This past year was quite a significant one for gay issues, with the end of discrimination in the military, the U.S. president's acceptance of gay marriage and more, but these big headline-grabbers overlooked the significant inroads into the acceptance of bisexuality.
Certainly more portrayals are being seen in mainstream media, and the media are not afraid to use the B-word when identifying someone that has sex with both genders. (Look at the popular TV show Revenge, for example (click here).
The Oscars recognizes portrayals of bi characters (even gave honors to Natalie Portman in Black Swan and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.)
Voices have been loud. Bisexuals made statements in Washington DC, they got noticed when there was a Bi Pride celebration in Northern California, and they get noticed now for bi inclusion into GLBT events when in the past, the B was almost unnoticed and uninvolved.
Mainstream science and studies are including bisexuality in their programs, and even validate bisexuality as an orientation (proving that bi men really exist, for example CLICK HERE) and that is a rather new and astounding reality in GLBT studies.
There is a danger, however, of bisexuals to become even more invisible as they become more accepted in the mainstream, and that is always the problem.
Lauren Michelle Kinsey's story on the Huffington Post picked five significant moments in an article for the New Year, and we've added a few of our own. Also, please weigh in with what you think was significant.
First hers:
1) Bisexuals gained visibility and respect as elected officials.
2) Bisexual activists pushed back on attacks on the word "bisexual."
3) Bisexual Pride Day (Sept. 23) gained greater official recognition.
4) The international bisexual movement expanded.
5) High-profile bisexual people came out of the closet or reaffirmed their bisexuality when questioned.
High profile people are actually using the B-word in their sexual identities, such as actresses like Anna Paquin and Evan Rachel Wood, singers such as Frank Ocean and Azealia Banks, athletes like Derrick Peterson and Jessica Aguilar and politicians like Jo Casta Zamarripa of Wisconsin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
Sinema, of course, made headlines about being the first bisexual member of the U.S. Congress now. Bisexuals were also represented in GLBT conversations at the White House and on a national level, including known bi activists such as Robyn Ochs, Denise Penn and Faith Cheltenham.
For a lot of very different groups, Bi organizations have reached major anniversaries. Bi Net USA, The Bay Area Bisexual Network and other groups celebrated a quarter century of existence, while BECAUSE (Bisexual Empowerment Conference) had its 20th conference. Other groups in Europe hit landmarks of two decades of existence, while Bi Con in England had a 30th year gathering where some significant research and studies were announced.
And, the American Institute of Bisexuality is funding some major scientific research, and the Journal of Bisexuality is getting some recognition (CLICK HERE).
Read some more of Lauren Michelle Kinsey's story on the Huffington Post (CLICK HERE) and tell us what you think, too!
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