Dark pink, royal blue and purple may sound like a meaningless collection of colors to some people, but to others, it’s more than just an assortment of colors; it’s a representation of themselves.
On Sept. 22, the Stonewall Pride Alliance and Multicultural Programs and Services got together to host “Bisexuality Celebration Day” at the Biscayne Bay Campus Wolfe University Center, RM 159.
“Bisexuality Celebration Day is a day to talk about a minority,” said Luigi Ferrer, Executive Director of Prideslines Youth Services and Board member of Binet USA, as he led an educational presentation about bisexuality along with Sexologist and Diplomat of the American Board of Sexology, Dr. Marilyn Volker.
This is the second year Stonewall Pride Alliance and MPAS have gotten together to host “Bisexuality Celebration Day,” which was held Sept. 23.
“We want to raise awareness about bisexuality, but also have a fun and interactive event,” said Camille Perkins, graduate assistant for LGBT initiatives.
The conference room was decorated with flags, balloons, and colors that for many represent the bisexual community. The event offered all participants a variety of snacks, as well as informative handouts that made the presentation interactive.
Students like Stephanie Varela, a sophomore psychology major, attended the event to learn more about the subject.
“I’m curious to learn what they have to say,” Varela said.
Varela described bisexuality as something to be proud of; something normal and also expressed the fact that another reason she had attended the presentation was that she wanted her boyfriend, Michael Basconez, sophomore psychology major, to be educated about bisexuality.
“I want to be involved and learn more about [bisexuality] because it’s important to [Varela],” said Basconez.
As the presentation evolved, opinions began to be conveyed across the room. Words such as ‘confused,’ ‘funny,’ ‘sinner,’ and ‘greedy’ were examples given by the attendees of how people have misjudged bisexuals.
Federico R. Lastra, psychology major and staff member of Reading and Learning, also gave as an example the word “depravados,” Spanish for “depraved”.
Similarly, Varela claims to have heard it being described as “just an experiment”.
However, Volker describes them as “privileged”.
Volker and Ferrer had bisexuality conceptualized as “to recognize and honor the potential for sexual and emotional relationship with more than one gender.”
Andres Bermeo, a senior health education major, whose intentions in attending the presentation were to get information and to meet the speakers, reinforced the conceptualization.
“At some point in your life, you will be attracted to someone of the same sex,” said Bermeo.
After sharing ideas and comments about bisexuality, games were played in order to help the attendees understand or reinforce their sexuality. The purpose of these games was to make these people realize how similar they are to each other, and how normal it is to experience different emotions – Volker’s goal for the presentation.
According to Volker, she wants to know the students’ concerns to help them be more healthful.
“The students represent the world,” she said.
Be the first to comment on "Bisexuality celebration day at BBC"