Bi Visibility Day 2020
Celebrating all that our bi staff and students bring to the University of Plymouth
We support you
As part of the University of Plymouth’s recognition and celebration of Bi Visibility Day, we are delighted to share this message of support for our bi staff, students and friends.
Since 1999, the 23rd September each year asks us to celebrate bisexuality, and even after more than 20 years, we know that some may be asking why this is so. Well we all know that being heterosexual is celebrated every day in our media, our workplaces, and our society; assumptions are made and stereotypes prevail. The University is committed to a society where LGBT+ friends don’t have to constantly challenge incorrect assumptions or be in any way unsafe because of simply being themselves. It is great that just recently Strictly Come Dancing announced its first same-sex pairing, and we look forward to other positive representations of LGBT+ relationships following suit. Being LGBT+ should never be illegal, it is horrific that it is still punishable by death in six countries.
But the focus here is on bi. The University stands proudly with our bi staff, students and friends. The ‘B’ in LGBT+ should not ever be forgotten, we believe there is no place for binary boxes, so, on this Bi Visibility Day we celebrate bisexuality and commit to ending bi-erasure on our campuses. Bi people are very often stereotyped, made to feel invisible, and receive discrimination on the basis of their sexuality – Stonewall research suggests 27% of bi women and 18% of bi men have been subject to discrimination within the LGBT+ community, let alone in the heteronormative world outside. Equally, bi people are more likely to experience more poor mental health and increased anxiety even compared to lesbian and gay people. This needs to change and we look to you all to help support the rights of bi people to live a happy life, free from judgement and fear.
We are both delighted to be senior allies for the LGBT+
Staff Forum and equally delighted to be part of the University of Plymouth’s
new LGBT+ Inclusion Taskforce. Over the coming year the taskforce, led by Alice
Ludgate and Andrew Grace, will work with colleagues across our University to ensure
that all our process and procedure is inclusive of all LGBT+ identities. We
take our commitment as allies and as senior leaders within the University seriously
and will ensure that work of the taskforce is a force for good. Our University
only succeeds when it recognises and celebrates the diversity within our
community, and from conversations with our bi staff and students, we know we
can always do better. The taskforce, alongside our continued work with
Stonewall, will ensure that the voices and experiences of our bi staff and
students are truly reflected in everything we do at the University. We are really excited to be working hard at
continuing to strengthen the University of Plymouth’s reputation for being an
institution where you can bring your whole self to campus, and that whole self
will be welcomed.
Today, on Bi Visibility Day, we stand with our bi staff and students and celebrate all that you bring to our University community. Thank you.
Professor Sube Banerjee (Executive Dean, Faculty of Health) and Alice Ludgate (Head of Student Services)
Why do we need Bi Visibility Day?
Bi people face challenges unlike those faced by their gay and lesbian peers and often erased or forgotten about both in and outside of the LGBT+ community. Almost half of bi men (46 percent) and a quarter of bi women (26 percent) aren’t open about their sexual orientation to anyone in their family, compared to 10 percent of gay men and just five percent of lesbians.
Bi Visibility Day is here to change that on 23rd September and every single day of the year; bi voices matter and are celebrated at the University of Plymouth.
You can find out more here.
The Invisible Letter 'B'
Perception is everything. It impacts our public image, as well as our personal relationships. Being open about one's orientation is a risk, but one that can pay off by living a fully authentic life. Visibility can break down stereotypes, eliminate shame and secrecy, and create accessible, realistic representation and role models.
Misty Gedlinske is the founder of Fond du Lac Pride Alliance, a community outreach effort connecting local LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies with services, resources, and welcoming organizations in Wisconsin, USA. This TEDx talk focusses on the need for us all to be open and authentic in order to live our best lives.
