You’ve probably heard of Pride Day, but have you heard of Bi Day? Bi Day is on September 23rd, officially marking Bisexual Awareness week (September 16-23). Let’s talk about the history and culture of bi+ communities as well as who falls under the bi+ umbrella.

The history of the bi+ community is not that well known since many prominent bi+ individuals are often remembered as gay or lesbian. The word “bisexual” was first used in 1892 by Charles Chaddock. He defined bisexuality as being attracted to both men and women, creating a common misconception based on a binary understanding of gender. The most accepted definition today for the term is the attraction towards your own gender as well as another.

In 1972, the National Bisexual Liberation Group, the first bisexual newsletter, was formed. As this community received more representation, the bisexual pride flag was created in 1998 by Michael Page. The flag has a large magenta stripe at the top, a thin purple stripe underneath, and a large blue stripe at the bottom.

As much as this sounds like a simple process, it definitely wasn’t. Even today, the amount of bi-phobia present in our society is shocking. The statistics are much higher than you might think with 50% bi youth considering attempting suicide in the past year and 37% of the LGBTQ+ community reporting that they have heard biphobic jokes in their workplaces. This is a community that has persevered through years of discrimination and isolation. The community is still rapidly growing through all the challenges it has faced, and that is a huge feat in and of itself.
The bi+ umbrella consists of terms such as pansexual (attraction to all genders), omnisexual (attraction to all sexes), polysexual (attraction to multiple sexes), multisexual (attraction to some sexes), fluid (no consistent attraction towards any sex or gender), as well as a handful of others.

This is a week of celebrating and learning more about the existence of a community that has stayed strong through all of the discrimination that they have faced. If you are a part of this community, this is your week to shine! If you are not, this is your week to learn more about bi+ history and people.

For further exploration, check out these websites:
What is Bisexuality?
Happy Bi Pride Day!
Bisexual – The Trevor Project