Now Playing Tracks

Transcending Boundaries Conference: What's happening in TBCland?

transcendboundaries:

Transcending Boundaries Conference (TBC) is a weekend long Conference/Event where we discuss issues around gender, sex, sexuality and relationships, specifically those that don’t fit into conventional cisgender heteronormativity categories. The focus of the conference is our ever-evolving communities, including bisexual/other non-monosexual identities, queer, trans*, genderqueer, intersex, polyamorous, asexual and kinky persons and those who prefer not to use labels, as well as allies, families and partners.

Transcending Boundaries grew out of a project of BiNet USA, the national bisexual organization. Throughout the 1990’s, BiNet USA helped bisexual activists around the country organize on a local level. In the New England & New York Tri-State Region (Connecticut, New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Capitol District/Lower Hudson Valley and New York City) they helped activists sponsor regional conferences. In 2000 the Conference voted to continue the independently; by 2001 the group that ran the conferences formally became a 501(c)3 whose mission is to to run the Northeast regional conference for bisexual, trans* and intersex people and our allies; in 2009, this focus was expanded to include the polyamorous community as well.

At this time of year we get so busy with planning that we forget to tell you all what’s happening! Let’s catch up.

  • Tomorrow (Sunday September 9) at 1 PM is our monthly organizers meeting. Attending an organizers meeting is a great way to get involved with the conference and you can attend from anywhere worldwide via skype. E-mail info@transcendingboundaries.org if you want to join the skype conference call.
  • Immediately before, at noon, the content committee will meet to finalize this years workshop offerings. If you’re curious what we’ve got so far, check out Our Workshops Page
  • This indiegogo campaign is near and dear to our hearts (for obvious reasons!) These guys are coming a long way to be with us!
  • We’re looking for intersex voices to contribute to our Intersex Awareness Day event at 11 AM on October 26 through speaking live, recording their thoughts to be played, or writing thoughts to be read at the event. Contact melissa@transcendingboundaries.org
  • Registration rates go up on October 1 so if you haven’t registered, now is the time!  As our hotel block last year sold out, we also recommend booking your rooms at the Sheraton as soon as possible

By the Bi: a report about Bicon 2012

bisexual-community:

Once a year, a couple of hundred people gather somewhere in the UK for a weekend of discussion, socialising, and workshops known as Bicon. I spent last weekend at Bicon 2012, and when Kate asked me to write about it for this site, I wasn’t sure where to start at first. But then I realised that when I’ve said where I’ve been, I often get the same few questions: what? how? And, perhaps most often – why? So I’ll do my best – newbie to the scene that I am – to answer them. Not necessarily in any particular order mind you…

The most straightforward is probably the ‘what?’ As the name might suggest, it’s largely a place for bisexuals. But the event is not exclusive – as the main website explains

The basic structure looks like this: the first day is an academic conference - Birecon. Registering for this part is optional, but free if you go to Bicon. Then comes the opening of Bicon, with a large plenary. Each day sees several workshops, and social events. While I was there I went to session on learning to flirt with women; talking about privilege; a long bike ride along a local canal, and a trip out to get curry – and that’s a tiny portion of what’s on offer. All bookended by evenings of socialising. There are also large sessions where decisions on how Bicon should be run take place – everyone there can shape the future of the event and community.

The event takes place in a different part of the UK each year, and always involves a weekend at a venue that offers space for socialising, a range of workshops, large plenaries, as well as on-site accommodation – usually a university campus. There will be various social events, about 20-30 workshops a day, and full-time first aid and listening services available …

Bicon has evolved over the years. Last weekend marked its 30th anniversary, and there has been a lot of evolution over that time. There’s a great article that gives a sense of some of the changes that have happened over three decades …

Which brings me neatly on to the question of ‘why?’ Despite being actively involved in the LGBT movement from a relatively early age, I didn’t spend much time, if any, in exclusively bi spaces. Despite the fact that I’ve written about biphobia for both lesbian and hetero magazines, I didn’t think to look for a bi-specific space. And then I spent a weekend at Bicon and it changed my mind …

What Bicon, and the other events that flow out from it into the long year between cons, do is to claim that community and build it in a positive way. One of the organisers gave a short speech to this effect at the closing plenary that made me choke up slightly. There isn’t much of a bi community out there – most of the time. And then you go to Bicon, and there is …

I loved it. I’m coming back. Join me next year in Edinburgh: Bicon 2013

Out & Equal Workplace Summit Includes Bisexuality

bimagazine:

Progress … In 2010, the Out & Equal Workplace Summit featured panel presentation on Bisexuality which was well-attended. Subsequently, a Bisexual Advisory Committee was formed to enhance and encourage inclusion of Bi-related workshops and resources.



The Advisory Committee is chaired by Researcher Heidi Bruins Green and includes: Amy Andre, Brent Chamberlain, Luigi Ferrer, Dr. Susan Gore, Marie Hartung, Gary North, Robyn Ochs, Denise Penn, Ellyn Ruthstrom, Dani Siragusa, and Lindasusan Ulrich.

As a result, there were actually eight bi-focused workshops, which were well-attended by Human Resource Professionals, Employee Resource Group leaders and others at the 2011 Summit. An “Experts Panel” on bisexuality was also part of the program. Click here to read full article

Read More

BiCon 2012

lgbtq-uk:

BiCon is an annual gathering for bisexual people, their friends, partners and anyone with a supportive interest in bisexuality. It takes place annually and is held over a long weekend, usually in the summer, and has been hosted at various locations over the years. BiCon 2012 will take place in Bradford on Thursday 9th - Monday 13th August 2012.

To Tumblr, Love Pixel Union