A groundbreaking report delving into unique challenges faced by young people growing up bisexual in America is scheduled to be released Tuesday, September 23, by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization.
The report, Supporting and Caring For Our Bisexual Youth, to be published by the HRC Foundation, in partnership with the Bisexual Resource Center, BiNet USA and the Bisexual Organizing Project, paints a startling and sobering picture of life for young people who identify as bisexual.
“Those who work with LGBT youth can use this heartbreaking report to make positive changes to their programs to be more bi-inclusive and bi-supportive. These changes can and will save lives,” said Faith Cheltenham, president of BiNet USA.
The HRC Foundation on Sept. 23, the 15th annual Celebrate Bisexuality Day, is also sponsoring a discussion on bisexual youth. Panelists include bisexual activists and advocates, among them Amy Andre, co-author of the report; Katy Butler, youth anti-bullying activist; Dr. Herukhuti, founder of the Center for Culture, Sexuality and Spirituality; Ellyn Ruthstrom, president of the Bisexual Resource Center; and Cheltenham.
The event will be held in the Equality Center at HRC headquarters in Washington. More information can be found here.
“Having this first report as the baseline sets the stage for future studies that can track how the community responds to these harsh realities for bi youth,” says Ruthstrom of the Bisexual Resource Center. “We see HRC’s lead on this as incentive for other LGBT organizations to allocate more resources to programs and services serving its bisexual constituents.”
The report is based on one of the largest surveys ever of LGBT youth, commissioned in 2012 by the HRC Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization. Forty percent of the more than 10,000 young people ages 13 to 17 who responded to the survey identified as bisexual.
Supporting and Caring For Our Bisexual Youth will be available online Sept. 23.
