Bisexuality Day

 

Celebrate Bisexuality Day is observed on September 23 every year. It is a part of the Bisexual Awareness Week celebrations held in September. The day is celebrated to remind people of the history and struggles faced by the bisexual community. A bisexual person is someone who is not exclusively attracted to people of one particular gender. The flag that represents the bisexual community has three colors — purple, blue, and pink. Celebrate Bisexuality Day teaches us that every person is deserving of love and respect, no matter how different they might seem from us. It’s a day that teaches us acceptance.

HISTORY OF CELEBRATE BISEXUALITY DAY

Celebrate Bisexuality Day was first organized by Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur. The day was first officially observed in 1999 by the International Lesbian and Gay Association Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the celebration was to raise awareness of the challenges faced by bisexuals around the world, and their fair demand to be treated respectfully.

 

The founders were especially worried about the various experiences of marginalization and discrimination that bisexuals face from both the straight and LGBTQ communities. The bisexual identity is often brushed aside by some members of the straight community as “being confused” or simply “closeted gay.” While on the other hand, the LGBT community sometimes categorizes bisexuals as “undecided” or even as traitors to the LGBT community. This makes it particularly difficult for bisexual people to openly embrace their identity, and discourages those in the closet from coming out.

 

Historically, bisexuals have been an often ignored group along with the LGBT community. While many are of the assumption that there exists no such thing as bisexuality, some think that bisexuals tend to be promiscuous. For some members of the bisexual community, this is taking a serious toll. So much so that a Human Rights Council report found that bisexuals had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and STIs than any other group.

Therefore, Celebrate Bisexuality Day ends up serving two purposes, one to raise awareness of bisexuals everywhere, and the second to help prevent the prejudice faced by bisexuals. The day is celebrated every year with teach-ins, poetry readings, parties, picnics, festivals, and awareness events.

# # #