Dear Reader,
The theme of this issue is bisexuality and disability. But what, exactly, is disability? As the contributors to this issue beautifully articulate, definitions of disability depend, in many cases, upon others’ reactions, and social definitions of what constitutes “ability.”
The contributors to this issue share their experiences with disabilities that are visible and invisible, chronic and intermittent, mental and physical. They reflect on the intersections of bisexuality and disability, along with other embodied experiences related to size, illness, and intersexuality. The weight of other people’s assumptions, and the importance of being able to label our identities and experiences on our own terms, are powerful themes that resonate throughout this issue.
We feature essays by Andrea Miotto, Elizabeth Mechem, jeanette gandionco lazam, Julie Morgenlender, Martine Mussies, Robyn Ochs, Sara Krahel, and Theresa Tyree, visual art by Why Not Both Co & Jo-Anne Carlson, and poetry by Jane Barnes, Mari, Karen Schnurstein, Nina Dixon, and Stephanie Enyeart. Bri Kerschner reviews the book Claiming the B in LGBT: Illuminating the Bisexual Narrative, and Bobbi Ruggiero offers a review of the film Blindsided. Alexandra Wang interviews bi and intersexuality activist Gigi Raven Wilbur, and our World column features the urgent words of Yossra Hamouda, a brave bi activist in Egypt.
We hope this issue will leave you with a better understanding of the diversity of experiences of bi+ women with disabilities, and also the ability we have as a community to make the world more just.