Outlined by Stonewall, Bi Visibility Day offers the opportunity to address the challenges the bisexual community faces, as well as how we can all play a role in addressing biphobia. We caught up with Asha Harkness, Committee Member of the London Bisexual Network and Founder of Indigo Inclusion, as well as Sara Chandran, Founder of Fresh and Fearless Consultancy to learn more.

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Tell us about yourself, your background and experience.

Asha:

I have worked across a variety of industries, from the likes of distribution, translation, printing and packaging, charity, advertising and of course diversity and inclusion. I come from a strategic marketing background.

Before the pandemic, I'd already been exploring my own intersectional identities. For example, coming to terms with being Brown, as well as my bisexuality. There was a lot of internal fighting there, as well as oppression and non-acceptance. My focus on DEIB, increased during the pandemic, and my curiosity for knowledge on how to include other communities has continued. As the more you learn, the more you realise there’s so much more work to be done!

My proudest moment has been creating Indigo Inclusion after working with several clients from corporates. This largely stemmed from noticing the heavy tokenism and performative allyship that prevails in the industry. I really hope my platform enables people to think strategically about the future, particularly with the increase of Gen Z in the workplace. They are the most vocal and LGBTQIA+ identifying generation we’ve seen so far and they’re looking for DEIB, sustainability and purpose in the companies they choose to work for.

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Sara:

I have been running my consultancy, Fresh and Fearless, for the last four years, and it’s been wonderful! I have a background in Marketing and PR, and during this time, I would often be nominated as the head of DEIB.

I studied Politics at University because I’ve always wanted to create an equal world and fight for the greater good. After being made redundant in 2019, I challenged myself to step into the consultancy world, work for myself, and apply what I’ve learned meaningfully.

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Asha at London Pride with the London Bisexual Network.

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What does Bisexual Visibility Day mean to you?

Asha:

It’s so important. Bisexuality is a term that I personally identify with. As I’ve gotten older, I feel as though I have progressed into my own identity, as Pansexual and Queer are also terms I identify with. It’s important to have Bi-Visibility Day and the M-spec identities under that umbrella because of the negative stereotyping surrounding them (M-spec = multi-gender attracted spectrum (including but not limited to bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, omnisexual). The bisexual population in England and Wales is the largest, nearly bigger than Lesbian and Gay people together yet constantly erased from spaces, representation, and conversations. Influences from the media we consume, will feed into our subconscious and can contribute to the oppression of others, even unintentionally. Bisexuality doesn’t mean that you’re promiscuous or that you have a 50:50 split of who you find attractive; there are so many layers to bisexuality so it’s important to acknowledge this particularly during Bi-visibility Day.

Sara:

For me, Bi-Visibility Day is showing the world that you exist and for people exploring their identity to have someone to look up to and feel represented. I didn’t have this kind of representation.

When I discovered ‘bisexuality,’ it was the common term outside of gay and heterosexual, so I naturally leaned towards it. The greater levels of representation we have now mean I have a wider vocabulary to understand and unpack what I know about myself, which is constantly evolving and fluid. For example, I’ve discovered that I am Pangender, and that’s a whole space I never knew existed before. It’s been empowering to understand what made me different and have a language to show that. Bi Visibility Day is about lending that to other people who are trying to go through life navigating this complex existence.

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What is some advice you could give your Bi folks and allies during this time?

Asha:

Follow the hashtag #BiVisibility and see the kind of content on LinkedIn or other social media channels that people are putting out there, because there's free education everywhere that really talks about what bisexuality is. If you don't take the chance to educate yourself, the only education you're getting are those stereotypes from mainstream media, which are really outdated and incorrect. Vaneet Mehta’s book Bisexual Men Exist is extremely insightful about experiences for the whole community, but especially men.

If you like watching rather than reading, there are some great bisexual characters on TV. Rosa Diaz is one of my favourite of all time bisexual characters in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, she’s got an amazing story arc and I really connect with her personally. The conversations she had when coming out were really authentic and mirrored my experiences too. Heartstopper and Sex Education also have awesome representation I wish I’d seen growing up.

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Sara:

Don’t punish yourself if you feel a label doesn’t suit you anymore. That is the beauty of being human and watching things change.

I’m in a relationship with a man and am femme presenting. People can often assume that I'm straight, and as allies, it’s important not to erase bisexual folks if they are in a relationship with someone who appears to be the opposite sex.

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If you would like to find out more about Bi Visibility Day and how you can show your support, check out Stonewall’s article, or get in touch with us here at Pride in Tech and be part of our community of insights and answers.