Report from the Bi Day event in Edinburgh.
On Saturday 25th September 2010, The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing hosted a celebration and exploration of bisexuality, to mark Bi Visibility Day that occurs annually on September 23rd.
The purpose of the day was to invite people in an LGBT community space to explore representations, perceptions and accounts of bisexuality in pop culture, press and personal lives through visual and interactive displays, a bisexual quiz, the sharing of stories and live music. We wanted to encourage discussion around biphobia both in and out with the LGBT community and perhaps engage with individuals to open up discussion around how we can increase the positive representation and visibility of bisexuality in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Nibbles and drinks were a great icebreaker and were welcomed by event dwellers who enthusiastically engaged in the interactive activities. There were fantastic live performances from local musicians who played whilst attendees wandered around interacting with displays of news articles, famous quotes and a photographic timeline of historical bisexual figures. There was an opportunity to personalise finger puppets that represented your sexuality and gender identity, and hang your secret crush on our Secret Crush Tree.
Highlights of the event centered on The Hub, which is a relaxed, comfy area of the Centre, providing a relaxed and friendly forum for discussion and the sharing of stories, experiences, opinions and reflections. Particularly useful was the discussion around bi-visibility in Edinburgh, as it raised the issue of bisexual people feeling under represented by organisations within the LGBT community and the ‘gay’ scene at large.
If you are interested in the further outcomes of this event please contact Jules Barnes at the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing on 0131 523 1100 or by email
jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.
