Homo/Bi

Can a person enjoy sex for it’s own sake with whomever they please, be they male or female, yet be only capable of having emotional relationships or falling in love with a similarly gendered mate?

Let’s get one thing straight, no pun intended, from the off. I’m new to this. If you’d have called me bisexual a year ago, I would have laughed loud and long. It’s simple really; never had a real boyfriend, enjoys sex with girls. Recently, as you know, I’ve been…changing. Discovering myself. Discovering who I might be.

Being a Lesbian that sleeps with men is like being a vegetarian who orders steak medium-rare, right? Maybe, maybe not. There’s a new buzzword on the block. Homoemotional? No such thing. If you want to sleep with both men and women, you’re bisexual. It’s as simple as that, isn’t it? Well yes and no. Can we make room for another sexual identity?

Most people will agree that sex and love are not the same thing. Why, then, should the adjective we use to describe our sexual preference, that is, to define the group from which we select our lovers, also be used to identify those we desire as emotional partners? This may not pose a problem for the majority, but the few – should they be shackled by a suffix?

My homo- identity is very important to me. We go back a long way, homo- and I, but my bi- identity is important to me as well. Put in overly simple terms, a necessity – it’s really far more complex, one might see my erotic attraction to males as merely a sexual kink, while my heart lies with the ladies. This may yet prove to be a transitionary phase, but for now I embrace it.

If we, liberated as we are, can choose to have multifaceted relationships with one gender and only sexual relationships with another, can we have a word for it?

I suppose I could start introducing my self as ‘predominantly homosexual, incidentally heterosexual’ in a self important Kinsey-esque manner. Accurate yes, but more than a mouthful. One comrade suggested ‘queer grrl with boys (very) on the side’. I’m afraid that’s a little too vague for my tastes, and that’s where this concept comes in.

A dictionary definition might look something like this – Homoemotional adj. One who enjoys physical relationships with people of both sexes, but has emotional relationships solely with people of their own sex.

I can almost feel the controversy.   But  to me, it makes perfect sense. My relationships with women are intricate and involved, sexual, yes, but much more than that too. Dating men satisfies only my baser instincts, warmth, food, pleasure, ugg. I am a bisexual, homoemotional woman.

Now, I have discussed this notion with a number of folks, and the reaction so far has not been wholly positive. The tendency has been to agree that we do have different types of relationship with people of different genders. But, so far, I’ve come across no-one who feels that their more involved relationships are preserved for one gender only. This begs a rather horrifying question. Is it just me? Am I the odd one out? I suspect not.

My theory is yet to be stretched to its limits. I have never had a relationship, fling, liaison, quick grope or anything else with a person who falls outside the gender binary. Until I do I cannot affect to have a fully comprehensive understanding of my orientation. Is half a theory better than no theory at all? Usually I’d say not, but here at least I hypothesize on what I know. I don’t want to presuppose my reactions within relationships with those who proudly tick the box marked ‘other’.

After a middle of the night discussion with a friend, and someone I’ve not mentioned my theory to before, I came upon a discovery. I am not alone; my mate, we’ll call her Jo for the sake of brevity, has similar relationships with her lovers and partners. After a bad break-up with a female partner, Jo’s emotional and sexual desires have been turned on their head. No longer can she engage in comprehensive relationships with the sex she once most craved, she conducts her same sex affairs on a strictly no-strings basis. Sex for its own sake with ladies, and satisfying relationships with the gents.

Jo will happily admit that her behaviour is likely down to the psychological damage caused by her time interned in an emotionally cruel relationship. She is afraid. Afraid of letting another woman into her head. To my mind, if she is content, that’s as good a reason as any. For now Jo is happy. She, a predatory female of the highest order, defines herself as a homoemotional bisexual.

Jo, has particularly chosen not to engage in emotional relationships with women. I have not taken that choice, I simply, at this time in my life, feel incapable of opposite-sex association that is any more than casual.

This too will change, or so they say, and if it does, be it next week or next year, I’m happy to change with it.

Libby

January 15, 2012 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Tags:  Âˇ Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005, Libby

 A Fabulous Weekend Away

The biggest bi festival of the year, BiCon is another year older and getting deep into it’s mid-20s.  Worcester being off the beaten track compared to London and Manchester, attendance was down a little on the last two years, though some attendees made sterling efforts to recruit the sporty boys and barbershop quartets with whom we were sharing the accomodation blocks.

The usual packed daytime workshop programme covered everything from flirting-for-beginnners to bi-event-running-for-bi-event-runners.  Decision making plenaries after the long debates at the last Manchester BiCon were sensibly moved off to separate sessions.

There was a CoverBis workshop for the third year running, from which many of the photos in our BiCon spread here are taken.  The idea behind these sessions is to produce photos which can be used for any bi awareness work in future, whether flyers, leaflets, websites or BCN covers.  As such don’t be surprised if you see some of these images on the front of the magazine in months to come.

The third outing of the DIY Disco was less successful in attracting discs than the first two – though it was well worth experimenting with the basic formula.  The main Saturday night bash, the Time Travellers Ball, linked music from broadly one decade to another with Dr Who tardis noises to mark the end of one set and the start of another.  And the final night’s karaoke had some performances that will live on in BiCon legend (and if rumours of them having been videoed are true, also the darker corners of the internet).

There was mostly good weather, and there were places to lounge about in the sun.  Something I don’t remember BiCon having before was the designated “meet and mingle” areas, where you could be a bit less shy about talking to strangers than might otherwise be the case.

There was more of a community market space than last year at Manchester.  Bi Community News were there of course, with a freebie special BiCon edition (don’t panic dear reader, being a best-of our subscribers had read it all before) selling resubscriptions and the bi calendar, while Bike Immunity News offered an alternative take on the bi scene and other stalls offered badges, books and teeshirts.

Next BiCon will be in Glasgow in July.  See www.bicon2006.org.uk for details or watch future issues of BCN.  There is a even a tentative bid to take the 2007 gathering to Hereford.

Photos in print edition: Ange / Jen

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Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005

 What the heck is this LiveJournal people keep going on about?

Over the last five years there has been a major shift in how the UK bi community uses the internet to keep in touch with one another.  We at BCN have been very lax in reporting this phenomenon, but it’s about time we did, and producing this summer’s BiCon special edition finally gave us the motivation to do so.  A large proportion of the people at BiCons these days, and indeed many BCN readers will be users of LiveJournal (commonly abbreviated to LJ), and if you’ve never heard of it the bar conversation at BiCon may sometimes seem to be in a code that only the in-crowd know.

‘Blogging’ – keeping an online diary of personal experiences and opinion that anyone who wishes to can read – is an increasingly well known way of using the internet.  However while this is good for polemical writers, the interactivity tends to be limited and a basic blog exists on its own rather than as part of a broader community. LiveJournal adds an extra dimension to this through allowing users to build up a “friends list” of people whose LJs they wish to read, and with whom (and how much) they wish to share their journals.  Further it has “community” journals to which anyone can post on particular themes – residents of a particular city, fans of particular films, and of course bisexuality.

Of course LJ is not the only such system: two alternatives that leap to mind are DeadJournal (whose name is a deliberate play on LJ) and Microsoft’s MSN Spaces, but LJ happened to get in and get popular with the UK bi community first, and as with VHS and Betamax – would you rather have the latest one, or the one all your friends use?

At BiCon in 2001 there were a smattering of LJ users.  By 2002 this had spread, no doubt partly because of LJ’s easy-to-understand web page interface, and it’s safe to say that most people at last year’s BiCon had LiveJournal accounts.  It means LJ has become a cheap, peer-led marketing route for organisers of events like BiCon: the 2003 team created online quizzes (“what kind of bicon-goer are you?”) and encouraged people to post their quiz results on their journals to raise awareness of the event among their friends.  A year later the Manchester team had animated adverts (“i’ve booked for bicon… have you?”) for people to include in their journals once they had registered.

Popular though it may be, LJ isn’t the answer to everyone’s prayers.  There are some things that it is good for, but some it isn’t.

For a start, being an online diary makes it accessible to anyone using the internet.  Your partner to whom you are not out about your sexuality.  Your mum.  Your boss.  As such there is a facility to protect entries so that only people you have chosen to give access to your journal can read them.  This is good for feeling you are free to vent your spleen about things, but on the other hand makes for a more insular community: even if you find the other bi’s in your area on LJ, you might not be able to see anything of their journal to get an idea of whether you’d like to be friends with them.

More practically, livejournal is good for recording the events and feelings of your day, or seeking quick voxpops-style opinions from your friends as to whether bisexual should be spelled with a hyphen or you should ask the boy in the next office out on a date.  Many of us work in offices with internet-connected computers, or use the internet regularly at home, so it’s like keeping a traditional diary without all the effort of finding a pen that hasn’t run out of ink – and with the facility to search back through past diary entries a lot more easily than through volumes of paper diary.
It’s not good for ongoing work or keeping in touch with people who don’t have similar levels of web access to yourself.  Once something drops off the page of recent journal entries from your friends you become less and less likely to ever see it.  For organising things email lists remain greatly superior, and indeed for conversations where someone may want to add a comment a week later: if someone comments on a LiveJournal entry only the original poster of the message gets to see their feedback automatically. So while LJ is popular and has no doubt reduced the levels of traffic on email lists like uk-bi or usenet forums such as soc.bi, it cannot entirely replace them.

All that said, LJ has probably done more to help people who go to events like BiCon feel themselves to be a part of the bi community the rest of the year round.  Most LJers are only too happy to add new people they meet to their “friends list”, so if you meet someone at BiCon or a bi festival and would like to keep in touch afterwards, and you have web access, get their LJ name and ‘friend’ them to your account.  Dropping them a comment on a recent LJ entry of theirs saying “hi, this is (name), met you at bicon, I was (clue as to who you were – people can meet a lot of people at BiCon!)” is considered polite.  Then make your first entry in your journal (for example, writing up what a fabulous time you had in Worcester this August Bank Holiday), and you’re away!

OK, so how do I join?
I thought you’d never ask.  Go to www.livejournal.com and click on create an account. You’ll need to think up an online name – with over 8 million users simple ones like “mary” or indeed “littlelamb” will long since have been taken, so you may need to be a little creative.  Setting up an account is free, and though there are options which cost a few pounds for extra features the free package is enough to keep most people happy.

Then as well as adding any LJ user friends you may have met at bicon, you may want to join a few ‘communities’.  Two we’d recommend would be

www.livejournal.com/community/bisexual_uk/

www.livejournal.com/community/bicon/

There is also a news-from-BCN community at www.livejournal.com/community/bicommunitynews/ but to be honest, we’re rubbish at keeping it up to date!

What if I don’t wanna?
If you don’t fancy the idea of LJ, or if you just don’t have private web access often enough to make it worth the trouble, there are still plenty of ways of keeping in touch with the UK bi community without using LiveJournal.  As well as reading BCN, join the email list uk-bi, sign up for local email lists, and better still go along to (or set up) a bi group in your own area.  And you can offer to run a “bisexuals not on LJ” workshop at Glasgow BiCon!

Jen

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Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005, Jen Yockney

 Swirling in a movement of their own creation

While most people who go to Bicon will take part in the innocent flirtation and casual openness about diverse sexuality, unbeknownst to many there exists a sordid underbelly to this event, a seedy twilight world of shadowy figures known as the Activists’ Network.  

Every year, an unknown number of innocent faffers are lured into exploring their urges to Do Something.  A simple mistake, such as stumbling into the wrong workshop, or finding oneself in proximity to certain individuals in the bar, late at night when alcohol has dulled your natural resistance, can be the first step on a slippery slope.

Pictures of bi brains

Professor Cat von Rockenheiser, of the Stuttgart Institute for Studies of Deranged Individuals explains the impact of activism on the neural cortex of bisexuals drawn into such behaviour, “The actual structure of the brain changes over time” (see diagram). “A normal bisexual brain is devoted almost entirely to faff. However, after prolonged exposure to activism, this may reduce to as little as 65%”. This syndrome is the cause of great concern and worry in friends and relatives of affected individuals and may be accelerated through YAV exposure on activism weekends or the so-called “uk bi activism” email network.

Other scientists pour scorn on Prof Rocks’ findings. Dr. M. Boffin, of the Bi Research Network, said, “What we get up to is in no way harmful, is fully consensual, and may in fact help.  No-one is forced to take part in the research group.  We believe our work improves the lives on non-activist bisexuals, and possibly they need to recognise us as their allies.”

One of the problems with spotting a case of Activism is the many and varied forms it can take.  D (24) said, “I though my partner was safe. She didn’t go to the local bi group, had never been drawn to that type of workshop at Bicon. Sure, she subscribed to Bi Community News, but I thought it was a little harmless dabbling.  Then I discovered a text message on her phone, confirming her attendance at an away weekend. I confronted her, and she confessed to running an email list for people interested in how bisexuals are represented in the media.  She says she finds it… rewarding.”

But ‘rewarding’ can be just the start. L (35) (not his real name) runs a social group for bisexuals in his area. He told us it was not merely rewarding, but “I find it enjoyable […] meeting a diverse range of bisexuals” in the course of his community building work, to which he gives anything up to “several” hours each month. Little do the friends he is making realise that they in turn may be lured into the activist lifestyle.

In the 80s and 90s, such people were frequently isolated individuals. However, new technologies and the internet has allowed those infected with Activism, even those in isolated areas such as the Scottish Highlands, Cornwall, and Zone 6, to exchange hints, tips and ideas on how to continue their pernicious activities.

Our reporter approached a bicon veteran for advice on how to avoid infection.  On the tape we found abandoned afterwards, she told him to stay away from anyone who admits involvement in or a desire to run a local bi group, not attend any workshops in the “activism” stream and under no circumstances engage in conversation with people who mention youth hostels.  She then discovered he had an interest in journalism, and the tape cut out partway through a discussion about BCN’s print deadlines for issue 76.  The reporter has not been seen by his family or friends since that assignment.

It is a cruel irony that while activism is a dangerous and pernicious addiction, there are those who say that without such people, the bi movement and even Bicon itself might cease to function.

Why has the community not stamped this sort of thing out?  Some suggest that activism may, in fact be at the heart of the community. Some speculate that there may be activists on this year’s BiCon organising team.  We approached a member of the team who wished to remain anonymous.  “Activism, no… These are rumours put about by people trying to discredit us, the same people that spread malicious rumours that Stonewall is a campaigning organisation.”   At this point a bundle of fliers slipped from his grasp onto the floor and he desparately claimed that “I could give it up any time I wanted, I tell you.”

And is there any hope for these tragic individuals? Jack got out. “I escaped, but I had to travel far through space and time and become a Time Agent to get away from them. It still haunts me, and I don’t know what I’d do if I ever came into contact with the Activism Vortex again.”

It makes a change from the usual worthy piece on activism.  And as it was in the BiCon special edition of BCN it seemed rude not to share it with the paying subscribers!

 

Self Test: Are You An Activism Addict?

1. The Pink Paper carries a voxpops piece about whether bisexuality is real. Do you…
a) Not notice, because you’re too busy working out which one of them is cutest.
b) Sigh at some of the opinions expressed, and move on to the cartoon.
c) Write an outraged letter to the Pink, asking them if they’re about to run a voxpop on the existence of homosexuality.
d) Tour town and take every copy you can find to the recycling bins.

2. You move to a new town and want to meet other bi people. You…
a) Wait til BiCon and put a note on your booking form asking to be in a flat with people from that area
b) Go to a local gay bar and fail to talk to anyone, coming home disappointed.
c) Set up your own local group meeting in a pub once a month
d) Grab attractive passers-by on the street and demand to know whether they are bisexual – and if not why not.

3. How do you let a potential partner know about your sexual orientation?
a) Wait for them to raise the subject
b) Sit them down and gently tell them
c) Invite them to a bi awareness day in a nearby city
d) You rely on the fact you refused to take off your bi pride teeshirt the first time you slept with them to give the hint.

SCORE 0 points for each a, 2 points for each b, 5 points for each c and 10 points for each d.

Scoring.
0-6 – Invisible Bi. you’re fitting in with mainstream culture just fine… on the bi front at least…
6-9 – The best of both worlds bi, you know when to keep quiet about it and when you need to be visible.
10-25 Having your cake and eating it bi. You have activism. You have it bad.
26+ Greedy bi! Isn’t your BCN column overdue?

January 15, 2012 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005

 Want to help make ICB9 happen?

As reported in BCN issue 73, the 9th International Conference on Bisexuality is to be held from June 15-18 2006, in Toronto, Canada.

The Toronto Bisexuality Education project is taking charge of workshop proposals for ICB9 and have issued their first call for workshop proposals.

International Bi Conferences are somewhat more formal than UK BiCons, with more of an activist slant and less content designed to welcome people who are new to bisexuality or just coming out.

The goals of the conference are to strengthen connections between international bisexual activists, to exchange views
and strategies and to share challenges and successes. The conference aims to move beyond the introductory level to
address issues in depth, and session proposals should assume that the majority of the audience comes with a strong familiarity with bisexuality.

Contact: margaret.robinson@utoronto.ca or for more information about the conference see http://www.9icb.org

January 15, 2012 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005

 Isle of Man Catches Up

The Isle of Man’s ban on the promotion of homosexuality by public bodies could be repealed as part of a draft Bill to update and strengthen the Island’s sexual offences laws.  The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill equalises the ages of consent for heterosexual and homosexual sex in line with the Island’s international legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

One of the suggestions has been the repeal of Section 38 of the Sexual Offences Act 1992 be included. Section 38 prohibits the promotion of homosexuality by public bodies and is similar to the British mainland’s now-defunct Section 28.

Repealing Section 38 is not part of the draft bill, but John Shimmin, the member of the Council of Ministers in charge of the Bill, said since it had now been raised the provision could be included in the bill.

“Repeal of Section 38 is not part of the draft Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill and the Council of Ministers has yet to make a policy decision on the issue.  Before that happens it seems reasonable to sound out public opinion on the matter as part of the consultation on the Bill.” said Shimmin.

While the Isle of Man Government is obliged under the European Convention on Human Rights to equalise the age of consent, there is no such obligation in international law to repeal Section 38.  The public consultation phase of the bill closed as BCN went to press.

January 15, 2012 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005

 BiCon Diary

Neil Hudson goes to Worcester

Thursday. I am delighted to attend the international vomiting contest. It was won by two small children who did a lap of honour by shitting themselves. The event was held on the National Express coach to Worcester and is a clear signal that I am on my way to Bicon.

Bicon is well attended by all sorts of people, including firemen. I cannot help contrasting our emergency services with those of America. In the US, firemen are national heroes, risking life and limb to save innocent victims from the World Trade Centre. In this country, they come out to stop you putting condoms on smoke alarms. I suppose we just have crap emergencies over here. That smoke alarm has since contracted HIV and fathered an unwanted child. When will we learn?

Friday. After thirteen Bicons, the only workshop I can really be arsed with is the one on Watching the Telly.  I like the unambitious ones, they always seem to achieve more. We watch The Prisoner, and we’re not allowed to leave until we’ve answered loads of questions, which is unnerving. “Who is Number One?” I ask. “Oasis,” is the reply. It’s hard to see Patrick McGoohan’s problem sometimes.

We do the quiz in the evening. We answer every question with “I don’t know” and win the star prize, a Kinsey rating of 3.5.

Saturday. It’s a good job farting’s really funny, or our room would be a grim and sombre place. Fortunately we can funnel much of it away next door through the speaking tube that the university has helpfully installed in the wall. Although this marvellous device appears at first to be a hole in the wall where the phone was ripped out, it soon becomes clear that it is ideal for communication between rooms, as well as saving money on building materials. In the future, every major city in the world will have one.

Another good way to save money is never to clean the bathrooms.

I leave a pile of zines with an honesty box, which is a great way of leaving me free to do other things. Such as planning my workshop on “How to use a sodding honesty box”.

Sunday. Boy bands frequently use a vocoder to improve their vocal delivery. This electronic device takes their tuneless atonal wailing and adjusts it so that the results are perfect. Connect it up the wrong way and you get a karaoke machine. Of course I admire the courage of the people who sang, I just wish they’d use that courage in combatting international terrorism rather than doing things like that to songs that I used to like.

Monday. I worked out a long time ago that if I’m really sad to leave Bicon, it’s because it didn’t really work. I left in a good mood. Cheers, guys.

Bike Immunity News has a new issue out.  
See listings page… erm… next issue!

January 15, 2012 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 75: Oct 2005, Neil Hudson

 Equality before the law

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.  Here, criminal lawyer and homophobic crime specialist Chris Hartley explains how and why the service is talking to bi communities.

When the CPS prosecutes criminal behaviour, it is important for us to build the strongest possible court cases. In order to do this, we rely on the public in two ways. Firstly, we rely on people to be brave enough to come forward as victims and witnesses of crime in the first place. Secondly, we rely on these people to work through the court process with us to help us bring offenders to justice.

However, factors such as fear, confusion and mistrust of the criminal justice service can sometimes prevent people from coming forward to report crime.

This is one reason why we are talking to bi communities. Like any other minority group, some specific crimes are of current concern to the bisexual community – for example domestic violence and hate crime.
So what am I and fellow prosecutors doing to address this problem and help make communities safer?

Talking to communities
Earlier this year the Director of Public Prosecutions and leader of the CPS, Keir Starmer QC, announced that prosecutors are becoming community prosecutors. This means lawyers are getting out into the communities where we work to find out the types of crime that cause most local concern. If prosecutors have this knowledge, they can take the public’s views into account in their decisions – for example by attaching a condition to Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBO) banning trouble makers from certain areas.
Getting out of the office also gives prosecutors a chance to explain to the Bi community, and other communities, what the CPS is and how it works, and dispel some of the myths surrounding the criminal justice service.

There are already several successful examples of community prosecutors working in the LGBT community. In August for example, Haringey lawyer Hywel Ebsworth spent a Friday night in London’s West End visiting pubs, shops and cafes known to have customers from the LGBT community. He distributed leaflets about domestic violence and spoke to staff about the role of the CPS in tacking homophobic and transphobic crime. Mr Ebsworth said it was important for victims of domestic violence within the LGBT community to feel that they have the same access to safety, support and justice as everone else.

LGBT Network
Another important way the CPS is talking to the bi community is through our LGBT Network. This staff group was formed in 2002 and has had a really important role within our service ever since.

The idea behind the Network is to provide a point of contact and support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender staff during workplace issues or conflicts. It exists to raise staff confidence by providing a forum where people feel secure, and to advise management on how to create a more inclusive environment where LGBT staff feel comfortable and confident they can progress. The Network also aims to put LGBT staff in touch with each other across the wider civil service, and to advise on prosecution policy changes regarding homophobic, transphobic or domestic violence crimes.

This year the Network devoted part of its conference to a presentation and discussion around awareness of bisexual issues. One of our members has also attended a bisexual community event, to promote the work of the CPS.

Prosecuting hate crime
The CPS regards crime based on hostility towards someone’s sexuality as particularly serious because it undermines people’s right to feel safe about their sexual orientation, whether they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual, and in their gender identity. Such crimes are based on prejudice, discrimination and hate and they do not have any place in an open and democratic society.

When the Director set out his vision for the CPS earlier this year he said: “There is no room for a criminal justice service that favours, or is thought to favour, one section of our community over another; neither is there any room for a service that acts, or is thought to act, in a prejudicial way against any particular group.  Equality before the law lies at the core of the public prosecution service.”

Sadly, it seems that a large number of crimes against the LGBT community are still not reported.  By engaging with the bi community, the CPS wants to increase prosecutions for hate crime by encouraging people to come forward as victims and witnesses.  The Network participates in community engagement events to reassure the bi community that they have equal access to justice, and to ensure the CPS is prosecuting cases of hate crime in every way it can.

A recent prosecution for hate crime came in the North West where the family of a gay man were targeted in their home. The perpetrators followed the victim’s son to his father’s house shouting homophobic abuse, before launching an attack on the family home where items were thrown including a brick and a wooden block. At one stage two defendants went to the back of the house, putting the house under siege. Police were called and nine people were charged with affray, and some also with assault. Two defendants were dealt with in the Youth Court following guilty pleas, and the remaining defendants were committed to the Crown Court for trial, where they later pleaded guilty. A prosecutor specialising in homophobic hate crime led the case, and the judge gave the defendants prison sentences. The judge also noted that the homophobic nature of the attack was an aggravating feature of the case, which increased the sentence.

Report it!
The Bi community is one of many communities the CPS is engaging with to try and raise awareness of, and confidence in, our criminal justice system.

In light of this, I would urge any readers of BCN who have experienced or witnessed any sort of crime to report this to the police and have faith in the fact that the CPS is determined to get justice for every person we serve, no matter what their sexual orientation.

For more information about the CPS visit www.cps.gov.uk or for the LGBT Network visit www.cps-lgbtnetwork.org.uk

 

In the Civil Service?

The Civil Service Rainbow Alliance, with support from a:gender, has commissioned YouGov to carry out research examining whether or not existing career development opportunities in the UK Civil Service adequately meet the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT) members of staff.

The research, the first of its kind within the Civil Service, will document people’s experiences and make recommendations for improvements as necessary.

If you are a member of staff in the civil service who identifies as LGBT, please take part in our online survey. It is completely anonymous and will take around 10 minutes to complete. The data will be collected and analysed by YouGov. The survey will be online until Friday 4th June.

For more information and to take part, go to [weblink deleted - deadline passed]

Or contact Joe Straw, CSRA Research Officer: research@csra-uk.org.uk

December 24, 2011 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 100: Spring 2010

 the Big Bi Fun Day

Interview with the Big Bi Fun Day Co-ordinator – Sanji

What is Big Bi Fun Day?
Big Bi Fun Day (BBFD) is a one day (well, technically, one afternoon) UK event where we’ll be organising a space for bisexuals and allies to meet up, relax and socialise with other bisexuals and allies.  It will be held in a family friendly venue and we hope that bisexuals from all over the UK (and anywhere else) will take this opportunity to come along and meet people from different regions, catch up with friends and have a fun day out.

Where did the idea for it come from?
It was prompted after I was feeling organiser burn-out and wondering whether there could be an event for bisexuals which didn’t require a committee of organisers to put their lives on hold,  allowed the attendees to participate more in the organisation but still was inclusive!  It made me think a little more creatively about what the absolute minimum needed would be to make such an event happen.

Initially I was thinking along the lines of a Big Bi Picnic in a park or a family day out type event  where people bring their own packed lunch, something to sit on and games.  What’s developed is in many ways similar to that initial thought.  The space it will be held in isn’t totally public (unlike being in the middle of a park) but affords more safety and security.  Conversely, we won’t have exclusive use of the venue and so there may be other people wandering around, as would happen if it had been a Big Bi Picnic.  The big advantage of not having BBFD in the middle of a park is that if it does rain (it happens sometimes in the UK), then people will have shelter indoors.

Who is it aimed at?
Unlike BiFests which were originally intended to be outreach events aimed at people in specific cities or regions and those who are new to bisexuality, Big Bi Fun Day (BBFD) is not intended to be an outreach event.  It’s aimed at people across the UK who are probably already in the bi community.  This might include people:
- attending regional bi groups who want to meet up with those from other bi groups
- bisexuals with children who often can’t come to full day events because of timing, venue or cost
- who don’t want to meet in pubs or specifically LGBT venues
- who just want to hang out, relax and have fun!

Why did you choose this venue?
There were a number of criteria to think about, these included: cost (low or no cost), location (not far from public transport and car parking), accessibility, child friendly, more than one room for use, some outdoor space and bi friendly.

This venue meets nearly all of those criteria.  It is bi friendly, low cost, within reasonable walking distance from Leicester train station, buses from the train station pass by the venue (and stop too!), there is parking nearby and shops to buy food.  We will have use of 3 indoor rooms, the fenced in grassy area, the kitchen and toilets.  The approach to the building and the downstairs area is accessible by wheelchairs and there are hearing aid loops.  Families often use the venue and they are accustomed to user groups having children in the building.

The main downside is that the upstairs area, whilst it’s accessed by stairs and a stairlift, isn’t accessible for wheelchairs.  I’m still in negotiation with the venue to see if we can work around this so that 100% of the space we can use is accessible.

What do you mean by “family friendly”?
We mean that children and families are welcome.  The venue is fenced and gated with a double lock gate (inside and outside), doesn’t open out onto a main road, has sufficient space for children to play in, and, doesn’t serve alcohol so there are no restrictions on age.  The event itself is designed to be flexible so there won’t be any workshops.  This means parents and guardians don’t need to worry about specific times they need to be in X room, or worry that people won’t want children there.  We want to be clear from the start that children are welcome and we expect any behaviour from adults to be suitable for such an event.

There won’t be a crèche so parents and guardians will be expected to be responsible for their children’s behaviour at all times.  As mentioned earlier, it is a semi-public space and strangers who aren’t part of our community may also need to use other parts of the venue.  So the general advice would be that if you wouldn’t wander off and leave your child alone in the middle of a park, don’t expect to be able to do that at BBFD.

You’ve not mentioned workshops yet.  Will there be workshops?
There won’t be any workshops.  Instead each room will be designated a “Zone” where activities will be grouped together.  For example, one Zone will be for quiet chatting and discussion, another will be for craft activities such as painting, drawing, knitting and another will be for board games and puzzles.  Outdoors will be for more physically energetic activities.  For example, if you want to be able to play a particular game, you would be directed to put it in the games Zone and it will be up to you to bring that game along.  It’s intended to be a semi-structured community event where the attendees bring things with them.

Will people be able to bring their own games and craft things?
Yes!  We actively encourage and want people to bring (and then take them away again!) games, toys and activities they want to share with others.  It’s a community event where if you want to play Snakes and Ladders, then you bring it along and there’s likely to be someone there who will want a game with you.  The same applies to things like poi, bean bag racing, teddy bear picnics…in fact, the only limits are those of safety, suitability for under 18s and no gambling.

Who’s involved in organising it?
Sanji, Natalya and Katy.

What will it cost and will people need to register?
We aren’t asking people to register but if they want to find out who else is coming and let others know they are coming, there will be a space on the BBFD Wiki.
There is no entrance fee.  Instead we will be asking for donations on the day to cover the cost of the venue, the drinks and craft materials.  We are expecting the total cost for the day to come to approximately £100.

What are you hoping for on Big Bi Fun Day?
I am hoping that plenty of people will turn up, participate, relax, share activities with one another, chat, play games, socialise and have a fun and safe day.  Without attendees, Big Bi Fun Day won’t happen.  If you like the sound of it, then please come along.

Where do I go to find out more information?
Your first port of call should be the Wiki.  http://bigbifunday.tk/  More information will appear there over the next few weeks.  We also have an email address if you want to contact any of us directly: bigbifunday@googlemail.com

December 24, 2011 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 100: Spring 2010, Sanji

 What Type of Bisexual are YOU?

One of the things BCN never had in our first 99 issues was a proper Cosmo style quiz to help you answer this big question.  Puzzle no more!

Q1    You see an advert for a one day event for bisexuals.  Your first reaction is:
Great, another event, I’ll go and enjoy myself.    (score: b)
Great, another event, I’ll go and enjoy myself.  Wonder if they need any help? (score: c)
Hope enough people get to read this and it goes okay on the day.    (d)
I want to go but I won’t know anyone and I’m not even sure I’m bisexual anyway.     (a)
It’s another event that’ll be fun but won’t change the big picture.    (f)
They haven’t used the correct term, “bisexual” just isn’t inclusive enough!    (e)

Q2    You are at an event and there’s a lot of rubbish accumulating.  Do you:
Ask the organisers if they want you to help out by collecting rubbish in a bag.      c
Don’t notice it as you are busy planning how to get sponsorship for the next event.      f
Don’t notice it you are still in awe at being around so many bisexuals.    a
Glare at the person picking up rubbish, and complain about the inadequate rubbish collection facilities.    e
Ignore it, as you sit quietly in a corner, waiting for the next workshop.    b
Sigh, pick a piece up and wonder why others don’t take responsibility for their own event.    d

Q3    A call goes out for volunteers to help out with an event.  Do you:
Get excited and wonder what you could help out with.    c
Get excited that there’s going to be an event with …OMG…bisexuals!    a
Offer to help with leaflets, after all, it’ll be you running one next!    d
Offer to link them in with other organisations who might want to offer support.    f
Send the organisers a really helpful list of things they need to include and consider when running an event.    e
Wondered when the organisers would get around to organising another one you can go to.    b

Q4    Your copy of the BiCon 2014 Handbook states “Attendees are responsible for arranging their own travel and transport to BiCon”.  Your reaction is:
Great, I’m the best person to sort out my own transport.  Now, how much stuff am I taking with me?   c
I always arrange my own any way as I don’t know anyone to travel with.    b
That sounds sensible, I’ll let others know when and how I’m getting there so we can do it together.    d
That’s outrageous!  Don’t they know how to organise a conference?  The ones I go to always arrange transport for me…oh, wait…    e
What are the pros and cons of doing that?      f
What is BiCon?    a

Q5    Bi Community News (BCN) makes it’s regular plea for articles and letters.  Do you:
Check the submission deadline for your first article.    c
Don’t bother submitting anything as you’re busy writing a paper on “Bisexuals and Cat-Herding” for the Journal of Bisexuality.    e
Smile benignly at the existence of such wonderful grassroots newsletters.    f
Wish some other people would submit things, the Editor already has ten pieces articles from you.    d
Wonder what BCN is?    a
Wonder whether there will be any interesting articles in the next edition?    b

Q6    You walk through the doors at BiCon and see everyone sat around.  The first thing you do is:
Breathe a sigh of relief that you are back here again, your long lost home from home.    d
Get a drink and sit down quietly in a corner, nodding at a few familiar faces.    b
Grab a drink and move from table to table, making sure you talk to everyone.    f
Join your friends in the corner, complaining that your workshop on “A History of Bisexuals in the Middle of Nowhere” didn’t make the timetable   e
Scream OMG! It’s been so long since I saw you and run to give your friends a hug.    c
Swallow nervously and sit quietly in a corner.    a

Q7    It’s Pride season again.  You can be found:
Behind the Bi stall, helping others out and hoping it doesn’t rain.    c
Hobnobbing with the Pride organisers and the local mayor, promoting Bi issues ready for next year.    f
Nervously wandering around Pride, wondering if bisexuals actually exist.    a
On the march but too busy to stay on the stall.    e
Organising the Bi stall and taking photos for BCN, grateful for all the people who came along to help.    d
Wander around Pride collecting your yearly stash of freebies and saying hello to friends on the Bi stall.    b

Q8    Stonewall produces a piece of research about Bi Visibility.  Does it:
Annoy you because they have have been guilty of pushing Bi Invisibility in the past?    d
Frustrate you because they didn’t connect in with the fragmented bi community to work together?    f
Make you curious as you read about it on Twitter?    b
Make you think about actually filling in the survey that your friends found on Facebook?    c
Make you want to pull apart their obviously skewed and insignificant data?    e
Pass you by totally as you aren’t really into the gay scene?    a

Q9    How many different bisexual mailing lists are there?
A few Livejournal communities and BiCon    c
A few temporary events listings and some underused Yahoo mailing lists which proper activists just use to advertise their events on.    e
Activism, academic, funding Yahoo lists and some Livejournal communities and BiCon    d
One – for BiCon    b
Several that don’t seem to have a purpose or connect in with one another and don’t have an impact.    f
There are bisexual mailing lists?    a

Q10    Bisexuals…
Are attracted to men and women.    c
Are people who are attracted to more than one gender.    e
Don’t ‘alf faff a lot (but I wouldn’t be without them)    d
Just wanna have fun (as long as it’s at a BiFest or BiCon)    b
Need to get organised or they’ll never be taken seriously.    f
Out there, somewhere, maybe, if I squint.    a


Analysis
So, tot up your score and divide by the number you first thought of see what the pattern is…

Mostly a?  Nervous Newbie – You are new to the bisexual community and have yet to find your way around.  Don’t worry, talk to people and you’ll find that once you get past the excitability of the activists and academics, they are just ordinary people like you.  Remind yourself why you want to find other bisexuals if you wonder about coming to events.

Mostly b      Anonymous Attendee – You are part of the bisexual community, but for whatever reason, don’t get involved in running events or helping out.  You keep yourself to yourself.  Ask yourself, what do you get out of coming to BiFests and BiCon time after time, and drop a letter or email to the BCN letters page – we’d love to know!

Mostly c      Positive Participator – You like the bisexual community and have been in it long enough that you want to help it develop.  You’ve probably made a lot of friends and it’s become the place you socialise.  Keep it up and think, have you ever thought about getting a bit more involved in organising events?

Mostly d      Angry Activist – You’re one of the select few who actually walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.  You enjoy what you do but sometimes you get tired of everyone expecting you to make things happen.  Don’t give up.  You might want to consider making sure you take a break though and not taking everything so personally.  Be angry about the lack of things happening, but don’t scare the bisexuals!

Mostly e      Argumentative Academic – You’re not really a practical person but more of a theorist.  The community does need theorists too to reflect on what worked.  You might have done the activism and now want to talk about it – great.  Or you may just be a talker who hasn’t actually done the practice.  In which case, perhaps you should think about doing not just talking?  Don’t forget to keep it real.

Mostly f      Potential Politician – gosh, it must be frustrating for you.  You don’t want to do, you might possibly attend events but you do have the good of the community at heart.  A community of people with nothing more in common than a loosely held definition and understanding of bisexuality.  You want them to get organised – have you considered taking up meditation?

December 24, 2011 ¡ admin ¡ Comments Closed
Posted in: BCN 100: Spring 2010