By Amy Andre
This year at Pride, I wore a big button on my lapel all day that said “BI” on it. Why?
Last Fall, I was honored to be hired as the Executive Director of San Francisco Pride, the nonprofit organization that, among other things, puts on the annual LGBT Pride Celebration here in San Francisco. Putting on the largest celebration of its kind in the US – and one of the largest in the world – is a big thrill! But Pride is more than a party; it’s an opportunity for community building, for political collaboration, and for civic engagement.
Wearing my BI button was a simple but effective way to show that we truly are everywhere, including leading the event! My boss (the President of the Board of my organization) is also bi, and so I gave her a button to wear with a bi pride flag on it. The two of us are the official spokespeople for the organization, which meant that every time we were being interviewed on camera our Bi Pride was showing, literally!
If you haven’t been to an LGBT Pride event in your area lately, I encourage you to go. One of the most important things that we can do as bisexual folks is show up, be out as bi, and be counted.
Amy has a master’s degree in Sexuality Studies (with a focus on LGBT identity) and an MBA in Nonprofit Management – both of which come in handy at work! The co-author of Bisexual Health, she can be found online at amyandre.com.