Bi Visibility Growing at Out & Equal

By Ellyn Ruthstrom

Dallas bi community members & allies shared a delicious Mexican meal with visiting bi activists in town for the Out & Equal Workplace Summit.

This year’s Out & Equal Workplace Summit held October 25-28 in Dallas, Texas had the most bi-specific programming of any year yet – plus, it had Margaret Cho’s outrageousness at the gala dinner. Despite a rather tactless biphobic remark made by one speaker at the opening day’s plenary, there were definitely many positive opportunities for people to learn about bi lives at the conference.

By chairing the current Bisexual Advisory Committee (BiAC) and through her persistent advocacy and leadership, Heidi Bruins Green coordinated with Kevin Jones, Out & Equal’s Deputy Director to bring bi visibility at Out & Equal to a whole new level. In 2010, there were two bi-themed workshops. This year there was at least one bi-themed workshop in each of the six workshop sessions, and a couple of times there were even competing workshops!

Representatives from the Bisexual Resource Center, the American Institute of Bisexuality, Pride at Work Canada, and several independent consultants working in diversity areas were involved with the planning and facilitation of the workshops. Topics ranged from how to be allies to bi folks in a workplace setting, bi identity, research on bisexuality, and a panel of bi experts discussing community issues from a variety of perspectives. Always Bi Visibility Growing at Out & Equal By Ellyn Ruthstrom an eye-opener, Robyn Ochs employed an exercise using the Klein scale to get the participants to see sexuality as much more fluid – even for straight- and gay/lesbian- identified folks – than many want to admit.

Ellyn is, among many things, the President of the Bisexual Resource Center and Bi Women’s Calendar Editor.