Should we take the 'B' out of LGBT?

submitted by PeakingPeachEater from self.Bisexuals

Should we take the 'B' out of LGBT?: Take the 'B' Out of LGBT(Bisexuality & the Gay Community - {7 minutes & 28 seconds}.

This YouTube Channel, BisexualRealTalk suggests that we take the 'B' out of the LGBT.

Main talking points from the video:

  • Bisexualities have the highest rate of mental health issues, however, this silent majority hardly has any resources available compared to the rest.

  • BisexualRealTalk starts that the "LG is not our friends, because we make up most of the community but do not have as many resources as they do."

  • Bisexuals committ suicide at 3x the rates as Lesbians and Gays.

Here is the the Part 2- {21mins & 24seconds} of the topic.

Main talking points part 2:

  • Bisexuality visibility is on September 23rd. However, the Los Angeles LGBT group did not give bisexuals a shout out/raise awareneas, and decided to do a general fundraiser.

  • Bisexuals outnumber lesbians and gays 2:1.

  • 'Gay' is a brand. BisexualRealTalk asks "How much money do gay bars/merchansdise/neighbourhoods make?" Followed with "When you think of gay, you think of a kid bulllied in high school. Gay is actually a multi-dollar industry.[...] Who is running all of this? The gay community. Gay is a brand. Bisexuality is not".

  • According to CDC, gays represent 2% of the population and bisexuals represent 5.5%---which accounts for ⅔ of the LGBT community. Despite this, there is not many bisexual books/movies/bars/networks/etc.

  • Loyal people to brand, the "Gold Star"s are encouraged to make the brand strong. "There's an us group and a them group. Naturally, they develop into rivals. With rivals, one group is booed. Bisexuals are booed by straights and the gay community rolls their eyes when they hear we're bisexual"

  • Stereotype of bisexuality doesn't exist: "What is the benefit of telling us that? Who benefits from that? Is it starting to make sense yet?"

  • "Since you're not completely gay, we will call you 'queer' so you can have access to our communities and restaurants. The only catch is you have to deny your bisexuality. They're okay with heteroflexible, homflexible, fluid, pansexual and queer. Why is that? Because bisexuality competes with their brand. If the bisexuals decide ti stop supporting and buy bisexual books or bisexual movies, they are screwed."

  • BisexualRealTalk makes an analogy about us(bisexuals) working our way up the company ladder and there is ONE more person on top(the gay community). Will you step down after working hard at a company? He says "No, we would want to be made equals to the company or go off and start our own."

  • Millions and millions of dollars are put into the LGBT industry

  • BisexualRealTalk wraps the video and says to start our own "Bisexual Inc" and inquires if the "LG" is our friend and if they are incentivized. He says to no longer support gay books nor gay entertainment if we are looking for a sense of identity(if you enjoy it, he says "fine so be it") then provides ALL of the bisexual communities he could find AROUND THE WORLD.

Please share your thoughts! Edit: Word

all 2 comments
sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun

[–]clitoriana 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm so torn because I definitely want us to develop our own strong identity, culture, intellectual work, and entertainment! But I don't want to avoid gay and lesbian stuff. We have so much to gain from widening our perspectives. Plus, we have always been a part of gay and lesbian activism and media from the very beginning, even if we've been erased (either by ourselves or them haha). I like supporting gay and lesbian stuff, because I feel similar to them, I seek out media and information related to same-sex love.

BisexualRealTalk makes an analogy about us(bisexuals) working our way up the company ladder and there is ONE more person on top(the gay community). Will you step down after working hard at a company? He says "No, we would want to be made equals to the company or go off and start our own."

I don't want LGBT to be a corporate ladder. Bisexuals are not a company. We're a highly diverse group of people and I just want for us to 1. really stake out a place for ourselves and examine who and what we are, and make ourselves heard, and 2. stop being the last group of people it's fine for everyone else to dunk on apparently

[–]PeakingPeachEater[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I see where you are coming from in regards to enjoying the LG entertainment/literature/etc.

I had a bit of a different interpretation of what BisexualRealTalk was saying---he mentioned that if you like lesbian and bisexual media etc, that's fine.

I think what he was saying is that despite us being the majority, we're the least represented AND that the LGBT+ community isn't really a community but became a company where there are a few rich gay people at the top that make the decisions and no bisexual people are at that level.

I agree with you on bisexual not being a company but rather a community instead, as well as those two points you made about what you want for bisexuality---it would be nice for visibility!