters, or promiscuous individuals who are not capable of loving  another individual purely on the qualities of that person regardless of their gender stereotypes. I will say that there is a portion of our community who are promiscuous, cheating no-strings-attached individuals who are quite the presence on bisexual oriented websites throughout the internet. I don't believe that these people are the heart and soul of our community. I believe that we need to peel back the seedy partitions that appear in forums and chat rooms and reveal the true identity of the bisexual community. We need to shadow our brothers and sisters in their respective communities under the "LGBTQ" banner and present ourselves as caring families, loving parents, and the good people that we truly are in spite of current perception.