NEWSBISEXUAL ISSUES

It is always worth remembering that no amount of progress is irreversible, especially in a time where the culture war seems to be as prevalent and potent as ever.

Back in February I wrote about a significant victory for LGBT people in Kansas. Manhattan, KS (home of all things purple and Wildcatty) passed an ordinance that prohibits discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I had also written about attempts to stop it and undo it. But ultimately, the ordinance passed, and I couldn’t have been more proud.

But after April’s city commission election, it looks like all of that hard work may be undone. Two of the original supporters of the ordinance have been ousted, and replaced with people who would love to see the ordinance repealed.

Have you ever just wanted to take someone by the lapel of his or her suit and scream, “What is wrong with you?” Right in their face? No? Maybe it’s just me.

Because I really want to go up to Jan Pauls and Lance Kinzer, both Kansas state representatives (a Democrat and Republican, respectively), and do just that.

What has caused this affective state is something that is so ridiculous, so asinine that I didn’t even think my state elected officials were capable of it. Pauls and Kinzer have successfully made a motion in the Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee to keep on the books the law that makes gay and lesbian relationships criminal.

Oh really? That’s how you’re going to play, is it? That is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.

You know, there was a time when I would have been proud to be a Kansan. We were fighting for the rights of slaves years before Fort Sumter. The socialist periodical “Appeal to Reason” was published in Girard, not 30 miles from where I grew up. We used to care about people.

But do we anymore?

After Manhattan’s recent LGBT rights victory, I was feeling pretty positive. I was inspired by the people behind it; people who were not afraid to stand up and do the right thing. I thought that if this could happen here, even on this small scale, things might be OK.

Touchdown! Tuesday night, Manhattan became the second city in Kansas to include sexual orientation as a protected class, and the only city to include those same protections for trans people.

Woot!

The City Commission voted in favor of the non-discrimination ordinance 3-2. Commissioners Bob Strawn and Loren Peppard voted against it. Peppard said he believes this ordinance creates an entitlement and special rights.

This is clearly wrong.

Luckily, he was not in the majority. Manhattan Mayor Bruce Snead was one of the three votes in favor, and said, “This is about equal rights. It’s not about special rights or special protections. It’s about equal protections.”

About a month ago, I wrote about Manhattan, Kansas and its potential brush with history. The city is now one step closer.

Yesterday, the Manhattan City Commission debated a new and improved non-discrimination ordinance, which includes protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The city commission voted to approve the first reading, but, unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

It seems that the primary objection to the ordinance is a fear of “collateral damage.” What collateral damage, I’m not sure.

On Commission member, Paul Barkey, objected to the ordinance on the grounds that something like this should be put to a vote. Said Barkey, “The people have a right to determine what is the culture that they want here, what they want to approve here, what kind of behavior they condone, what living conditions they want to establish.”

Right, like we always put basic questions of civil rights to a vote. That’s why the southern states racially integrated all on their own. Obviously.

There is a high human cost to the stigmas surrounding HIV and AIDS, with misinformation and fear creating problems within the justice system and society as a whole. These stigmas ultimately cause laws to criminalize HIV.

This month, In The Life, a public television program covering LGBT issues, takes a look at how stigma affects the justice system and how myths and fear about AIDS caused harmful laws. According to In The Life, “more than 30 states have laws criminalizing HIV exposure, transmission or nondisclosure of an individual’s HIV status." These laws are meant to prevent the disease from spreading, but instead, they hurt those with HIV.

The program, called “The Cost of Stigma,” also covers how misconceptions about bisexuality may link bisexuality and poor health. Research shows that bisexual women face a massive health disparity, and that this health disparity may be caused by systemic stigma and invisibility of the community of bisexual women.

While driving around Topeka on a quest to amass the most awesome collection of vinyl records in town, my boyfriend (represented as “C”) and I had the following exchange:

M: Ooo, did you know that Manhattan is considering an ordinance that will bar discrimination against gay people?

C: Oh, that’s cool. (pause) You mean New York, right?

But, no, my dear readers, I did not mean New York. I’m talking about Manhattan, Kansas. The Little Apple. Home of K-State football, Aggieville, and, soon, the state’s broadest anti-discrimination ordinance.

I know. I’m as surprised as you are, and I live here.

Not only will this ordinance prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Lawrence – home of K.U. basketball, Massachusetts Street, and more K.U. basketball – beat every other Kansas town to the punch years ago. What makes this Manhattan ordinance special is that it includes gender identity.

The ball started rolling on this last spring when the mayor came out (pun intended. Ba dum bum!) in favor of adding sexual orientation to the city's anti-discrimination law,  according to Jonathan Mertz, chair of the Flint Hills Human Rights Project (like them on Facebook!). The city conducted a series of open mics, heard stories, and commissioned a work study. The result is a local ordinance that not only protects the Ls, Gs, and Bs – as originally intended – but also the Ts.

Regina is a major city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It's the capital, in fact, and the second largest in terms of population. Turns out it might also be a city with a serious problem of anti-LGBT violence.

Police are now investigating a brutal crime that took place in the city last week, outside of a downtown pizza shop. Three men allegedly attacked Aaron Hampton, a 27-year-old bisexual man, after they noticed he was wearing nail polish.

The shade was not disclosed. It appears to be silver or beige, but I don't think the homophobes were triggered by their desire for candy apple red nails.

According to Hampton, after the three men noticed his nail polish, they approached him and his two buddies to call him gay and swear in his face. The incident quickly turned violent, and when Hampton's friend tried to intervene, he was punched in the face. Hampton was hit numerous times and needed twelve stitches in his lip. According to his doctor, he will be scarred for life.

I found the trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special recently. After immediately posting it to Facebook and Twitter for me and my nerdy friends to enjoy, my mind turned to another conspicuous absence from my appointment TV calendar: Doctor Who’s more somber spin-off cousin, Torchwood.

Now, if you are reading this post and do not know Torchwood, then shame on you. But I’m all about second chances today, so I’ll give it a pass. To understand the charms of this British sci-fi drama, you have to understand the charms of its main male protagonist, Capt. Jack Harkness.

Jack, played by the delectable John Barrowman, is an immortal human from the 51st century, who is now in charge of an organization in present-day Cardiff called the Torchwood Institute. Torchwood was developed to protect the Earth from hostile alien life.

I know how awesome this sounds, but it gets even better.

Jack is confident, sexy and really knows how to handle a vortex manipulator. And he’s also gay. Well, according to Wikipedia, he’s an “omnisexual,” due to the possibility of hot alien sex. Jack is the first character in the Doctor Who pantheon who is not a confirmed heterosexual.

Historically considered by many to be the "confused" sexual identity, bisexuals have had to reconcile their own identities with the unflattering stereotypes imposed on them. Straight lovers are afraid that they'll leave them for that undeniably better same-sex lovin', while same-sex lovers claim bisexuals have just not braved up enough to come entirely out of the closet.

For bisexuals though, navigating the currents of their own desires can be challenging enough without all the crap they have to deal with from lovers and society at large. That being said, have the Lindsay Lohans of the world cleared the way for increased tolerance of a more legitimized bisexual existence?

We see more and more young people, particularly women, dabbling or diving in to sexual experimentation with same and opposite sex partners. Granted, we know it's still easier for a femme female to be open about her bisexuality than it is for a butch woman or a man, but from the star-studded arenas of pop culture to the grassy knolls of high school recess, bisexuality is more visible than ever before.