#bisexual awareness

You’re right, I am a confused bisexual.

I’m confused about how we’ve let our history get stolen, ignored, and redefined.

I’m confused about why our community has let others tell us who we’re supposed to be.

I’m confused about the way we’ve split and distanced ourselves from each other.

We’re all attracted to all genders. We’re all bisexual. Only we can define ourselves, if we so wish, and only we can make our history.

We’ve come so far from the days where the only options were gay or straight. We’ve come so far from the judgement and disbelief of both oppressive cishets and the gay community. We’ve come so far in advancing concepts of gender and trans inclusivity.

Now, there are too many labels encompassed by bisexuality to count. Now, others confining us to misconceptions is acceptable. Now, our trans-inclusive history is being twisted.

We need to remember who we are—bisexuals and biromantics. We need to remember why the LGBT community was formed—to fight lesbophobia, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia and to achieve equality between all sexualities, romanticisms, and genders/gender statuses. We can’t do this if we’re separated and fighting.

Your bisexuality is not dirty or limited, so don’t you succumb to biphobic lies. Your bisexuality is lovely, it is honest, it is broad, it is inclusive, it is home, and it is what we make it together.

I found my place in the LGBTQA community a long time ago, and while it isn’t uncommon for threats to emerge from the outside, it appears one has reared its head from within with dollars signs in their eyes.

In 1998, bi activist Michael Page created and unveiled the bisexual flag. He wrote, “The intent and purpose of the flag is to maximize bisexual pride and visibility. This bi flag is for free public and commercial use. As a result of volunteer work I was doing for BiNet USA, it occurred to me that if bi people were going to be visible at home, pride events and political rallies, we needed a Bi Pride Flag!”

You can read the rest of what he wrote here: link

This is a tweet from BiNet USA two years ago:

While BiNet USA has previously done tons of great work for the bisexual community, something appears to have happened that’s caused quite a stir.

Days ago, without consulting board members, BiNet USA’s president, Faith Cheltenham, tweeted out to a small creator who sold pride merch about their usage of the bi flag. (From my research, this creator uses the funds for activism)

They then went out to tweet this:

And then encouraged people to send them messages if they saw an unauthorized person using the flag:

There were also tweets like this, where the president called out others:

And then this:

As expected, the backlash on Twitter was loud, large, fierce and immediate, so much so that Bi Net USA deleted their Twitter page (which had around 13k+ followers). Their remaining account is a newly made one called the binetcollective, while the president continues tweeting on her personal Twitter, thefayth.

Not only is she doubling down, but she has taken to doxxing/outing members who have stood up against her.

Here is one example. (A user who screenshot her post as evidence took the liberty to block out the name to protect the emailer’s identity, so as not to potentially out them):

I’m not entirely sure what she means by white bisexual supremacy, as race has nothing to do with why people are upset with her, and the subject of race does not come up in the email, which is a copy and paste email multiple people are sending:

That little black line is something Faith underlined herself.

Here is a statement from one of the board members:

Now, all that being said, can you copyright the bi flag?

According to copyright guidelines: no.

A simple, geometric design with three colors is not eligible for copyright.

Trademarks are another matter, but thus far there is no record of a copyright or trademark on the bisexual flag, so if the President is sending out C&D’s to stop people from using it, they could get themselves into a world of legal trouble and open themselves up to lawsuits.

While she claims to have been contact with Michael Page, saying he has given her the okay to do this, no one has heard from the man himself in years.

My take? Many small creators create pride merch, and that’s totally alright! It increases visibility. The bi flag, or any like flag, should not belong to any one person. It belongs to all it represents! One should not have to ask for permission to use it.

The narrative BiNet’s president is creating is dangerous, and there needs to be a serious conversation about what they are trying to do.

All I want to do in life is make a girl happy, feel like she’s loved, take care of her and spend the rest of my life with her as I treat her like she’s the most precious thing I’ve ever had.