Visibility matters. In late September, the nation will be recognizing the bi community via Bisexual Awareness Week.
Last year, we compiled a list of the bi and pan folks who had contributed to the AMPLIFY project by that point in time. We had 27 particpants at that point in time. We plan to publish another compilation this year and invite you to join the group.
If you are convinced now, here’s the link to the Q&A which takes about 30 minutes.
- You can be anonymous or use a pseudonym. We know that you have reasons for discretion, many of those reasons are laid out in the various posts from others who also remain anonymous. This project doesn’t require a photo or video or audio. You can be in charge of how much information you share. And there’s power in speaking out about the need for discretion and privacy.
- Our identities intersect. We have had contributions from trans folks (gender identity) discussing their bisexual or pansexual orientation as well as cis folks. Some of our contributors are black, Latino, white, biracial, and Hispanic. Some live with disabilities, visible and hidden. Our ages range from 18-72. This is a chance to talk abour your whole self within the context of your LGBTQ identity. All questions are open ended.
- Erasure sucks. While ‘passing privilege’ is a real thing across the LGBTQ spectrum, it isn’t necessarily a positive or constructive part of our lives. For bi and pan folks, it can be especially challenging because of resistance from the LG communities to validate the experiences of your community.
- More resources exist now. There’s a Pgh Bi Facebook group, social gatherings and more. More data from you on your needs helps bring more resources to your community.
- Information matters. I know people who are unsure what words to use to describe their identity. I point them to the AMPLIFY archive and suggest they get first hand information. Bisexuality is not a phase in the sense that liking Pokeymon might be a phase. Bisexuality may be a term that describes who we are now. It may be a term that describes who we are even if we use lesbian or gay or some other term. Pansexuality is another term that some are unfamiliar with and may find an even better fit (or not.) The point is that reading about identity in the words of our actual neighbors is powerful.
- Visibility is lacking. We have one openly bisexual person serving on a Commission for the City of Pittsburgh. There are no openly bisexual City employees, no elected officials anywhere in the Commonwealth, no heads of major corporations or nonprofits. We all know that there are some quietly or discretely bisexual folks in those roles and that’s fine. But the bisexual community deserves to also have visible representation.
Time is precious luxury for all of us. I urge you, however, to invest 30 minutes of your time to contribute to this archive now so we can include your link in the Bisexual Visibility Week roundup.
Can we find 10 new bisexual or pansexual contributors by September 19?
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You said we could use a pseudonym, yet the survey asks for full name and email. It’s also a mile long, fully mandatory, and asks
a ton of stuff that’s completely unrelated to the topic at hand.
Yes to all of the above. We do ask for your full name and email to confirm your identity, but it also asks for the name you want to use in the project. I think your other concerns are addressed in the instructions:
“IMPORTANT NOTE: You have to complete this Q&A in one session. You can do a partial survey, insert a placehold in the remaining fields and hit submit. But you have to hit submit for your answers to be recorded. If you prefer, you can download a document with the form and submit via email.
A project of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, this Q&A explores life in Western Pennsylvania for the LGBTQ community. We ask you to share your full name, but it will be kept confidential if you prefer. We ask allies to not participate so we can stay focused on the LGBTQ community directly. Responses may be published on Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog and/or in a zine format. You can contact us at pghlesbian@gmail.com with any questions. IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE, we’d love to include a photograph. But that’s completely optional. You can read the current Q&A’s along with more information about the project at http://www.pghlesbian.com/amplify
To participate, you should be 18+, identify as LGBTQ (or some variant of that identity) and have ties to Western Pennsylvania. Ties can be anything from attended college here to spent every summer with a relative to living FT in one of our 26 counties.
AMPLIFY launched in 2015 and will continue through 2018.
If you leave an answer blank, we’ll insert “No response” in the final post. “