By Nicole Holmes
On Monday September 23, bi+ advocates and educators Dr. Lauren Beach, Nicole Holmes, Kierra Johnson, and Robyn Ochs attended a Celebrate Bi Visibility Day event at the White House.
There were approximately 25 people in attendance at this round-table discussion representing the government and the community.
Community advocates included representatives from organizations such as the National LGBTQ Task Force, the National Women’s Law Center, and S.E.A.T, a youth-based advocacy in Texas.
Representatives from the U.S. Government, including Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Adrian Shanker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy at HHS, and Kenny Sandoval-Bushur of the White House Office of Public Engagement spoke to us about the Biden administration’s efforts to advance health, wellbeing, and quality of life for LGBTQ+ Americans.
In turn, bi+ advocates provided guidance to the White House/HHS staff on topics such as developing a specific definition for bi+ people, the importance of disaggregating data about bi+ people from LGBTQ+ data sets when conducting research, and the need to fund and support bi+-specific research in order to understand and address disparate health outcomes amongst bi+ people.
This wide range of expertise allowed for a richer conversation about prioritizing the needs of bi+ people and was an opportunity to bridge a gap between local and federal changemakers and discuss shared efforts towards the same goals.
During the uncertainty facing queer communities given the results of the 2024 presidential election, let us hold in our mind the spirit of those present in the room as a reminder that we are stronger as a collective working towards the greater good.
Nicole Holmes (she/they), MPH, is a public health professional with over seven years of experience in health equity, HIV/sexual health, and LGBTQ+ health. Nicole co-authored a manuscript for the Journal of Bisexuality about bi+ people’s utilization of health services. Nicole has been featured in USA Today, Vice, and The Consent Guidebook by Erin Tillman.