Celebrate Bisexuality Day is observed on September 23 every year. It is a part of the Bisexual Awareness Week celebrations held in September. The day is celebrated to remind people of the history and struggles faced by the bisexual community. A bisexual person is someone who is not exclusively attracted to people of one particular gender. The flag that represents the bisexual community has three colors — purple, blue, and pink. Celebrate Bisexuality Day teaches us that every person is deserving of love and respect, no matter how different they might seem from us. It’s a day that teaches us acceptance.
History of Celebrate Bisexuality Day
Celebrate Bisexuality Day was first organized by Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur. The day was first officially observed in 1999 by the International Lesbian and Gay Association Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the celebration was to raise awareness of the challenges faced by bisexuals around the world, and their fair demand to be treated respectfully.
The founders were especially worried about the various experiences of marginalization and discrimination that bisexuals face from both the straight and LGBTQ communities. The bisexual identity is often brushed aside by some members of the straight community as “being confused” or simply “closeted gay.” While on the other hand, the LGBT community sometimes categorizes bisexuals as “undecided” or even as traitors to the LGBT community. This makes it particularly difficult for bisexual people to openly embrace their identity, and discourages those in the closet from coming out.
Historically, bisexuals have been an often ignored group along with the LGBT community. While many are of the assumption that there exists no such thing as bisexuality, some think that bisexuals tend to be promiscuous. For some members of the bisexual community, this is taking a serious toll. So much so that a Human Rights Council report found that bisexuals had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and STIs than any other group. Therefore, Celebrate Bisexuality Day ends up serving two purposes, one to raise awareness of bisexuals everywhere, and the second to help prevent the prejudice faced by bisexuals. The day is celebrated every year with teach-ins, poetry readings, parties, picnics, festivals, and awareness events.
Celebrate Bisexuality Day timeline
The first Gay Liberation Day March is held in New York City.
The rainbow flag becomes a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities.
WHO declares that homosexuality is not an illness.
Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to publicly announce support for same-sex marriage.
Celebrate Bisexuality Day FAQs
What is the bisexual symbol?
Pink, blue, and lavender triangles and interlocking biological symbols represent bisexuality — people who are attracted to both men and women.
What do the colors of the bisexual flag mean?
The flag contains two wider stripes, pink and blue, to represent the male and female genders. A smaller purple stripe is between them representing sexual attraction to both men and women.
What is a bigender person?
Identifying as bigender is typically understood to mean that one identifies as both male and female or moves between masculine gender expression and feminine gender expression, having two distinct gender identities simultaneously or fluctuating between them.
How To Observe Celebrate Bisexuality Day
Attend a local event
Find out if there’s a teach-in, poetry reading, or an awareness event nearby. You can attend any Celebrate Bisexuality Day event to learn more about the community.
Lend an ear
Do you have friends or family who are bisexual? Ask them respectfully about the struggles that they have faced within the LGBT community and outside it. Once you know better, you can advocate for bisexual visibility and be a good ally to them.
Wave your flag
Fly the bisexual pride flag on your porch or the dashboard of your car. You could also dress up in bi colors to show support for the community.
5 Facts About Bisexuality That Will Blow Your Mind
Bisexuals dominate the LGBT community
There are over 9 million LGBT people in the U.S., and more than half identify as bisexuals.
Most bisexuals haven’t come out to their colleagues
49% of bisexual people say that they haven’t come out to any of their coworkers.
They are more susceptible to police brutality
Bisexuals are three times more likely to experience police violence.
Bisexual women face greater domestic violence
Bisexual women experience higher rates of sexual and intimate partner violence.
They have the poorest health
Bisexual people have high rates of poor physical and mental health in relation to their sexual orientation.
Why We Love Celebrate Bisexuality Day
It teaches us to be respectful
The objective behind Celebrate Bisexuality Day is simple — to convince everyone that bisexuals are deserving of our love and respect. We must all be respectful of a person’s sexuality and not judge them for it.
It advocates for inclusivity
Celebrate Bisexuality Day advocates for inclusivity in our personal and professional lives. This means workplaces are no longer allowed to get away with unfair employment practices.
Representation matters
More bisexual public figures mean more and more people feel comfortable in their sexuality. Celebrate Bisexuality Day also fights for equal representation in media, politics, and sports, among others.
Celebrate Bisexuality Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | September 23 | Monday |
| 2025 | September 23 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | September 23 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | September 23 | Thursday |
| 2028 | September 23 | Saturday |
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