On Bisexual Visibility Day (September 23) all in CUPE Ontario, led by the Pink Triangle Committee, are proud to extend their solidarity to CUPE members who are bisexual, and to all people and communities who celebrate Bisexual Visibility Day at the end of Bisexuality Awareness Week (September 16 to 23).
The associated slogan, “Visibility is Power, Solidarity is Action,” resonates with us as trade unionists. Workers understand the vital importance of valuing each and every member of our union; of standing together to build power; and of supporting each other in the fight for equality and justice.
As a union committed to the dignity for all workers, CUPE Ontario recognizes that bisexual people have long faced unique challenges, both inside and outside 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
For far too long, bisexual individuals were made to feel invisible. This dismissal of their right to their own identity is a reflection of the political climate in which we find ourselves – one that doesn’t celebrate difference as a strength, but values conformity above all.
But the forces that try to put us into discrete and separate boxes are forces that we resist, because we know that nothing about our humanity is binary, and certainly not our sexuality.
To deny the identity of people who are bisexual sets us all down a dangerous path. Invisibility and a lack of acceptance contribute to struggles with mental health and discrimination against bi individuals, which results in a weakening of our union power.
Bisexual Visibility Day is a recognition that people are complex, and no one should be forced to be what they aren’t or hide who they are. The day is therefore not only about being seen; it’s about being bisexual people being supported, protected and empowered to live their authentic lives.
On Bisexual Visibility Day, we re-commit to working together toward bisexual justice. It is part of our collective responsibility to ensure that bisexuality is not sidelined in our fight to overcome bias and prejudice.
Members of the bisexual community deserve to feel the strength of their union’s solidarity and we re-affirm their right to visibility and respect, safety and acceptance, in their workplaces and in our union.
