This issue’s theme is Out at Work—or Not. This was the prompt:
“Whether to disclose our bi+ identities, and—if yes—how best to do so, are questions we must address throughout our careers every time we change jobs, coworkers, or supervisors. Does your workplace have an LGBTQIA+ employee group or support LGBTQIA+ people in other ways? Has that changed recently? We invite you to share your decisions and experiences—both good and tough—about being out at work.”
We know there’s value in visibility. We also know that, for the bi+ community in particular, we constantly face situations where we have to make a judgment call about that value, sometimes in a split second. This is particularly fraught in workplaces: there has never been a time when the choices we make around being out at work haven’t been complicated and fraught with potential (and, in many parts of the world, increasing) risk. We also know that visibility can be tremendously rewarding.
In this issue, you’ll hear from folks across generations and geography—not to mention a wide range of workplaces and career experiences!—about how their identities, and the extent to which they’ve shared them, have impacted then at work. We hope that, whatever your own experiences have been, you’ll feel seen and understood by the voices and stories in this issue.
Our next issue theme is Body Image, and we’d love to hear from you! Keep in mind that we welcome submissions from folks of diverse gender identities and experiences—however you identify, we honor that you are the single person who can decide whether or not we’re the right publication for you based on your experiences, history, and personal alignment.
We look forward to covering the Bi+ World Conference in our next issue! In the meantime, we wish you all a very Happy Bi+ Visibility Month. If you’re in a position to support our work, your donation goes a long way towards keeping BWQ free and accessible to people in search of connection and community, particularly as the cultural and political climate in so many places becomes more hostile to the LGBTQIA+ community.
With gratitude,
Robyn, Emily, Avery, Melissa, Lejla, Marya, Jo-Anne, Gail, and ALL of the amazing folks who share their creative work and/or volunteer for BWQ