Bi Visibility Day 2023
Bi Visibility Day is on Saturday 23 September. We will be flying the Bi Visibility flag on campus in the week leading up to it.
Bisexual, Biromantic or Bi+ are terms used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender. Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, multi-gender attracted and queer.
To learn more see the Sexual Orientation section of the University’s Glossary of EDI terminology.
What is Bi Visibility Day?
Bi Visibility Day is an annual awareness day that recognises and celebrates bisexual people, the bisexual community, and the history of bisexuality. It's a day where people are encouraged to learn more about some of the challenges the bi community face and how we can all play a role in addressing biphobia.
Why is Bi Visibility Day important?
According to monitoring data, bisexuality ranks as the second highest sexual orientation amongst the University's student community, outside of heterosexuality, with approx 11% of all our students identifying as bisexual; a figure that is much higher than the 1.3% recorded in the 2021 census.
Despite this, much of the negative stereotypes and issues affecting our bi community remain largely unknown. As highlighted in Stonewall's Bi Visibility Hub, Bi people have always existed but are often erased from our history books, ignored in the media or stereotyped and ridiculed.
Bi people are real. Bi people are valid. Bi people have diverse experiences and identities. And bi people have been a crucial part of the fight for LGBTQ+ equality!
How can I get involved in Bi Visibility Day?
You can learn more about the experiences of members of the bi sexual community: for instance read the George Alabaster blog ‘Why do we need Bi Visibility Day?’ and see Stonewall's 10 ways you can step up as an ally to bi people.
The Bi Visibility Day website collates information about events marking the day in the UK and around the world.
You can learn more about organisations like the Bisexual Index, Bi Pride, Bi Community News, BiPhoria, Bi Cymru and the Scottish Bi+ Network which continue to build community and provide essential support to bi people across the country.
Additional resources
The University is committed to working closely with and supporting our LGBTQ+ staff and student communities throughout the year on a number of initiatives, you can find out more about our staff and student networks below:
We believe that in order to understand who we are as a University community and to gain a better insight into the diverse identities of our staff and students, it is important for us to be aware of the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) terminology that is associated with individuals and groups.
With that in mind, we have compiled a glossary of EDI terms, intended as a starting point for people to further their knowledge and understanding of this area.
We have a number of recordings from previous Pride Month, LGBT+ History Month and other related awareness events, that are available for you to watch again via the University's Equality Office and York Ideas YouTube channels. You can also find free LGBTQ+ films to watch online with this Leeds Queer Film Festival listing.
- Gentleman Jack: The life and legacy of Anne Lister
- Intersectionality: action from knowledge
- Why what happens off-screen matters
- Escaping persecution - LGBT+ stories of asylum, past and present
- The Log Books: We are family - stories of LGBTQ+ people feeling at home
- The Log Books: stories from our LGBTQ+ history