Bi-movement
The bi-movement is a social movement that is aimed at promoting the individual and social engagement with bisexuality .
History of the Bi Movement
The roots of the bi movement are:
- the enlightenment ,
- the emancipation movement ,
- the 1968 movement
- Findings of Modern Sexology .
In the first half of the 20th century, scientists such as Sigmund Freud and Magnus Hirschfeld publicly communicated research results that also raise awareness in the field of bisexuality . The integration of these results into an independent concept of bisexuality did not begin until around the 1960s, primarily in the United States.
With the discovery of bisexuality as an independent field of work in science and research, the first self-confident approaches to a bi-movement were formed. A prominent representative of this initial phase is Fritz Klein . Based on the Kinsey scale, he developed the “ Klein Sexual Orientation Grid ”, a system that gives people who describe themselves bisexual information about their degree of bisexuality based on certain criteria.
The social upheavals as a result of the 1968 movement, the sexual revolution and the emancipation movement helped the bi-movement, which had been subdued until then, which was mainly concentrated on the campuses of American universities, to gain more momentum. Bi-activist Brenda Howard is considered to be the founder of the Pride Weeks and Pride Weeks: a year after the Stonewall Riots , she organized the first parade.
During the 1970s, local bisexual support groups emerged in various locations across the United States. Led to the formation of networks . From the mid-1970s onwards, “conferences on bisexuality” or “conferences on bisexuality” were held at first selectively, then later in a regular cycle.
It was not until the late 1970s that the bi-movement took hold of the European continent, and later also other regions of the world:
- Since the mid-1980s, the English-language “Bisexual Resource Guide” has been providing information around the world about the next reputable point of contact on the subject of bisexuality. The editor is Robyn Ochs .
- From 1991 to 2010 the " International Conference on Bisexuality " took place roughly every two years at different locations around the world .
- International Bi-Day, also known as Bi Visibility Day, has been celebrated around the world on September 23 since 1999
Part of the bisexual community lives openly and consensually in relationships with multiple partners. The so-called polyamory , i.e. life in multiple relationships, is reflected, among other things, in the approach to lifestyle policy . Bisexual people played a key role in the development of a polyamory movement, a subculture of its own that has developed since the early 1990s, especially in the San Francisco area.
The bi movement in Germany
Since the early 1980s, bisexual women, men and trans in Germany have been reflecting on their way of life and self-confidently advocating it as a possible form of sexuality.
After founding several local self-help groups - for example in Cologne since 1986 the Bi-Gruppe with the current name Uferlos e. V. - Organization of the first national bi-meeting since 1988 and a nationwide network of bisexuals with the support of the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe e. V., BiNe - Bisexual Network e. V. Further foundation of bi-groups in many German cities. Bi groups have been taking part in CSDs in many cities since the 1990s.
BiNe e. V. provides information and public relations work on the subject of bisexuality, offers advice, has been publishing the BiJou magazine since 1994, organizes supraregional meetings, supports the establishment and maintenance of self-help groups, cooperates with socially relevant groups and initiatives, collects and disseminates relevant information and promotes the European and international networking of bisexuals. The association also provides materials for daycare centers, schools and other educational institutions.
In August 2006 the website "Liebe-Leben-Leute.de" was added to the existing online offer of BiNe e. V. created. The content of the website focuses on anonymous help for self-help and the establishment and maintenance of a bisexual (online) community . In addition, national meetings are offered. In 2010 the originally private project was converted into a non-profit offer through the establishment of the association of the same name.
Since 2012, an open and supraregional barcamp (BiBerlin Camp) has been organized in Berlin by the bisexual network group located there , which deals with the topics of sexual orientation and bisexuality .
In 2015, the Idahot became an Idahobite in the first cities .
Since 2016, part of the “Bi & Friends HH” round table in Northern Germany has been bi-politically active: there are meetings with politicians and LGBTI * groups, lectures and workshops.
In September 2017, Germany's first bi-flag was hoisted on a public building, the Ministry of Social Affairs, in Schleswig-Holstein. As part of the “Real Diversity” program, a brochure on bisexual lifestyles was published in parallel.
In 2018, the Federal Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld and BiNe - Bisexual Network e. V. jointly held the 13th Hirschfeld Lecture, which was then held on October 12, 2018 in Nuremberg on the topic of bisexuality.
European bi-networking
Local and national bi-groups for exchange, networking and (political) activities exist in many European countries. Networking within the European bi-movement is under construction. The starting points for this were the first two "International Bisexual Conferences" in 1991 in Amsterdam and 1992 in London and "IBIS - International Bisexual Symposium" in 1996 in Berlin.
On the initiative of the LNBi, a bisexual network in the Netherlands, the first “European Bisexual Conference” (EBC1) took place in Rotterdam in 2001, followed by the corresponding follow-up conference “EBC2” in Dublin in 2003, carried out by the local self-help group “bi-irish ". In 2016, the EBC3 took place in Amsterdam, again on the initiative of the LNBi. BiNe is - together with bi organizations from other European countries - a member of the ILGA and integrated into an emerging European network of bisexuals. There is a mutual membership agreement between LNBi and BiNe.
The further development will be significantly influenced by the strongly varying starting conditions in Europe: The bi-movement in the Netherlands is characterized by a coexistence of a nationwide network and partly independent strong bi-structures at the regional level. Great Britain does not have a formal national network, but regional groups organize, in some cases, competing nationwide “bi-cons”. In other countries there are individuals or regional groups who are heavily involved in European networking, e.g. B. in Ireland, Sweden, France and Switzerland. Initiatives in Poland, Italy and Portugal are also known here, without any recognizable connection with the European bi-movement.
See also
Web links
- Bisexual Network e. V.
- Timeline of the bisexual movement history (PDF)
- Website of the bisexual community in Germany
- Website of the "bisexual resource center" (English)
- Jay Paul: San Francisco's "Bisexual Center" and the beginning of the bisexual movement. 1994
In Switzerland, bi-meetings take place once a month in Zurich, Bern and Basel. Further information can be found on the websites of the homosexual working groups:
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bisexual Links
- ↑ Celebrate Bisexuality Day - Bi-Tag , at bisexuell.org, accessed December 22, 2018
- ↑ BiNe's timeline. (PDF) In: https://www.bine.net/ . Retrieved July 18, 2018 .
- ↑ Our story , on uferlos-online.de, accessed on December 22, 2018
- ↑ About the BiJou , on bine.net, accessed on December 22, 2018
- ↑ School Bisexuality and School , on bine.net, accessed December 22, 2018
- ↑ Liebe-Leben-Leute.de - the Bi-Community (PDF) In: Bisexual Journal (BiJou) issue 28th , p. 4, (PDF; 1.3 MB)
- ↑ Bi & Friends Berlin ( Memento from October 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Bi politics in the north. Accessed March 31, 2018 .
- ↑ Timeline of the bisexual movement history. (PDF) In: BiNe - Bisexual Network e. V. January 27, 2018, accessed March 31, 2018 .
- ↑ Kiel Ministry hoists the flag of the bisexuals. In: queer.de. September 19, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Federal Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld (Ed.): 13th Hirschfeld Lecture on October 12, 2018 in Nuremberg (southern point) . September 13, 2018 ( mh-stiftung.de [accessed October 13, 2018]).
- ^ Bisexual Guide to Europe
- ↑ European Bisexual Conference in Amsterdam, 28th-31st July 2016. Accessed October 24, 2017 .
- ^ The BiNe association, the bisexual network