Black Non-Monosexual Leaders and Allies Statement on #ThisIsLuv Campaign

Justice is what love looks like in public — Cornel West

He who is reluctant to recognize me opposes me — Frantz Fanon

It is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken — Audre Lorde

I will call you my brother, I will call you my sister, on the basis of what you do for justice, what you do for equality, what you do for freedom and not on the basis of what you are — June Jordan (Black bisexual thought leader)

BACKGROUND

Wade Davis, Darnell Moore and Tiq Milan have decided to organize an LGBT anti-stigma campaign in the Black community without Black bisexuals leaders involved. In the latest gay effort marginalizing bisexuals, the trio have launched a #ThisIsLuv campaign (with with GLAAD, National Black Justice Coalition, Politini Media, Feministing.com, HRC Foundation (HRCF) and EBONY.com) to highlight and affirm “LGBT love in Black communities” without involving Black bisexuals (i.e., the B in LGBT).

No Black bisexual leader or organization is involved. What Black LGBT people does this omission suggest we deny Black love?

In their press release, Tiq Milan is clearly quoted ignoring Black bisexuals, “I, along with countless other Black gay and transgender people, have an amazing support system in my family. Their voices are constantly drowned out by the pervading idea that there is no room for Black LGBT people within our own communities.”

It’s ironic that Tiq’s campaign drowns out the voices of Black bisexuals and the statement demonstrates no room for Black bisexuals in Tiq’s understanding of Black community.

What kind of love do they want?

The campaign doesn’t even say anything about transphobia in the midst of an epidemic of murders of Black trans women. It shows even with a trans man as a co-organizer the needs of gay cisgender men take precedence. The sole focus of the campaign is homophobia in the Black community (i.e., showing that the Black community isn’t as homophobic as it is portrayed in media). “Too many people within the Black LGBT community believe this myth and never allow themselves to be loved by their families,” said Wade Davis in the campaign press release. According to Davis’ logic, Black LGBT people are responsible for not being loved by their families. Victim blaming?

Where is the love?

The campaign only focuses on homophobia and does so problematically. Not transphobia, not biphobia (to learn what biphobia is go here and here). Leaving out cisgender and transgender bisexual Black people.

Although bisexual women and men have higher rates of suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts than gays and lesbians, higher rates of poverty than gays and lesbians, higher rates of sexual assault, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence than gays or lesbians, Davis, Moore, and Milan have chosen to remain silent about biphobia and bisexuals (see: http://www.binetusa.org/bi-presentations and http://biresource.net/bihealthmonthlinks.shtml for more information).

How is that love?

Davis, Moore and Milan must have missed it when Black bisexual men were being accused of spreading HIV to Black women. They must not know the thousands of Black bisexual women who have been targeted at work or elsewhere for sexual harassment or assault.

How can you highlight the love of Black people you don’t even recognize?

It’s time for the Jim Crow approach to sexual and gender equality that many Black gay and lesbian leaders use in organizing to end. Black bisexuals will no longer take a seat at the back of the equality bus while they, Black gays and lesbians, ride in the front. We will not be their silent partners who allow them to say the B in LGBT while they maintain our separate and unequal status within it.

Love does not look like abuse and disregard.

UPDATE:

Tuesday, February 17th 2:15pmET:

From Wade Davis on the campaign FB page: “Darnell L. Moore Tiq Milan and I created our ‪#‎ThisIsLuv‬ campaign to share stories of black LGBT love and acceptance that includes all sexualities and identities. We recognize that some folks under the LGBT umbrella haven’t felt rightfully recognized and rightfully so. We understand that our unintentional omission of bisexuals explicitly was triggering for some and we apologize for that. We want all Black LGBT folks to participate in our #ThisIsLuv initiative, particularly those most vulnerable to discrimination and violence.” [emphasis added to highlight the attempted minimalization and marginalization]

When people say others felt something rather than something happened, it is a way to act as if you acknowledge and recognize their experience when you really do not. Rather than say, “We recognize that some folks under the LGBT umbrella haven’t felt rightfully recognized and rightfully so,” the statement could have been “We recognize that members of the LGBT community have marginalized others and the impact that marginalization has had on the lives, health and wellbeing of those affected.” See the difference? Rather than say, “We understand that our unintentional omission of bisexuals explicitly was triggering for some and we apologize for that,” the statement could have been “We understand that, regardless of our intentions, our omission of bisexuals contributed to their marginalization and we apologize for that.” See the difference?

Davis makes no apology for saying, “It’s not like bi thought leaders are on every corner.” Milan makes no apology for explicitly excluding bisexuals in the statement, “I, along with countless other Black gay and transgender people, have an amazing support system in my family.”

Wednesday, February 18th, 6:00pmET

Monica Roberts of TransGriot, in an act of solidarity between Black trans women and Black bisexuals, wrote the following in this blog article:

“Just like the trans community, the ‘B’ in the LGBT community has been marginalized and ignored as well by the LG end…. African-American bi community members exist. I’ve been in contact and friends with many of them for years…. I would hope that the #ThisIsLuv campaign organizers would expeditiously correct their error and immediately include African-descended bi community leaders.  As much as I like the idea and it’s critically needed in the Black community, I can’t support it if it continues to erase the bi community in words and deeds. You can’t legitimately claim that this is an LGBT community campaign when the ‘B’ was not only ignored, but wasn’t sitting at the table to craft it.”

Thursday, February 19th, 12pmET

Elixher.com reports on the boycott in this article:

“Community members publicly noted that no bisexual advocacy organizations or thought leaders were brought on to craft the campaign. Language in the press release also neglected to acknowledge bisexuals….The sad reality is that bisexuals experience extreme health disparities compared to their heterosexual, lesbian and gay counterparts, including a higher rate of tobacco use and a higher rate of anxiety or mood disorder. Bisexual women are the most likely to have never had a cancer screening (mammogram or pap test) compared to heterosexuals or lesbians. They also have more risk factors for heart disease compared to heterosexuals or lesbians. Additionally, family acceptance for bi youth is lower than their gay and lesbian peers experience.”

Sacredsexualities.org provides an analysis of the other problems with the #ThisIsLuv Project campaign in this article:

“Key among those flaws are the questionable validity of the premises that underlie the mission of the campaign, lack of clarity in the intended audience, no apparent strategic goals or objectives beyond demonstrating social media activity, lack of a rationale (other than these are the people we knew already) for the chosen organizational partners based upon the articulated mission, and no sense of how this campaign fits into the larger movement for sexual and gender justice in, for and by Black people.

Many of us like to take pictures with our loved ones and share loving stories about them. Social media has helped to make those opportunities possible in new and interesting ways. That’s not a social movement nor a social justice strategy.”

Saturday, February 21st, 3:30pmET

Wade Davis appears on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry Show to talk about the #ThisIsLuv campaign as a reaction to the attention Terrence Howard’s character (Luscious Lyon) on the FOXTV show Empire has received for his homophobic approach to loving his son (Jamal Lyon) played by Jussie Smollett. Wade decries the lack of public attention paid to the way the other members of the Lyon family embrace Jamal. MHP acknowledges how many of her frequent guests are being highlighted or involved with the campaign. Davis does not provide any statistics or credible information about the actual lived experiences of Black gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people in real Black communities.

Imani Uzuri, a Black bisexual vocalist and composer who Davis, Moore and Milan placed on the celebrity roster of panelists at the Human Rights Campaign after the Black Non-Monosexual Leaders Statement challenged the fact that no Black bisexual leader was invited to craft the campaign, pens an article for Ebony.com to share her luv story but makes no mention of the growing list of Black non-monosexual leaders who have signed onto the boycott. Ironically, Uzuri does mention the dynamics that made it possible for Davis, Moore and Milan to not invite Black bisexual leaders to craft the campaign, “I have had to deal with bi-phobia, exclusion and misunderstanding from some of my lesbian and gay friends.” One might wonder if Uzuri includes Davis and Moore in that list of gay friends.

Instead of engaging the people they have marginalized with an honest apology and sincere offer of reconciliation, Davis, Moore and Milan use one Black bisexual person in a tokenizing, divisive manner–pitting Uzuri against respected, Black leaders among non-monosexuals.

Wednesday, February 25th, 12pmET

Crystal Fleming, a black bisexual, publishes an article for HuffPo for the #ThisIsLuv campaign and makes no mention of the growing list of Black non-monosexual leaders who have signed onto the boycott. In her manifesto, she expresses hope that the campaign highlights acceptance of “LGBT folk in black communities without glossing over significant tensions, homophobia and biphobia. Black bisexual women are often misunderstood, excluded or fetishized. Black bisexual men, on the other hand, are routinely vilified. Who expresses love and support for our black bisexual brothers? Bisexuals comprise over half of LGB-identified people in the United States, yet we are routinely rendered invisible and marginalized. The erasure of bisexual people is particularly problematic for African-Americans, who already face the strain of racism. Bi black people exist at the intersections of many forms of oppression, and this difficult positionality makes it complicated for us to find love. We not only have to deal with homophobia in our families — we also have to navigate biphobia among black gays and lesbians — while dealing with racism in the broader LGBT community. There is also the reality that most LGBT spaces are actually not for us. Very often, they are implicitly white centered and/or mostly geared toward gays and lesbians.” The divisive nature of the #ThisIsLuv campaign continues to pit Black bisexuals against each other by asking them to choose personal visibility over confronting the ways the campaign dismissed Black bisexual leaders in its inception.

Friday, February 27th, 12pmET

Harrie Farrow publishes an article in UnicornBooty.com on 15 Notable African-Americans Who Are Out as Bisexual leaving one to wonder how easy it could have been for Davis, Moore and Milan to find a Black bisexual leader to help them craft the #ThisIsLuv campaign and find Black bisexuals to participate in the panel they organized in DC, which had only 1 Black bisexual-identified participant among 12 panelists.

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BLACK NON-MONOSEXUAL LEADERS STATEMENT

In response to being notified that the #ThisIsLuv campaign is silent on biphobia, marginalizes Black bisexuals and has no bisexual leaders as partners, co-organizer Wade Davis stated, “It’s not like bi thought leaders are on every corner.” And co-organizer, Darnell Moore said, “Uh? Bi-phobic?” (FYI, bisexuals don’t hyphenate the word biphobic or biphobia.)

We, the undersigned, are Black non-monosexual (e.g., bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, fluidly sexual, or queer) leaders, organizers and activists. So that you don’t have to go “every corner” looking for Black bisexual leadership the next time you think of an LGBT campaign in Black community, we are letting you know we are here, live and in living color.

We will not be participating in your campaign and will not respond to attempts at damage control, crumb throwing, placating or other such second-thought, 11th-hour tactics.

We encourage all Black bisexuals and our allies to boycott your campaign and instead to use the #ThisIsLuv hashtag to let you know marginalizing, ignoring or demeaning Black bisexuals and our lives is not what love looks like in Black communities.

We encourage all participating campaign partners that are committed to true inclusivity and love in Black communities to discontinue their affiliation with #ThisIsLuv campaign on the basis of its underlying biphobia and monosexism.

Prepared by
Dr. Herukhuti
Founder/CEO, Center for Culture, Sexuality and Spirituality
2015 Thought Leader, Association of Black Sexologists and Clinicians
Member, Bisexual Leadership Roundtable
Tweets by DrHerukhuti
https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionaryScholar
http://revolutionaryscholar.tumblr.com/

To join the following signatories by signing the statement, go to this link:

Black Non-Monosexual Leaders (We’re not on every corner, but we’re definitely around the world.)

Jacq, UK, Bi’s of Colour: “#ThisIsLuv has clearly forgotten about bisexuals. When called out, they have responded with cynicism and rushed patching up. We bisexuals are not an afterthought. The B in LGBT is not silent. #ThisIsntLove”

Juba Kalamka, Oakland, CA USA

Faith Cheltenham, USA, BiNet USA and Bisexual Leadership Roundtable: “Find us on the street corner, find us in church, find us everywhere you look!”

Amy Andre, USA: “Studies show that people of color who are not straight are more likely (than white people who are not straight) to use to the term “bisexual” to identify themselves, compared to using terms like “gay” or “lesbian”. Bisexual people, compared to gays and lesbians, are more likely to be black; gays and lesbians are more likely to be white. Research also shows that there are at least as many out bisexuals as there are out gays and lesbians _combined_. That means we’re the biggest segment of the LGBT community. Ignore us and you’re literally ignoring _most_ of who you say you’re talking to and about — which makes no logical sense. It’s not a question of: why should you include us? (Which is what the statement about “no bi leaders on the corner” implies, by the way.) It’s a question of: why wouldn’t you include us? If you don’t, you’re missing out. And that’s not love. That’s loss. Your loss.”

eric reece, Dallas, TX USA

LaMonda Stokes, Detroit, MI USA: “As a black bisexual woman, this makes me sick. Most of the black women I know who are in this supposed “LGBT community” do not identify as gay. Thank you for just bitch slapping us all in the face. This is not LUV, this is blind ignorance. It is time to start our own community, a real community. Everyone is invited, not just the people who happen to be available on any given street corner.”

Dennis Slade Jr, San Diego, CA USA, BiForum San Diego, 2014 Bi Pride Planning Committee, Bi Bar San Diego: “It is highly disappointing that no African-American leaders in the bi activist community were contacted/consulted in the creation of this campaign. It is clear that there is one degree or less separation between Wade, Darnell and Tiq and our “thought leaders” Faith Cheltenham, Dr. Herukhuti and Amy Andre as well as Stacey Long at the Task Force. And there are many more. We will no longer accept, “We couldn’t find any of y’all” as an excuse. I hope we can all move forward *TOGETHER* to make #ThisIsLuv truly inclusive to the entire LGBT+ community. If we want to achieve full rights for ALL, we must all be fighting as one.”

Donne Redd, Brooklyn, NY USA,  S.i.S.T.A.H.,Bisexual Women of All Colors, New York Area Bisexual Network, BiNet USA: “Bisexual Lives Matter! If you are going to represent… REPRESENT EVERYONE! Speak to Bi-Leaders, Hear their voices, RESPECT THEM! IF YOU DO NOT GIVE RESPECT, YOU CAN’T RECEIVE IT! #AHOUSEDIVIDEDWILLNOTSTAND!”

Latisha McDaniel, Iowa City, IA USA, University of Iowa LGBT Staff and Faculty Association, Black Lives Matter Iowa City, Community Policing Initiative (CPI): “And I can be found on any street corner with either a sign or a bullhorn.”

Bisexual Women of Color (BIWOC), Boston, MA USA: “Although the Facebook call for submission did use inclusive language, we are concerned regarding:

1. The Ebony magazine quote ““I, along with countless other Black gay and transgender people, have an amazing support system in my family. Their voices are constantly drowned out by the pervading idea that there is no room for Black LGBT people within our own communities,” says Tiq Milan. This February as we celebrate love and Black History Month, this campaign is a much needed recognition and examination of where love and Black LGBT identity intersect.” That quote does not include bisexuals; we are not gay and also many of us who are trans are being assassinated. It would have been healing to add a sentence about bi and trans folks something like “We recognize that Bi and Trans folks may not be able to participate and those who can we encourage them to tag their photos with #Bi and #Trans to build visibility”. Using the abbreviation LGBT does not make it clear that you are referring to OUR communities; many bisexuals do not identify with the “LGBT” community. The majority of out black bisexuals ARE not embraced by our families of origin and can not take a photo with them (including the founder of BIWOC).
2. We are also concerned that the organizers of this social media campaign did not think to invite a Black Bisexual Activist to help plan. It appears that it “just didn’t occur to you.” The neglect to not do adequate research and extend an invitation to a Black Bisexual Activist adds to us being erased from the Queer community. We hope that future Black Queer campaigns includes Black Bisexual Activist. We would be happy to be active in healing and celebrating ALL of our sexual orientations. – GFH”

Denarii Grace Monroe, Brooklyn, NY USA, freelance writer, BiNet USA: “When bisexuals make up the majority of the LGBQA community, and when Black bisexuals make up the majority of all bi/non-monosexual identified people, it is more than a travesty that we are being erased by the very people who claim to want to lift up “LGbt” as a whole.”

Yemisi Ilesanmi, London, UK: “If excluding Bisexuals of Colour and dismissing our valid concerns is your idea of #ThisisLove, i shudder to think of what #Thisishate looks like. The B in LGBT is not just a space filler; we are people too and we are bonafide members of the LGBT community. We deserve all the rights and recognition we fought for under the LGBT acronyms. We refuse to be your acronym filler. We refuse to be silenced. We refuse to be dismissed. We refuse to be an afterthought. Get educated on Bisexual of colour issues. Stop this hate. This is not love! ”

Dr. Herukhuti, New York, NY USA, Center for Culture, Sexuality and Spirituality: “I have been so moved by the messages from men who have read Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men-An Anthology telling us how transformative and life-saving it is to have their bisexuality recognized and recognize that  other bisexuals exist. To know bisexuality is real and their experience of biphobia is not all in their heads. Bisexual women have been sharing their lives and struggles as well. These stories are why I could not remain silent at the exclusion of bisexual leaders in organizing the ‪#‎ThisIsLuv‬ and‪#‎ThisIsLuvProject‬.”

ABilly S. Jones-Hennin, Washington, DC USA and Chetumal, Q. Roo, MX: “This is an educational opportunity to hear the many voices of Black Bisexuals across the nation and beyond.”

Tangela Roberts, Boston, MA USA

Chiquita Violette: “#ThisIsBullshit  It is known the B* makes up slightly over half the LGBTQ* population, and that majority of this demographic are nonwhite, specifically Black. Excluding us undermines the It’s not like it’s some kind of secret that the B* is often left out. Often times, the only acknowledgement we get is when we are added into the mix because using us greatly increases the number of LGBTQ* identity “we-need-funding”/give us donations” head-count but then we are CONSCIOUSLY sifted out of the rest of the queer alphabet soup when it comes to the receiving end of funding when our conveniently temporary pseudo-inclusion helped generate it. We are out in the streets, online, campuses and community centers working hard to bring equity and equality to the greater community just the same. Our energy is demanded and used up but our existence is simultaneously denied? This Schrödinger’s Cat game is tired and long played out. I can see through the box and this incredulous nonsense.

We are thrown under the bus, inveigled by the oft-proven fallacy of inclusivity from false prophets of progress, then given fauxpologies and excuses laden in slights when faux pas are called out. Rainbow-colored or otherwise, donning the robes of the oppressor is always unbecoming, especially when the oppressor is apart of a disenfranchised group. This is just *ONE* aspect of the LGBTQ* denied dirty laundry that will continue to resurface to air itself out until this stank shit is cleaned up and not just half-assed swept under the rug. It’s going to have to start with Gay and Lesbian Inc. taking some responsibility for and initiative to rectify the this form of oppression and make authentic efforts to honor, serve and heal the community. It starts with the bi* community reclaiming its self-love, putting more focus and resources into our community rather than engage with activists, organizations, campaigns that employ use-and-abuse tactics against us. I know it can be done, the voices of the once-silent T* is finally being heard and embraced, trans*phobia is thankfully falling out of fashion. It MUST be done. To a community that decries queerphobia and heterosexism, espousing tolerance and acceptance, while irreverently participating in monosexism, bi*phobia and OVERTLY COVERT erasure operations to discriminate against its own, let me say this: Hypocrisy is NOT en vogue, NOT fierce and is NEVER a good look no matter the season. A make-over is long overdue.

I, will not be participating in your campaign and will not respond to attempts at damage control, crumb throwing, placating or other such second-thought, 11th-hour tactics. Don’t look to me for my time, energy, money, nor solidarity while you continue to stab us in the back and front. Don’t ask for nothin’ if you can’t come correct. You might win some but you just lost one.”

Andrea Roberts, Austin, TX USA

Twanna Anderson, Eagan, MN USA

Ray Clark, USA, AmBi, BeCause, BiNet USA, BiNet International, & several other international Bisexually-themed organizations: “This is obviously another statement to exclude bisexual people from the LGBT community at large, when we are the largest segment of the community, but the least served. This is one reason that most people pretend to be one or the other because of all of the erasure & stigma we encounter from sadly, all sides. It’s just sad to constantly experience this hate & ignorance.”

David J. Cork, USA, BiUS Entertainment, Bi: The Webseries, Fluid Bi Design

J Christopher Neal, Brooklyn, NY USA, FluidBiDesign/MenKind: “I find this blatant disregard disheartening, but not surprising. of course “It’s not like bi thought leaders are on every corner.” Wade, especially if your not really checking for us and your own understanding of the landscape is sophomoric; and Darnell Moore’s comment “Uh? Bi-phobic?” though disappointing is again not surprising, as I assertively sought this brotha’s advice myself when trying to startup FluidBiDesign and there was little or no interest in even lending a ear.

Its too bad the bisexuality, black bisexual thought, Bi-fluid consciousness, is such an affront to the seemingly fragile social and political identities of so many gay brothas and sistas that they are Ok with campaign in their own interest that effectively marginalizes anyone on the continuum… but then if you don’t really believe in a continuum I guess its cool?

Dare to self-define, choose when your when you heart chooses, FluidBiDesign / MenKIND. 
a support and advocacy community for fluid men of African descent; established March 25, 2014; host of a monthly conversation entitled MenKIND: Conversations For and About Fluid Men of African Desent; find us on Facebook and Meetup.com“

Allies or Did Not Articulate Identity with Signature (Update: You can identify identity by revising your response to the form)

Tracy Holton, Los Angeles, CA USA

B Davis, Oakland, CA USA

Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti, USA

Dawn Williams, USA

Lynnette McFadzen, Portland, OR USA, The BiCast Podcast for the bisexual community, BiNetUSA Official Volunteer http://www.thebicast.org/ and http://www.binetusa.org/: “This is unacceptable.”

Laurie Roberts, Jackson, MS USA

Nat Radband, UK

Janine deManda, Oakland, CA USA

Alisa Swindell, Chicago, IL USA, Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago – Board Member: “To ignore Black bisexuals, shame some into a monosexual queer closet, to usurp our numbers and traumas into your statistics while refusing to fight for us is not showing love. To do these things is to endanger our lives. All Black lives matter!”

Natalya Dell, Birmingham, UK, UK Bi Communities: “I am increasingly aware of how bi people of colour are marginalised and actively oppressed in LGBT spaces by erasure of bisexuality and bisexuals and racism for the colour of their skin or their ethnicity. Please don’t forget to include bi people of colour, it is really important to be inclusive. Exclusion, biphobia and racism kills and harms real people.”

Jacob Short, Washington DC USA

Gabriele Rosado, New York, NY USA, New York Area Bisexual Network: “This is gaywashing at its ultimate. It’s even sad to see Tiq Milan, a black transman, play sidekick to the whims of the cisgender gay issues and not even notice it. That’s the extent of gay washing – the issues of cisgender gay people is every queer’s issue. It is not. The Black LGBT community should know more than anyone else the epidemic of Black trans lives being taken at an astounding rate. But all is silent. Why? One word – transphobia. How ironic of Tiq Milan to introduce the support of only gay & transgender people, but to include a four-part acronym when no mention has been made of bisexuals? This “oversight” of the B in LGBT is tiring and frustrating. If gay organizers want the bisexual support for their agendas, make it INCLUSIVE. Inclusivity does not mean adding a letter to an annoyingly long acronym. It means educating oneself about issues pertaining to the bisexual community. Yes! There IS a bisexual community! Gay issues are NOT everyone’s issues. The world is NOT gay or straight. BISEXUALS…WE EXIST!”

Joan Sherwood, Atlanta, GA USA: “It’s too late to fix this campaign. The damage is done. But learn from this and do it right next time.”

Melody Dingus, USA

Janice Rael, Clayton, NJ USA, BiUnity Philadelphia (member)

Tuan N’Gai, TX USA, Operation: REBIRTH

Steven G Fullwood, New York, NY USA: “All of us, or none of us. That’s all. ”

Tangela Roberts, Brighton, MA USA

Sincecombahee, USA

Jen Deerinwater, Somerville, MA USA, Bi Women of Color, Bi People of Color, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Boston Dyke March Committee, Emerge Massachusetts, Knapsack Boston: “The behavior of the organizers is utterly unacceptable and hypocritical. The erasure and hatred that you have shown towards bisexuals is no different than the erasure and hatred that the heterosexual world has and continues to show toward gay men, lesbians, and transgender people. ”

Margaret Robinson, Toronto, CA

Daniel Williams, Bronx NY USA, Fellowship of Affirming Ministries

April Anderson, Ames, IA USA: “As a white, genderqueer, bisexual individual I find it appalling to leave out, erase, diminish, or otherwise oppress ANY bisexual. Bisexuals of color are equally important and equally deserving of love, recognition, and respect. Bisexuals of color voices need to be heard, their lives matter, they deserve to be included and respected. How can someone create an org that is supposed to “highlight and affirm “LGBT love in Black communities” without involving Black bisexuals”? What insanity is that? As the saying goes “Nothing About Us Without Us!” Include Black bisexual voices and leaders!”

Stacey Langley, New York, NY USA, BiNet USA, MAsT: Metro NY, POOR Magazine

Amber Lamar, USA

William Soergel, College Park, MD, Bisexuals at Maryland of the Pride Alliance at the University of Maryland: “I stand with my Black Bi/Pan/Queer friends and colleagues in calling for “a counter-narrative to the prevalent idea that the African-American community is generally homophobic” and biphobic, as well. It is important to all LGBTQ+ people to see that none of us are stigmatised and that all are included in an effort of racial uplift — and that includes the “B” in the acronym. ”

Sam Fillenworth, USA

Jacob Short, Washington DC USA

Stephen Brown, London, UK, antidote WestlondonGMP

Michael Girard, USA

Patricia, New York, NY USA, Larker Magazine

Jesse Parker, USA, Fluid Bi Design

Thomas Leavitt, Santa Cruz, CA, USA, BiNet USA: “As a person of almost exclusively European decent, aka white, I sign as an ally in support of the many friends and fellow activists in this community, for whom I have the greatest possible love and respect.”

Rebecca Booth-Fox, Somerville, MA USA, Boston Knapsack Anti-Racism Group

Melanie Decroix, BE

Jason Tompkins, Chicago, IL USA: “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow. – Alice Walker”

Michelle E. Brown, Southfield, MI USA

Ellyn Ruthstrom, Boston, MA USA, Bisexual Resource Center, Bisexual Leadership Roundtable: “This was a huge missed opportunity for these organizers to show that their perspective is actually different from the mainstream gay and lesbian leadership that often silences the B in our community. Bisexual and transgender leaders fought hard to unite behind the community moniker of LGBT, but bisexuals continue to not be invited to the spaces where decisions are being made for our community. It would have been wonderful to see a campaign designed for the black community take a different approach. Just more of the same.”

Cullen Frandsen, Oakland, CA USA: “Inclusion is inclusion. Otherwise, we fall into the hands of our oppressors.”

Teek Spectrum, USA