Bisexual students feel neglected from two directions
By Megan Mosely
Athens NEWS Writer
May 1, 2008
Ohio University students have rallied together this past week to raise awareness on issues that affect the gay community. From drag shows to transgender discussions, Pride Week has given students an outlet to discuss issues faced by gay, bisexual, lesbian and allied students.
But one of the categories, bisexual, sometimes seems as if it’s subordinate to the others in the hierarchy of gay identity.
Hilary Post, a sophomore theater major who identifies as a bisexual, confirmed that she has to deal with convincing others that this identity is real and not just some college phase. Dealing with bisexuality can be difficult, she said, because often both heterosexual and homosexual people view bisexuality as a middle ground, a place between gay and straight, and a period of time before one chooses his or her sexual preference.
But this isn’t necessarily true, and definitely not in her case, she said. Though occasionally someone might claim to be bisexual and then later identify as gay or straight, many people have bisexuality as their true sexual identity.
“I get sometimes that we’re just lying to ourselves, and I think that is the main obstacle that we have,” Post said. “We have to show that it does exist and that it is not made up; it’s just who we are.”
Mickey Hart, coordinator of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Program Center at OU, agrees that a stereotype exists that bisexuals are merely in an “in-between stage,” and that their bisexuality is what he described as a “bridge ” between gay and straight.
“Some people really don’t want to put a label on themselves and don’t really know what they are yet, but that is not always the case,” he said. “I have friends who have been bisexual for years.”
Hart pointed out that bisexuals have to deal with being a part of an “invisible group.” Sometimes people don’t recognize bisexuals because when they initially see same-sex relations, they automatically think only of gays and lesbians.
“When you see two girls walking down the street holding hands and you think that they’re lesbians, or when you see two guys holding hands, most people typically think ‘oh they must be gay,’ when in fact, they may be bisexual,” he said. “It’s one of those things where you never really know.”
Aaron Fancey, LGBT Affairs commissioner for Student Senate, agreed with Hart’s statement and went further, saying bisexuals are part of an “invisible minority.” The lack of bisexuals who are outspoken about their sexual orientation partly creates this so-called “invisible minority” demographic, he said.
“Of all the awareness activities I have been involved in, not one bisexual has taken a leadership position,” he said. “There are not many bisexuals who are open about their sexuality. Also, there are those who might not feel all that connected with bisexuality and therefore don’t feel the need to get that involved,” he said.
Fancey agrees that bisexuality is sometimes misinterpreted, and that it’s possible for someone to be interested in both men and women.
“Some people joke and say, ‘I’m on my Bi way to Gay town,’ but I don’t believe that,” he said. “I think bisexuality is really a sexual orientation, and, unfortunately, there is that false stigma out there.”
Erica Boehnlein, a member of the LGBT group at OU, said that the lack of bisexual organizations contributes to the lack of bi-advocacy on campus. Boehnlein, who said she is transgender and dating a bisexual, agrees that for some it can be “just a phase,” but for others it is real and is something that she feels deserves respect.
“I definitely believe it is real but you might not always hear them talking about it,” she said. “Some people like to hold on to their identities and protect that, and we should all be understanding of that.”
LGBT organizers hope that with Pride Week, more people will become educated on the issues surrounding sexual identity.
Will Wemer, last year’s Pride director and current Student Senate treasurer, said that bisexuals and homosexuals often have to deal with issues of acceptance, and he hopes that through Pride Week, heterosexual students, as well as homosexual students, will learn to empathize instead of criticize people who are different from them.
“The thing that people need to understand is that we are all different,” he said. “And that’s a really great thing. I think it’s a beautiful thing when someone embraces their sexuality. No one is in the position to judge. I won’t know what it’s like to be bisexual, and I won’t ever know, but the best thing anyone can do is just be accepting of it and be open to being educated on something."
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