Thread by @HRC

Hey Twitter! This is @SaraRamirez, artist and proud Mexican Irish American #immigrant #bisexual #queer #woman. To mark #BiHealthMonth, I’m doing an #HRCTwitterTakeover to talk about the need to address #biphobia and #bi-erasure. #BHAM18

Those of us who love more than one sex/gender use many different labels, but we share a common experience: our presence makes people uncomfortable. Our very existence as #bisexual threatens heteronormativity and the gender binary. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

#Bisexual, #queer, #pansexual, #fluid, non-monosexual folk are the single largest group within the #LGBTQ community, and we come in all Pantone shades, all genders, and no gender. We're trans, cis, nonbinary. We're ✨everywhere ✨. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

But yet there are many #LGBTQ institutions and spaces where I don't feel seen or I don’t feel recognized as a #bisexual, pansexual, queer person of color -- and it is because of unchecked biphobia. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover
people.com/tv/greys-anato…

⚠️ Biphobia seeks to undermine the legitimacy of our #bisexual, #queer, #pansexual and #fluid identities, and it comes in many forms: jokes, stereotypes, non-inclusive language and even abuse. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

It’s no coincidence that studies have shown alarming gaps in #bisexual access to health care-in part because more than a third of bisexual people reported avoiding disclosing their sexual orientation to medical providers.
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover
hrc.org/resources/heal…

When compared to heterosexual adults, #bisexual adults reported:
➕ higher rates of cancer and heart disease;
➕ double the rate of depression;
➕ higher rates of binge drinking.
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

Those numbers are even higher for #bisexual people who are also #transgender, people of color or people with disabilities -- vulnerable at the intersections of biphobia, transphobia, racism and ableism. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

Our needs are not identical to the needs of gay and lesbian people -- and that’s okay. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

#BiHealthMonth was started by @BRC_Central five years ago to create long overdue conversations raising awareness about these and, unfortunately, many other social, economic and health disparities for #bisexual people.
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover
hrc.org/blog/hrc-marks…

Despite these high rates of inequities, #bisexual-specific programming and research receives less than 1% of funding. It is past time for that to change, and that change starts with each of us. ✋🏽✋🏻✋🏿
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

Have we contributed to the erasure of #bisexual+ identities with insidious thoughts like these?
🔹 “Bisexuals are really just straight.”
🔹 “Bisexuals are really just gay.”
🔹 “It’s so greedy not to pick a side!”
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

We can do so much together if we step back and reflect on the fears and assumptions that may cause us to exclude. We all do this and we can all work to change, so that #bisexual and #queer youth can learn to be proud of their identities. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

It is time for us to see more bi+ people at the forefront of #LGBTQ spaces, on our televisions, in our stories. It is time to recognize the #bisexual elders that have been invisible despite driving our movement forward. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

How many realize that #LGBTQ #Pride as we now know it began with the work of a #bisexual woman named Brenda Howard in 1970? 🤔 —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

At the end of the day, the truth is that #bisexual people strengthen the quest for liberation. Our struggles are shared and our resilience unrelenting. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover

But I know there are many who don't yet feel safe or comfortable to openly identify as #bisexual, #queer, #pansexual or #fluid. —@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover hrc.org/resources/reso…

I want you to know that I see you. I was you. I love you, and you’re not alone. Let’s work together to create the spaces where we can all feel safe enough to show ourselves, and celebrate one another openly without fear. 💖💜💙
—@SaraRamirez #HRCTwitterTakeover