Updated June 7, 2017: An earlier version of this post stated that this will be the first ever bisexual-theme pride parade. According to European Bisexual Network for Activists, the first pride parades with a bisexual theme were held in Spain in 2016.

Post submitted by Laya Monarez, HRC Membership Outreach Coordinator

This year, Tel Aviv’s pride celebration will be the country’s first ever bisexual-themed pride parade. Starting on June 9, more than 200,000 participants are expected to join the annual celebration in Israel.

As a bi identified trans woman, this parade is truly inspiring to me. As the co-chair of HRC’s Bi Pan Queer Fluid Employee Resource Group, I help to make sure the organization bi-inclusive.  Often times people in our community feel like they are invisible and are constantly aware of the stigma surrounding bisexuality. 

While our sexual orientation is often overlooked, according to the Williams Institute and HRC Foundation's own research, studies suggest that about 50 percent of people who identify as either gay, lesbian, or bisexual, identify as bisexual. This makes the bisexual population the single largest group within the LGBTQ community. In fact, the number of bisexual adults in the U.S. is growing, according to the CDC's National Survey of Family Growth. That survey found that younger adults of all genders are especially likely to identify as bi.

As the Membership Outreach Coordinator at HRC, I work closely with our pride department and help to make sure all of our pride materials get to more than 200 pride events. Find us at a local pride near you. It’s easy to sign up, volunteer and get involved. Maybe you can be the first to organize a bi-themed parade in your own city!

I hope we learn from this amazing parade and it inspires our own versions in the U.S.  Its existence is truly amazing and affirms all bisexual identities, showing the world that we are not alone.