Bi Visibility Day is held every 23 September to stand up for, recognise and celebrate bisexuality and respond to the invisibility, stigmas and prejudices which bisexuals still have to face today.
Invisibility and prejudice are embodied in the concept of “biphobia”, a form of structural oppression against bisexual people, according to the biphobia guide created by the bisexual writer and activist Elisa Coll and illustrated by Maria Queraltó, presented this week by the Ministry for Equality.
The guide recognises that biphobia appears in different spheres, such as social and cultural realms, institutional, healthcare or medical spheres, and that on some occasions it can be an added factor in cases of sexual violence, gender violence and intragender violence.
It also shows that this type of discrimination and violence have negative consequences for the mental health of bisexual people and, in other cases, hamper their access to rights such as asylum or sexual health.
For all these reasons, the guide calls for specific studies about the situation of bisexual people in the Spanish state, as well as more training for medical workers, administrative and teaching staff, plus more awareness on the specific problems faced by bisexuals and other demands.
More resources for further details
Housed on the top floor of the LGBTI Centre, the Armand de Fluvià del Casal Lambda Documentation Centre holds some publications on bisexuality, such as “Resistencia bisexual. Mapas para una disidencia habitable”, by Elisa Coll; “Bisexualidades feministas. Contra-relatos desde una disidencia situada”, published in Argentina by Madreselva; and “Bi: notes for a bisexual revolution”, by Shiri Eisner, which will soon be available translated into Spanish, published by Descontrol.
Other resources include round tables, book presentations and debates about leading bisexual figures in history, polyamory and bisexuality, bisexual female alliances and more.