SAN FRANCISICO – The San Francisco Human Rights Commission has adopted a groundbreaking report examining the consequences of rendering bisexuals “invisible.” The report is believed to be the first of its kind.
“I’m so excited and relieved. It’s been such a long time coming,” said Lindasusan Ulrich, the author of the report. “I had a good sense that it would pass, but to not have it even be a question? At the end I’m just so grateful to be a part of it.”
The report, entitled, Bisexual Invisibility: Impacts and Recommendations took four years to produce.
Recent studies have found that bisexuals are the largest population in the LGBT community. According to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2010, 3.1 percent of individuals self-identify as bisexual, compared to 2.5 percent as gay or lesbian.
Ulrich pointed out bisexuals had poor health outcomes, lived in poverty, faced discrimination from both mainstream society and gay and lesbian, and weren’t being served by queer organizations that have “B” in the name. Bisexuals “weren’t considered at all” in funding for services or bisexual organizations or even mentioned in annual agency reports, she said.
Ulrich reported, “One out of two bisexual women and one out of three bisexual men gave serious thought to take their own lives.”
In spite of four decades of activism, the report highlights that bisexuals haven’t gained much traction.
Bi activists praised the report.
