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Why Marriage Matters to the Bisexual Community
As someone who has over the course of my adult life been deeply in love — at different times — with both men and women, I can attest to the fact that love is love. It is silly to pretend otherwise. All relationships need the same support. All relationships deserve the same respect.
—Robyn Ochs, Boston MA (bi activist, marriage equality activist, editor of Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World).
Think about it: Even a bisexual married to someone of another gender knows that her/his partner could die from an accident or disease and leave her/him alone. After recovering from that loss, their next relationship might be with someone of the same gender. She/he will want the same rights as they currently have in a mixed-gender relationship. A bi person who is dating or in a committed same-gender relationship also wants the same rights as straight-identified people. For all these reasons, bi people have been active in Freedom To Marry and the Equal Marriage movement since its inception, and continue their strong support.
— Alan Hamilton, a former president of the East Coast Bisexual Network (a.k.a. the Bisexual Resource Center) and a co-founder of the Unitarian-Universalist Bisexual Network
Use the key resources below to learn more about why marriage matters to the bisexual community.
FROM EVAN WOLFSON:
California, Here We Come
Freedom to Marry's Executive Director Evan Wolfson talks about the California Equality Project. This project will bring to bear the expertise and resources of a coalition of more than 30 national, state, and local civil rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations, including Freedom to Marry and many of our partners.
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WHERE YOU CAN GO TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN MORE:
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Bisexuality
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force offers resources and
information for the bisexual community who rejects simple dichotomies
that others would use to divide and oppress lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) people. Bisexual people and their allies are united
to support a broad LGBT civil rights movement.
Robyn Ochs' Marriage Resource
Robyn Ochs is a long-time activist, and the editor of the Bisexual
Resource Guide and the new anthology Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals
Around the World.
BiNet USA
BiNet USA, a 501C3 nonprofit organization, is the oldest national
bisexual entity in the United States. It is a network of groups,
projects and individuals, encouraging dialogue and participation as a
way of creating and maintaining a cohesive bisexual community and
empowering individuals to feel proud of their bisexuality.
Bisexual Resource Center
The Bisexual Resource Center is an international organization
providing education about and support for bisexual and progressive
issues.
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PUBLICATIONS:
Bisexuality: Dispelling the myths
Due to the lack of understanding, acceptance, or even acknowledgment
of bisexual identity, the family relationship issues facing bisexual
people seldom emerge when contemplating policy and legal changes. Some
bisexual people are legally married to opposite-sex partners. As a
result, they are able to access the privileges afforded to married
couples. However, many bisexual people are not married either by
choice or because they are in same-sex relationships and live in one
of the 49 states in which same-sex couples cannot marry.
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NEWS:
Read the latest news about why marriage matters to bisexual people.
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Freedom to Marry's Executive Director Evan Wolfson talks about the California Equality Project. This project will bring to bear the expertise and resources of a coalition of more than 30 national, state, and local civil rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations, including Freedom to Marry and many of our partners.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force offers resources and information for the bisexual community who rejects simple dichotomies that others would use to divide and oppress lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Bisexual people and their allies are united to support a broad LGBT civil rights movement.
Due to the lack of understanding, acceptance, or even acknowledgment of bisexual identity, the family relationship issues facing bisexual people seldom emerge when contemplating policy and legal changes. Some bisexual people are legally married to opposite-sex partners. As a result, they are able to access the privileges afforded to married couples. However, many bisexual people are not married either by choice or because they are in same-sex relationships and live in one of the 49 states in which same-sex couples cannot marry.
