Since there is a lot of talk about homophobia, a primer on biphobia.

[UdoKier]

From the bisexual resource ccenter:

http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/biphobia.html

What Does Biphobia Look Like?

Assuming that everyone you meet is either heterosexual or homosexual.
Supporting and understanding a bisexual identity for young people because you identified "that way" before you came to your "real" lesbian/gay/heterosexual identity.
Expecting a bisexual to identify as heterosexual when coupled with the "opposite" gender/sex .
Believing bisexual men spread AIDS/HIV and other STDs to heterosexuals.
Thinking bisexual people haven't made up their minds.
Assuming a bisexual person would want to fulfill your sexual fantasies or curiosities.
Assuming bisexuals would be willing to "pass" as anything other than bisexual.
Feeling that bisexual people are too outspoken and pushy about their visibility and rights.
Automatically assuming romantic couplings of two women are lesbian, or two men are gay, or a man and a woman are heterosexual.
Expecting bisexual people to get services, information and education from heterosexual service agencies for their "heterosexual side" (sic) and then go to gay and/or lesbian service agencies for their "homosexual side" (sic).
Feeling bisexuals just want to have their cake and eat it too.
Believing that bisexual women spread AIDS/HIV and other STDs to lesbians.
Using the terms "phase" or "stage" or "confused" or "fence-sitter" or "bisexual" or "AC/DC" or "switchhitter" as slurs or in an accusatory way.
Thinking bisexuals only have committed relationships with "opposite" sex/gender partners.
Looking at a bisexual person and automatically thinking of their sexuality rather than seeing them as a whole, complete person.
Believing bisexuals are confused about their sexuality.
Assuming that bisexuals, if given the choice, would prefer to be within an "opposite" gender/sex coupling to reap the social benefits of a "heterosexual" pairing.
Not confronting a biphobic remark or joke for fear of being identified as bisexual.
Assuming bisexual means "available."
Thinking that bisexual people will have their rights when lesbian and gay people win theirs.
Being gay or lesbian and asking your bisexual friend about their lover only when that lover is the same sex/gender.
Feeling that you can't trust a bisexual because they aren't really gay or lesbian, or aren't really heterosexual.
Thinking that people identify as bisexual because it's "trendy".
Expecting a bisexual to identify as gay or lesbian when coupled with the "same" sex/gender.
Expecting bisexual activists and organizers to minimize bisexual issues (i.e. HIV/AIDS, violence, basic civil rights, fighting the Right, military, same sex marriage, child custody, adoption, etc.) and to prioritize the visibility of "lesbian and/or gay" issues.
Avoid mentioning to friends that you are involved with a bisexual or working with a bisexual group because you are afraid they will think you are a bisexual.

[NAO]

1. I have fristaphobia...

Which is the fear of rabid false Christians who mercilessly kill cats, use life-or-death situations for political gain, and pander to the religious reich with grandiose grandstanding.

Very frightening. My case is complicated by 'fristianationaphobia', the fear that Frist will be elected President in 2008 and the United States will be declared to be a Fristian Nation, just as the Founding Fathers intended.

[readmoreoften]

2. Bi, trans,pan...the list of fears goes on.

All of these are gay/lesbian/trans issues as well: "Expecting bisexual activists and organizers to minimize bisexual issues (i.e. HIV/AIDS, violence, basic civil rights, fighting the Right, military, same sex marriage, child custody, adoption, etc.) and to prioritize the visibility of "lesbian and/or gay" issues." They do effect bisexual people in different ways than the effect the rest of the GLBT community, though.


Of course biphobia is rampant as is any phobia of any queer people. But one thing I don't understand is bisexual activists position on transpeople. Most people who are not gay or straight, that I know, identify as PANSEXUAL these days, because they also may become involved with transgendered and transsexual people. Although many gay and lesbian people involved with trannies keep their labels too for political reasons.

Unfortunately, our taxonomies are moving faster than our politics. That's why I like 'queer', but at this point I'd accept The Niblethead Tribe or The Flame-a-tee-tees or The Booga Booga Monsters or The Owlies, some unifying insignia that isn't an acronym.

[bobthedrummer]

3. I have to scoff now.

<scoff, scoff>

Everyone is bi-sexual potentially. But let's not roll out psychobabble about bullshit agendas anymore. It's undermines empiricism.

[mondo joe]

4. What makes THESE "bisexual issues" rather than GAY or HUMAN

issues:

HIV/AIDS
violence
basic civil rights
fighting the Right
military
same sex marriage
child custody
adoption

[UdoKier]

5. Nothing.

They are human issues.

[mondo joe]

7. Your post includes them as parenthetical "bisexual issues".

In fact it says these are bisexual issues that are MINIMIZED.

[freeplessinseattle]

8. I doubt that's what they mean

I took it as saying that focusing on these as rights for gay people as more important than the same rights for bisexual people. I strongly doubt that they're saying bis are the only ones who deserve these rights, just that bis are discouraged from talking about these as bi rights, too.

I'd like to add another item to the larger list in the original post:

-The assumption that bisexual people can't be monagamous.

[Jamastiene]

6. Well, I see some points there.

I live in a red state that is super conservative. They can't even handle the concept that there may be a such thing as homosexuality without saying some really nasty things. They would definitely never be able to handle the concept of bisexuality, trangendered, or transsexual people. It would be too much for the tiny closed little box that is their brains.