Morgan Goode: On Board with the Future of the Movement
As part of a recent wide ranging interview with NYC based bisexual & genderqueer photographer, writer and activist Morgan Good, well know bi-identified Bilerico columnist Amy Andre asked Morgan, a Board Member with BiNet USA to give a quick snapshot on the bisexual community in the USA right now:
Amy: Where do you see the bi movement headed?
Morgan: Hmmm...it's really hard to say. Most bisexual activists are hard at work in movements and organizations that are not explicitly bisexual. Even working at LGBTQ+ organizations, I had to be very vocal in order to be out, otherwise I would just be absorbed into whatever identity I was assigned based on my current partner's actual or perceived gender identity, or mine for that matter.
I think if organizations want to be genuinely bi inclusive, they have to actually understand bi issues on an institutional level. They can't just keep saying "oh, we have bisexual people working here." Because even if you do, that doesn't necessarily mean that the organization, the policies, the decision makers, are bi-affirming.
And I think this continues to happen because most people still think that a bisexual person is just a part-time gay - half gay/ half straight. People don't have an understanding of the fact that being bisexual is as different from being gay as it is from being straight and we have our own issues - like poor health, higher prevalence of suicidal ideation, greater stigma.
My pet peeve is the claim that bisexual people have it easier or that some people come out as bi because it sounds more palatable than being gay. In the future, I would like to see greater understanding of bisexuality as a separate identity, which would hopefully result in more resources being out toward addressing issues of discrimination that bisexual folks face, because it's literally killing us!
You can continue reading Ms. Andre's full interview with BiNet USA Board Member Morgan Good in The Bilerico Project where Morgan also discusses topics including mixed race issues and queer activism in general.
SOURCE: The Bilerico Project | Bisexual Index:Bisexuality FAQ | Bisexual Invisibility: Impacts and Recommendations |