BOYSLUT with Zachary Zane #7
It was my birthday and I reflected, kinda! Also, I want to see more content focusing on the experiences of Black bi women.
This week: Birthday “reflections,” the (lack of) research exploring the intersection between bisexuality and the Black community, and my “Bi Talk” with the New Haven Pride Center.
My birthday was this past Thursday, June 18. I turned 29. I’m not a huge birthday person. Still, I’m not one of the most people who’s like, “Oh, I hate birthdays” or “Please don’t celebrate mine!” Those people suck. It’s rude to not celebrate your birthday when your friends and family want to celebrate you. Rather, I’m more indifferent to birthdays. Nevertheless, I never pass up an opportunity to party.
That’s probably why I don’t reflect, as many others do, on my birthday. Not to brag, but I feel as if I’m constantly reflecting. I will say, though, 29 feels like it’s my last year of “youth,” so to speak. I think when you’re 30, you’re officially a full-fledged adult — not be confused with old — even though 18-year-old twinks will undoubtedly call you “Daddy.” You’re just an adult. When you accomplish something, it’s not, “Woah, good for you! You’re so young to be doing this.” It’s more, “Yes, you’re 30. Do your goddamn job.”
But I am not 30. I have one more year of youth, and I plan to revel in it, COVID-19 permitting. So get ready for shenanigans.
In case you missed it, I did a fundraiser this year for my birthday. I asked everyone to donate $29 to Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.). If you donated $50 or more, I sent ya nude. Forty-two of you donated and 31 of you sent $50 or more. Together, we raised $2,106.12 to help Black trans women obtain housing. Thank you all so much!! If you happen to have missed my birthday fundraiser, but still want to donate, you can still do so here.
(Give the success of this fundraiser, I will do other donation-nude exchanges in the future. I feel like it’s an ideal way for me, being my unabashed sexual self, to support Black organizations.)
A slight switch of gears, but I want to talk about bisexuality! I haven’t since the inception of this newsletter, and it is Pride month. So far this month, I’ve tried to focus on the intersection of Black lives and Pride, but one thing I haven’t discussed is how Black women identify as bisexual more than anyone. There’s a clear intersection, that, to be honest, I haven't seen written about much (or at all) in mainstream publications.
According to data collected in 2018, 23% of black women ages 18 to 34 in the United States identify as bisexual. That’s nearly three times what it was a decade ago.
(Image and data from theconversation.com.)
Bisexual women, specifically Black bisexual women, and even more specifically Black transgender bisexual women, often face the worst health outcomes of any group in the LGBTQ community.
Alas, a lot of the data on bi folks aren’t stratified by race, which is frankly, a little confusing, as data are almost always stratified by race and age. I would suspect that white researchers aren’t putting in the work to recruit enough Black participants.
But we do know that bisexual women are twice as likely as heterosexual people for opioid misuse. Additionally, approximately 75% of bi women within the United States report experiencing sexual violence, compared to 46% of lesbians, and 43% of heterosexual women. Then, just in general, we know bi folks typically experience worse mental health outcomes, experiencing higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts than their gay/lesbian peers (whose rate is already significantly higher than straight individuals). We also have worse physical health disparities too, including physical pain, physical functioning, role limitations due to physical pain, and overall general health.
Black women are identifying as bisexual significantly more than any other group of women, so this undoubtedly affects the Black community. And given that Black bi women aren’t just sexual minorities but also racial minorities, and therefore experience biphobia and racism, I think it’s very safe to assume that mental and physical health disparities are even greater for Black bi women than white bi women. (There must be data on this; I’m just having some trouble finding it. And if there isn’t data, I’m hoping some researchers will get on it.)
All of this is a long way of saying that biphobia is something that directly affects many Black lives. As a prominent bisexual writer, I will do better to amplify the voices of Black bi women. (Publications can get ready for some pitches from me!)
There are many incredible Black bi/pan/queer women/non-binary folks doing empowering work that you should follow right now.
Gabby Alexa, a writer, activist, and creator of Bi Girls Club (Follow on Twitter and Insta)
Roxane Gay, a NYT-bestselling author and legend: (Follow on Twitter and Insta)
Gabrielle Smith, an intersectional writer and self-proclaimed “living bisexual stereotype” (Follow on Twitter and Insta)
Ericka Hart, a sex educator, podcast host, and Racial/Social/Gender Justice Disruptor (Follow on Twitter and Instagram)
Cameron Glover, a certified sex educator and business coach (Follow on Twitter and Instagram)
Devri Velázquez, a writer, speaker, and chronic-illness survivor (Follow on Twitter and Instagram)
Britteney Black Rose Kapri, author of Black Queer Hoe (Follow on Twitter and Instagram)
Nadirah McGill, drummer in the band Gully Boys (Follow on Twitter and Instagram)
Next week — and yes, I’m teasing in a personal newsletter — I plan on providing a comprehensive list for bi folks about identity, dating, and how to handle biphobia. Over the past month, a few people have reached out to me asking where to find this content. My gut response was to say “Google it” but when I did, I realized that it wasn’t easy to find answers to specific questions on bi identity. So I’m going to do my best to compile some of my favorite articles written by me and others.
Also, I will be talking (virtually) about all aspects of bi identity for the Newhaven Pride Center on June 30. Just a one-on-one Q&A with yours truly. It’s free to attend and you can submit questions (by emailing centerline@newhavenpridecenter.org) for me to answer during the Facebook live.
Here’s the info:
Bi Talks: A conversation with Zachary Zane.
June 30 | 7:00 - 8:30p
Streamed Live on Facebook & YouTube
Talk next week, and Happy Father’s Day to all the daddies out there.