NYC Pride resolves issue over bisexual exclusion
The omission of a bisexual grand marshal at NYC Pride’s 2014 celebrations caused an outcry from bisexual activists in the US, but bi rights groups and pride organisers appear to have reached an understanding.
The Advocate ran an op-ed written by Faith Cheltenham, president of BiNet USA, titled “NYC Pride Harmful to Bisexuals,” in May. She condemned NYC Pride for being unresponsive to the complaints and concerns of the bisexual community over the lack of bisexual inclusion:
“While I have massive respect for the 2014 NYC Pride Grand Marshals — Jonathon Groff, Rea Carey, and Laverne Cox — it was deeply upsetting to hear that NYC Pride only selected three individuals to represent the LGBT community. Even worse when bisexuals emailed, called, blogged and tweeted about this ‘oversight,’ the organizers ignored us.”
With mediation assistance from The Advocate, NYC Pride and BiNet USA have come to an understanding.
Pride March organizer David Studinski said in an interview with The Advocate: “I’ve engaged in great conversations with Faith Cheltenham and Larry Nelson [coordinator of the New York Area Bisexual Network] in recent days, and want to reiterate that the bisexual community has a home at NYC Pride 2014. I’m excited to continue dialogue with key leaders and community members as we look to 2015 and beyond.”
Cheltenham followed up with a piece on BiNet USA’s blog on 13 June saying: “We have received a firm commitment from NYC Pride on its intention to be inclusive of bisexual communities and identities this year at Pride. We also feel confident that NYC Pride will welcome bisexual community participation in the planning stages for future NYC Pride events.”
