It’s been exciting for me to guest edit this issue because activism has been a consistent part of my life since I wrote my first letter to the editor in support of the Equal Rights Amendment when I was a teenager. Right now, with the world in such turmoil, it sometimes feels that there are endless things one can be out there protesting or protecting or standing up for. It’s exhausting. And it is what we have to do.
We are lucky to have a long history of bi activism, from the days of the 80s and 90s when we fought to add the B (and often the T) to community organizations and events, such as the Northampton Pride debacle of 1990 noted on page 1. I was living in Noho at the time and experienced the overt biphobia of lesbians deciding whether we were worthy enough to be included in their Pride celebration. Fast forward to 2013 when I co-organized the first White House Roundtable on Bisexual Issues (see a photo of the second gathering in 2015 on page 7). Experiencing those two different events over the course of one’s life attests to the power of activism to make positive change in the world.
I hope you enjoy reading the range of opinions and experiences of the writers in this issue. It’s inspiring to know that bi+ folks are out there doing community building and advocacy on many different issues. So much of what activists do is unappreciated and unacknowledged.Thank you all for the energy and time you put into the varied spaces that you engage with. It does make a difference!
Ellyn Ruthstrom