Robyn Ochs Speaker Teacher Writer Activist

 


Bisexual Resources

A few QUOTES FROM Robyn OChs
  DEFINITION OF BISEXUALITY: I call myself bisexual because I acknowledge that I have in myself the potential to be attracted - romantically and/or sexually - to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree."

ON OPPRESSION: Some folks say that bisexuals are not oppressed because at least we are accepted by mainstream society when we are involved with members of the opposite sex. Agreed, society may like us when we show that piece of who we are. But conditional acceptance is not really acceptance at all. When we show our other side, our gay side, we suffer the same discrimination as other gay men and lesbians. We don't lose only half our children in custody battles. When homophobia hits, we don't get just half fired from our jobs (put on half time, perhaps?). We don't get just half gaybashed when we are out with our same-sex lovers ("Oh please, only hit me on my left side. You see, I'm bisexual!'). We, too, get discriminated against because we are gay.

ON INCLUSION: Inclusion is not about an entitled group of priviliged citizens deigning to open up the big door to let their inferiors in. Inclusion is about acknowledging what already is. When lesbian, gay, bi and transgendered people insist on equal rights, respect and ackowledgement in the mainstream community, we do not ask as outsiders. We are pointing out that we are already here, we have been here for a long time, and we ask that our presence as citizens be recognized legally, culturally, and interpersonally. And as a bi-identified woman, I expect the same of gay men and lesbians. Bi and trans folks have long been part of what some call the 'gay and lesbian community' and what I call the 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and ally communities.' I've been active in my local community since the early 1980s, and I'll continue to be here with or without anyone else's permission. It would be a lot easier for me and for a lot of my bi and trans friends, as well as for my forward thinking gay and lesbian friends and allies, if conservatives - heterosexual and gay - would acknowledge what already exists. I'm sorry that some people have such a hard time accepting reality, but I am not going to disappear, or keep quiet, to make biphobic or homophobic people more comfortable. We're here. Get used to it.

Organizations
Bisexual Resource Center
Bi Youth. I have authored some resources for bi youth that are housed on BRC's website: Take a look.
BiNet USA
Boston Bisexual Women's Network – the longest-lived bi women's group in the world, and home of the Bi Women Newsletter.
American Institute of Bisexuality
The Bisexual Index – links to bi resources in the UK.
Other places to find links to groups: 		 
On-Line Publications & Blogs
Bi Women. Quarterly newsletter of the Boston Bisexual Women's Network.
Bi Community News – National newsletter for UK bisexuals.
BiMagazine
Bi Lines On Line – on-line magazine, published from Virginia, USA. (new URL coming soon!)
Bi-Nieuws Magazine – magazine of the Dutch Bisexual Network/ Landelijk Netwerk Biseksualiteit (in Dutch), published from the Netherlands
Bi-Social News – Interactive bisexual blog. Articles about social, entertainment and political scenes, focusing on bisexual men, women, teens and social issues surrounding the myths of bisexuality in the gay, lesbian and straight communities. They also have a Talk Radio show.
The Fence – on-line magazine for bisexual women, published from Toronto, Canada.
Opción Bi – From Mexico, an active Spanish-language site.
Bi Media – Bisexual news site in blog form. Based in the UK, but has info from all over.
Books


Robyn and Erin Moore at the book signing in Borders Uptown, Dallas
PUSH PIN Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World (order online)
PUSH PIN Take a look at Robyn's Fiction Bibliography.
PUSH PIN Do you know about the Journal of Bisexuality? It's definitely the place to go to find out about current research and writing on bisexuality.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES TARGETED TO BISEXUALS

push pin La Red: The Network for Battered Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Women.
An organization dedicated to ending abuse in lesbian, bisexual women's and transgender communities (Acabando con el abuso en comunidades de lesbianas, de mujeres bisexuales y de gente transgénero). They have provided the following resources:

push pin Bisexual Domestic Violence Prevention brochure (for bisexual women)
push pin What is Partner Abuse (for bisexual women)

push pinDomestic Abuse in Lesbian Relationships Some good links at the bottom of this page.
Essays/Chapters Available Online

Robyn Ochs, various articles, including:

What's in a Name? Why Women Embrace or Resist Bisexual Identity. In B. A. Firestein (Ed.) Becoming Visible: Counseling Bisexuals Across the Lifespan. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007 ;

Biphobia: It Goes More than Two Ways. In B. A. Firestein (Ed.) Bisexuality: The Identity and Politics of an Invisible Minority, Sage Publications, 1996.

Kenji Yoshino, The epistemic contract of bisexual erasure. Stanford Law Review. Stanford Law School, January 1, 2000 V. 52, No. 2, p. 353.
Theory Not (Yet) Available Online

Angelides, S 2001, A History of Bisexuality, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
Angelides, S 2007, Historicizing (Bi)Sexuality: A Rejoinder for Gay/Lesbian Studies, Feminism, and Queer Theory, Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 52, no. 1/2, pp. 125-58.
Burrill, KG 2002, Queering Bisexuality, in D Atkins (ed.), Bisexual Women in the Twenty-First Century, The Haworth Press, New York, pp. 96-105.
du Plessis, M 1996, Blatantly Bisexual; or Unthinking Queer Theory, in D Hall & M Pramaggiore (eds), Re-Presenting Bisexualities: Subjects and Cultures of Fluid Desire, New York University Press, New York, pp. 19-54.
Eliason, M., Queer Studies: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Anthology.
Fraser, M 1999, Classing Queer: Politics in Competition, Theory, Culture & Society, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 107-31.
Gammon, M & Isgro, K 2007, Troubling the Canon: Bisexuality and Queer Theory, Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 52, no. 1/2, pp. 159-84.
Hemmings, C., Bisexual Spaces: A Geography of Sexuality and Gender.
Horncastle, J 2008, Queer Bisexuality: Perceptions of Bisexual Existence, Distinctions, and Challenges, Journal of Bisexuality, vol. 8, no. 1/2, pp. 25-49.
Storr, M 1999, Postmodern Bisexuality, Sexualities, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 309-25.
BISEXUAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
  pushpinA reflection on the subject by Robyn Ochs: What's in a Name?
pushpinUSA Today article on Diamond's research
pushpin“It’s Not a Phase”: Bisexual Identity Development Among College-Aged Women (a powerpoint outline of a presentation on the subject:
pushpinThe Layer Cake Model of Bisexual Identity Development

(Thanks to Margaret Robinson!)
Films
I am frequently asked to recommend FILMS about bisexuality. Interestingly, there is not a single film that reflects MY experience, that deals comprehensively with bisexuality, is of high production quality, available, and that treats bisexual identity with respect. But there are a few quality films out there, each of which does a good job addressing a slice of bisexuality. Here are a few:

Bisexual Revolution – A documentary from France, in French and with English subtitles (YouTube trailer).

Rose By Any Other Name... – A New Bisexual Web TV Series

Crossing the Line (2008) – Made in Canada by Deveraux Babineau Productions and first broadcast on CBC television on February 19, 2008, this one-hour documentary follows two young women coming out as bisexual in Toronto, Ontario. The documentary raises an interesting question: If you don't come out in the context of a specific relationship wtih a specific person, how exactly do you go about finding community and exploring your sexuality? (Disclaimer: I'm one of the "experts" interviewed in this documentary.)

Bi the Way (2008) – Made in the U.S. by filmmakers Brittany Blockman and Josephine Decker who travel around the U.S. and interview people about bisexuality. This film focuses on the under 30 crowd.

Please feel free to write to me with additional recommendations.
Bi-Themed Television Talk Show is Finally Available On-Line
BiCities – Out of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Hosted by Dr. Marge Charmoli and Dr. Anita Kozan. They do some wonderful interviews. I've been on their show twice and can vouch for this!