Give It To Me Bi: Bisexual People Are Waiting For Everyone To Show Up

‘Bisexual People Are Waiting For Everyone To Show Up’ is the May edition of our monthly bisexuality column, Give It To Me Bi.

As we gear up for the federal election, one thing is clear: the LGBTQIA+ community is not a monolith. Despite the rainbow, our histories haven’t always been truly shared. 

And yet, even when our experiences have diverged, there has been solidarity. 

Lesbians and bisexual women became caretakers for gay and bisexual men during the AIDS crisis. Trans women of colour sparked our liberation movement. Everyday people fought for each other, even when the system didn’t.

I still believe, though lately it has felt under threat, that we all care for each other. And that it’s only when power, money, status, or belonging distort our priorities that we veer off-course. I hold onto that belief because the alternative is a darkness I refuse to accept.

So if that belief is true, then I ask you, as I ask myself: how are we showing up for each other?

We were thrown off Sydney’s cliffs alongside you. We marched beside you. Mourned with you. Voted for your rights. Funded your causes. We showed up.

Your causes have been our causes. Your losses, our losses. But your privileges? 

This is not a call-out – it’s a call-in; an invitation to realise the full promise of our movement, and to do it together. To extend the liberation experienced by L and G communities to the B and T and Q communities, and beyond.

Because it’s the right thing to do. 

The gay liberation movement of the 70s, 80s, and 90s applied the civil rights playbook with extraordinary success. If we applied those same lessons to the specific needs of bisexual+ people, we could finally see lasting change for millions.

And yet, as we head to the polls, we must ask: where are bisexual+ people in your policies? Your budgets? Your community orgs? Your events?

Even when bi+ programs make it past the proposal stage, we’re often the first to be cut. Not because the need isn’t urgent – it absolutely is – but because we’re simply not treated as a priority.

Our erasure is compounded by a lack of understanding of how devastating biphobia is — mentally, physically, socially. 

We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for visibility. For care. For protections. For strategy. 

Please know, this isn’t us trying to play discrimination Olympics. We’re not in competition. If we are, we shouldn’t be. 

But it is our tax dollars funding these programs and legislative changes. We want that money spent where it will make the greatest impact. And considering the Bi+ community is the largest group within the LGBTQIA+ community, but bisexual-specific groups get a mindblowing less than one percent of LGBTQIA+  funding — that would almost certainly be us. 

When a politician asks, “Who should we support with this mental health funding?”, how often do they hear a response of, “There’s a bi+ crisis that’s completely unaddressed”?

When they ask, “What protections are missing?”, how often does someone reply, “Bi+ people still aren’t protected by anti-discrimination law in NSW”?

We’re speaking to politicians, yes. But also to cis gay men with platforms. To queer orgs with influence. To allies with power.

We know you care.

Now it’s time to show up. Not just for your rights — but for ours, too.

Before you vote, consider:

• Ask your candidates what they’ll do for bisexual+ people. Push them to name and address our needs.
• Fund a bi+ org. Help change that ‘less than one percent of LGBTQIA+  funding’ statistic.
• Check your LGBTQIA+ community orgs. Are bi+ people part of their priorities? If not — ask why.
• Don’t forget the B: Not in your hashtags. Not in your policies. Not in your heart.

We showed up. Now it’s your turn.