Today is one of those days for me. I woke up with runny nose and I’ve been sneezing more than your average Disney dwarf.  If things continue like this, stock in tissue manufacturers will surely go up!

While I certainly look worse than I feel–OK, except for my raw nose–I have to admit that I’m in one of those moods in which I really don’t have any desire to mull over my bisexuality.  I just want to curl up with a hot cup of tea, the novel I’m reading and the two-hundred count box of tissues I’m quite sure will be finished by morning.  I quite frankly don’t want to think about anything else right now.  Actually, I would prefer to give my brain a rest at the moment.

This is certainly not the worst I’ve ever felt by a long shot, but it does allow me to touch on the other moments when I’ve fretted about what to write and what I had to say to all of you.  It’s actually in those moments when I wonder why I opted to become what can only be described as a professional bisexual because I don’t necessarily feel distinct from others.

Lest I be accused of being an ingrate and a whiner, let me state that I enjoy very much working with my colleagues and that I am thankful for having been brought on by our creative director.  I also know full well that writing about life from a bisexual man’s perspective–plain and simple–is something that I had wanted to do for a long time.

Besides, most of us have to get down to work whether we are ill or not.  Responsibilities of all sorts do not wait for us to be on our proverbial game.  Head cold, headache or simple head trip, we have to get out there and do our work, completing what needs completing.

Today–as has been true for several other days since I began writing for you–I have nothing more profound to say to you than we bisexuals put our trousers on one leg at a time just like everyone else and we get late-winter colds just like everyone else.  Today, I feel no particular specialness is being bi, which I actually see as a positive.

With my running and sneezing nose, I am well aware that in many respects I’m no different from anyone else.  Perhaps even this small cold is a good thing because it finally made me tell you about those uneventful occasions when I am just being myself and my bisexuality fades into the background.

Naturally, I hope that those of you bisexuals reading this blog are proud to be bi.  I also hope that you have moments–by all means without colds and flu–in which your bisexuality fades into the background and you can just be yourselves.  As the quotation attributed to Sigmund Freud goes, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to warm my tea, find more tissues and get to my next project.

(AP: Mark J. Terrill) Kathryn Bigelow with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin holds her Oscars for best picture and best director for "The Hurt Locker."

Nothing says Oscars like a robbed Oscar. As James Cameron, the director of Avatar can attest too, with losing out to for Best Director and Picture to ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker. Seems Hollywood isn’t too kind to the outsider and to add hurt to misery, they moved Cameron right in the back of Bigelow—to hit it straight home that women power is taking the little gold statue home.

…and the winners are?

• Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
• Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
• Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
• Best Actor Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
• Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique (Presious)
• Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Walz (Inglorious Bastareds)

Oscars Missed in Memoriam

On a sad note, in the memoriam, seems someone should have been fired as they forgot a few people that past in 2009. Farrah Fawcett of Charles Angel and Burning Bed and Bea Arthur from the Golden Girls and Maude! Not to mention the fact that they didn’t give Patrick Swayze some love!

(AP) Mo'Nique Wins Supporting Actress

There was some heated debate over the strong speech Mo’Nique gave when accepting her Best Supporting Role for Precious on ABC.Com. The forums were all abuzz about her activism stance regarding her award. But really she was talking about the fact that many people of color didn’t want her to do the role, because it would show a bad light on black people being poor, etc. Mo’Nique was talking about doing something beyond politics and going for the role! Congratulations Mo for a job well done!

To Shave on Not to shave?

It was noted on the Barbara Walter Special about Mo having an abusive brother who touched her body parts, and that was how she prepared for the role of abusive mother to Precious, and the fact that she doesn’t shave her legs.

(AP) Sandra Bullock - Best Actress

Note: Many black women, especially old school, are known for not shaving their legs because black men love hairy women. So to the black community—it’s nothing new there. But seems it was big news on ABC 7, here in Chicago, as they had to report it! To all the hairy women, we solute you, if that’s what you’re into?

We did love seeing Sandra Bullock finally getting her due for Best Actress in The Blind Side. She had a great sense of humor talking about how she was in love with Meryl Streep and how she’s a great kisser!

Avatar 2 Billion Strong and Counting…

I’m so upset that Avatar got robbed in this great scifi block buster! I don’t care what person in Hollywood doesn’t like James Cameron; he’s spent 10-years on this movie, from creating a full language, a race, the names of everything on the planet and great new technology! I can’t say this enough—he was robbed and we all know it!

Bisexualist rant over!

Check out Avatar Trailer:

Murder, suicide, extortion, blackmail—these are some of the more intriguing plot hooks that we’ve seen. Nothing more than we’ve seen in other prime time dramas from Dallas to Dynasty or even Beverly Hills 90210. Perhaps that’s why, by comparison to such drastic situations, the addition of a gay son (Bree’s son Andrew was outed in 2006) and more recently a neighbor who makes her living as a stripper seem somewhat tame. The portrayal of a mother embracing her openly gay son in and of itself is a victory for the BLGT community. The truly sad thing, is that there have been little to no story lines regarding Andrew Van De Camp. More recently, however, the addition of Robin—the stripper is offering hope once again. The last two episodes in the month of February have seen Housewife Katherine Mayfair struggling with sexual fantasies about her new roommate—former stripper Robin. Robin—soon after joining the show, has identified herself as dating women, though it isn’t clear at this point if she is bisexual or a lesbian. Katherine on the other hand, is now revealed to be—apparently—bisexual.

Desperate Housewives is not the only prime time show making this a part of an ongoing story. Housewives‘ sister show Grey’s Anatomy (both air on ABC) has an ongoing story line in which Doctor Callie Torres—dating and even married to men—began a relationship with another woman and now seems to identify as a lesbian though it could still be argued that she is bisexual. Competing network, Fox, has ongoing same sex stories the drama House, for example, one of the female medical students on the show, known as “Thirteen”, is openly bisexual. The crime drama Bones features a scientist working at the Jeffersonian Institute who is an openly bisexual woman.

The common thread of course is that all of these characters are women, and so this does lend concern to the adage that bisexuality is okay—as long as both women are sexy. The bigger picture, in this case, is far more important. Openly bisexual relationships amongst the Housewives of Wisteria Lane is a far cry from the days where same sex relationships just “weren’t done.” Better still, is the positive portrayal of these relationships. Katherine and Robin, very loving and caring with each other—while elsewhere on our televisions we can see Doctors and Scientists as openly bisexual—certainly not deviants or the dregs of society. This sort of open portrayal can only lead to more positivity for the BLGT community—and we should all tune in to support it and of course to see what happens next.

Watch the video to learn more from Daniel:

Can Bisexuals Be Monogamous?

The bisexual community can’t seem to catch a break in the year of  “blame bisexuals,” for all BLGT woes, as misleading testimony has been entered in trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger on Proposition 8—regarding bisexuals, possibility of being the cause for the threat to heterosexual marriage.

In court documents, “claimed that the evidence would show that Prop. 8 prevents a number of related harms because allowing same-sex couples to marry allegedly would: ….(4) “Increase the social acceptability of other alternative forms of intimate relationships, such as polyamory and polygamy”;

(5) Increase the likelihood that the recognition as marriages of other alternative forms of intimate relationships, such as polyamory and polygamy, will become a judicially enforceable legal entitlement…”

Facts: Are Bisexuals Polygamous in Nature?

No! In fact, having a polyamory lifestyle has nothing to do with being bisexual. Let’s find out what bisexual and polyamory really means!

Dictionary.com states that polyamory means, “participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships.” Which means, that heterosexual couples (married or not) could also be polyamorous. In fact, many straight couples are living the polygamous life style.

Now, dictionary.com also states the word ‘bisexual’ means, “sexually responsive to both sexes; ambisexual.” No were in this define group of words does it say, ‘group sex?’

In fact, It clearly states, [bisexuals] are attracted to both sexes—not together, not in a group or threesome—in clear terms, they like both sexes, period.

Why Do Straight and Gay Groups Alike, Confuse the Two Meanings?

To be clear, a lot of misinformation regarding bisexuals as a whole is out there, because straight, lesbians and gay groups do not understand how someone can be attracted to both sexes. It’s no difference than straights not understanding why gays and lesbians are attracted to same-sex parings. It’s called double standards or simple put, hypocritical at best.

Until both groups, heterosexual, and homosexuals come to the realization that everyone has a part to play in discrimination and acceptance of all groups. It’ll make your fight a little easier down the road, if the bisexual are accepted at face value, meaning we are real. If not, rights for all will be a long and painful process.

What is BSN’s Position on Pro 8?

Bi Social News (BSN) stands clear that we support rights to marry for all, but we also recognize that bisexuals everywhere have problems on both sides of the aisle. As a media outlet, will make no bones about exposing who they are—straight, gay or in between. If you want rights for yourself, figure out a way to be open to the rest of humanity and perhaps one day, the sea will part!

In the Media:

• SFGate
• 13 CW13
• Scribd.com

—

Adrienne Williams is the Founder and Web Producer of Bi Social News (BSN), which is a subsidiary company of AJW Media.

Whether some people want to admit it or not, the truth is that there are a significant number of people either in the BLGT community or who dabble in it—whose behavior and self-professed identity labels don’t match up: men who have sex with other men and label as straight, gay labeled men and women who engage in straight and/or bisexual behavior, and yes, some people who exhibit bisexual behavior who label themselves as gay, lesbian, or straight while not behaving like it or vice versa. What is the real “truth” here? Are these people who are in denial, use the labels to fit in, or are confused? Would using one label for the entire community, such as “queer”, put an end to this endless speculation about labels? What about those who want to add more labels to the community, such as pansexual, intersex, questioning, and asexual? Don’t they deserve to be included too? We do all share the experience of being ostracized from straight society. And each letter, B, L, G, and T, is so much more than just the letter or the word-there are many sub communities and subcultures of each, as well as overlap with other communities.

There really is no one answer to all of these questions, for some people it’s none of the above, for others, all of the above, and yet for others, a totally different reason; or there’s no explanation. Personally, I do like the idea of unity and inclusion and adding more letters, even though it may become cumbersome; as many communities as possible deserve to be represented. I also like the idea of having a more unified label such as queer, and have  used that term myself on occasion, but as I mentioned in my last article, it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to not want to admit you are bi or to say “bi but.”  A great example of the unifying power of using one term is the website Queers United , which has made a wonderful effort to include everyone. A unifying world would also help the whole “alphabet soup” problem, where some people think too many letters keep getting added on to the BLGT acronym.

However, I can also see the other side; if we all have one label, our diversity and individuality may vanish, and will it really put us all on an “even keel?” People who are really attached to their label and/or who have fought hard to use it will use it anyway, and not many will argue that they shouldn’t. I know that especially for the bisexual community, it’s important to be visible, out and proud, as discussed on the last Bi Talk Radio podcast.

Also, some people have trouble with the word “queer,” as it has been and sometimes still is used an [and] insult—even though the BLGT community has done a good job of taking it back. No one has been able to come up with a better word to signal unity. More importantly, even with all the labels we do have, people are so much more than a label, and a label shouldn’t ultimately make one feel they must restrict their behavior—if they see an opportunity for love that is outside of their label. In the end, love always wins out, which is why we sometimes hear about people who thought they were a particular orientation falling in love with the “wrong” gender; love knows no bounds or gender. So, how can we seek to unify ourselves, minimize distrust among various BLGT groups, and minimize bickering over labels and identity?

First of all, people need to understand that a label doesn’t always equal identity, and like it or not, labels can be permeable and fluid, and some people can move across the spectrum. The younger generations seem to be understanding this particularly well compared to previous generations. Secondly, we should celebrate the diversity and individuality of the BLGT community, by celebrating and including all the letters and adding more if necessary, but we should also focus on a word or words that helps to unite us as well; and try to move towards the day when labels won’t be as necessary or as big a deal. I see no reason we can’t aim for unity, while celebrating diversity at the same time, though I’m sure it won’t be easy.

So readers, I ask you for your comments and opinions; what do you think about the need for labels and how they affect identity, the difference between the two, and how we can do more to unite the BLGT community without loosing our diversity? Please write and let me know, and if I get enough responses, I’ll write a follow up article!

Become a Volunteer for the Gay Games!

Pack Your Bags and Book Your Trip to Germany – Be A Part of It!

Cologne, Germany – Even if you can’t spike a volleyball, play the trumpet, or get a “perfect 10” off the high dive, the 2010 Gay Games has a way for you to “Be A Part Of It!” Gay Games VIII, 31 July to 7 August 2010 in Cologne, Germany, is recruiting volunteers from around the world to be part of the globe’s largest LGBT sports & cultural event.

“At the heart of the Gay Games are the approximately three thousand volunteers who make the Gay Games run like clockwork,” said Emy Ritt, Co-President of the Federation of Gay Games. “Volunteers are the ones who are ‘backstage’ organizing, managing, supporting and assisting at the sports and cultural events all week long. Gay Games volunteers get to meet people from all over the world, and gain valuable experience at this week-long festival. It’s truly a great cultural experience!”

Volunteers are needed in all areas, including:

• Medical care for athletes
• Supervising facilities
• Ushering spectators and guests
• Officials and referees
• Hospitality services for VIPs
• Support cultural events
• Official photographers
• Language interpretation
• Accreditation staff
• Support for the Opening Ceremony

Up to 12,000 artists and athletes from more than 70 countries are expected at Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 Sports & Cultural Festival. To volunteer, visit www.games-cologne.com, click “Take Part” and then “Volunteer” to enter the online volunteer sign-up portal. (In Deutsch, www.games-cologne.de, Mitmachen, und Volunteers.)

Volunteer Benefits

“If you’re lucky enough to experience freedom and equality in your home town, volunteer work is a great opportunity to help others experience this freedom in Cologne,” said Annette Wachter, CEO of Games Cologne. “Your help can also have a hand in showing the world that there is more to LGBT life than parties and parades.”

In addition to the good will and great experience, benefits for volunteers include reduced price admissions, special uniforms, surprise events and parties, and certificates for participation. Some companies provide for release time and credit for volunteer work, so check with your employer for additional benefits. All travel and lodging costs must be borne by the volunteer, though volunteers can apply for hosted housing. (Hosted housing priority is given to participants.)

Volunteer Requirements

Since the duties of volunteers are varied, people must complete an online profile so that they can be assigned to a job most suited to their skills. All volunteers must be 16 years of age at the time of the 2010 Games. “The same principles that apply to the Gay Games apply to volunteers,” said Wachter. “Everybody is welcome, whether male or female, old or young, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or straight.”

Register as a volunteer today at www.games-cologne.com, selecting “Take Part” and then “Volunteer.”

About the Gay Games:

The Federation of Gay Games is the international governing body that perpetuates the quadrennial Gay Games and promotes the event’s founding principles of “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best”™. The Gay Games was conceived by Dr. Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, and was first held in San Francisco in 1982 with 1,350 participants. Subsequent Gay Games were held in San Francisco (1986 – 3,500 participants), Vancouver (1990 – 7,300 participants), New York (1994 – 12,500 participants), Amsterdam (1998 – 13,000 participants), Sydney (2002 – 11,000 participants), and Chicago (2006 – 11,700 participants). Gay Games VIII will be held in Cologne, Germany on 31 July-7 August 2010 and information is available at www.games-cologne.com.

“Gay Games,” “Federation of Gay Games,” the interlocking circles device, and the phrase “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best” are trademarks of the Federation of Gay Games, Inc. Trade marks are registered in the USA, Canada, Benelux, the UK, Germany and Australia.

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Bi Talk Radio

If you  missed our first co-hosted radio show called “Bi Talk,” don’t despair—it goes into podcast mode after 15 minutes of our live programming, where you can catch all the hot bi topics and dish that was discussed!

Peter Ruggiero and Adrienne Williams are the new bi duo—along with Maria who will be following all the action via chat, to answer your most heated questions and comments!

This is the beginning of a whole new Bi Social News! Why not get in on the action and let your bi voice be heard!

You can also go to iTunes and download our podcast under Bi Social News.

Catch the latest podcast streaming audio right now!

Meet LIBERATION 2010 creator, Mark Anthony Lord and hear about the phenomenal conference weekend we have planned just for you!  Join Rev. Michael and Rickie Beckwith, Byron Katie, Gay Hendricks, Malidoma Somé, Jason and deMarco and more at the first-ever LGBTQ, family and friends conference developed to reveal the inherent greatness in everyone.

You will have the chance to ask questions to Mark Anthony  **LIVE**

Call access number: (605) 475-4800
followed by access code: 953898#

** A recording of the call will be posted on the LIBERATION 2010 website if you can’t join the live call. **

Dicesar on Brallian Big Brother

In a dear BLGT letter, from a  Brazilian citizen, by the name of  Thais, age 23—has called out to the lone internet for help regarding a TV reality show called, “Brazilian Big Brother.” At the moment, three people are deemed to be voted off. A lesbian (Angelica), a Transgendered person (Dicesar) and a straight man (Dourado), who this letter states is a homophobe, and have witnessed  him threatening to break a few fingers and send her to the hospital.

The reason we are so concerned right now – and which led me to give it a shot and write to all of you – is because the lesbian girl, the drag queen and the homophobe have been nominated today to face the public voting. The elimination is going to happen on Tuesday and we have almost no chance to win. Like I said, the TV Channel, Globo, has been favoring the homophobe, and right now 70% of the public is voting to protect him.

Which brings us to the reason why I’m here, asking you to, please, help us. It doesn’t matter how. It may be voting, asking people to vote or whatever comes to your minds. I know that this situation doesn’t affect you directly, but it would be a real big step for us. We’re facing a crucial time for gays in Brazil, and Tuesday’s elimination is kind of symbolic for us.

If you would like to help vote this person off, or get involved, you can go to these Websites and make a different via a global world of brothers and sisters of the cause! The show’s official website is http://bbb.globo.com/.

This link contains the video showing his anger and threat towards Angélica: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcb4yx_n .

You can go to bagel fish and try to read the language in Portuguese. The video does not, but I’m sure you can see the body language on the video!