by Aryn Fields •
WASHINGTON - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, joined in the commemoration Bisexuality Visibility Day by releasing a new online resource, Coming Out: Living Authentically as Bisexual+, a guide for bisexual, pansexual, fluid and non-monosexual people living in the United States.
Data estimates that bisexual+ people are the largest contingent of the LGBTQ+ community, making up nearly six in ten people of the overall community. Additionally, a Pew Research Center analysis found that at least 19% of bisexual+ people were out to “all or most” of the important people in their lives, compared to 75% of gay or lesbian people.
On Bisexuality Visibility Day, we celebrate the beauty, resiliency, and diversity of the bi+ community — no matter who you are or whom you love, your identities are valid, and you deserve the right to live openly as your authentic selves. The bi+ community faces misguided stigma, skepticism and erasure, including from LGBTQ+ people, and often feel invisible or misunderstood within their own community. That’s why having the courage to live authentically, true to ourselves, is an immeasurable gift that we can give, not only to ourselves, but the entire community.
This resource was designed to help bisexual+ individuals and their loved ones through the coming out process in realistic and practical terms. It acknowledges that the experience of coming out and covers several topic areas, such as: “What Does it Mean to be Bisexual+,” “Being Open with Yourself,” “Deciding to Tell Others” and “Having the Conversation.”
Bisexual+ identities do not always look the same for everyone, and bisexual+ people may experience varying degrees of sexual and/or romantic attraction to different genders. Regardless of the degree or depth of attraction, if a person has the potential to be attracted to more than one gender, that person is welcomed to identify as bisexual+ and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
To access HRC’s other Coming Out resources click here.
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