By Cheryl Dobinson
What could be better than spending the weekend with hundreds of bisexual and bi positive people? Not damn much, if you ask me. After the thrill of attending my first large bi conference in 2003 in San Diego—the 2nd North American Conference on Bisexuality—I rushed at the chance to attend the 8th International Conference on Bisexuality (ICB) the following year in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After immersing myself once again in a weekend of bisexual delights that nourished the mind, body and spirit, I realized I had become decidedly hooked on the bi conference phenomenon.
This year affords yet another fabulous opportunity for those who get off on (or would like to try) bi conference going. The 9th International Conference on Bisexuality, Gender and Sexual Diversity will be taking place June 15-18 at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.
I recently caught up with the 3 directors of the Toronto Bisexuality Education Project (TBEP), the group formed to organize the conference, to get the inside story. Dana Shaw, Stephen Harvey and Margaret Robinson are the directors of TBEP. They are all also long time members of Toronto’s bisexual community, namely the Toronto Bisexual Network, Bisexual Women of Toronto and Bisexual Men of Toronto.
But first, a bit of history: the first International Conference on Bisexuality (ICB) was held in Amsterdam in 1991, initiated by Fritz Klein, author of The Bisexual Option and creator of the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid. Building on the success of this event, which drew over 250 people, London held the second ICB the following year. Since 1992, ICBs have been held every other year in a variety of locations, including the US, Germany, and Australia. Attendance at ICBs peaked in 1998 with over 900 people coming together for the 5ICB in Boston. Toronto anticipates at least 300 registrants (based on numbers at recent ICBs) and is ready for up to 500. These are powerful and sometimes emotional events. Stephen Harvey recalls breaking down in tears of joy at the closing plenary of 5ICB. He is clearly delighted to be involved in bringing something this significant to Toronto.
Dana Shaw, Chair of TBEP and 9ICB, explains that hosting a bisexual conference in Toronto was an unfulfilled dream of the late Karol Steinhouse. Karol was a leader in Toronto’s bi community and co-founder of the Bisexual Women of Toronto, who died in a car accident in 2000. Dana feels that fulfilling this dream is a fitting way to honour the memory of an influential mentor to many bi Torontonians.
Bisexual conferences have become an important part of bi culture. Many bisexuals live in areas with no bi groups and their connection to other bis may be, primarily, a virtual one through internet groups or chat rooms. Conferences offer a rare and precious opportunity to experience bi community, create bi space, and actually meet other bi people. Marcus Morgan, a UK activist, says that attending his first bi event felt like “coming home to a family I never knew I had” and describes being at 2ICB as a feeling of “finding that family was spread across the world.” Stephen notes that these conferences can help people break isolation and “understand more about who [they] you are.”
These conference may also offer a first experience of a bi-positive environment, where being bisexual is accepted and affirmed. Geoffrey Vine of New Zealand notes of 4ICB in Berlin, “I was used to pariah status as a bisexual … so to walk into this huge floodlit hall at the civic centre and be faced with waiters, drinks and canapes and then speeches of welcome by the Mayor of Berlin and a government minister was mind-blowing.” Even for those who come from areas with active bi communities, a bi conference can be a potent experience. Torontonian Barb Crisp, who attended 8ICB, felt it was “empowering to be in a room full of people from all over the world who openly identified as bisexual.” She adds “My bi identity felt strengthened by the three days I spent in their company.”
On a political level, Dana and Stephen both point out that bi conferences are a chance to combat bi invisibility and raise the profile of bisexual people. Dana says its “nice to be a bigger, more powerful, more visible group for just a little while.” Renewal for local communities and energy for people who attend to take back to their home communities are also key parts of these events. Margaret notes that “seeing bi community in other places makes it feel possible” and Barb found it “inspiring to see what other bi communities had already achieved.” Stephen hopes that 9ICB will lead some people to greater involvement in their local bi communities as well as fostering personal growth.
An important component of this gathering is understanding the bi community’s relationship with the larger queer community. Stephen notes that bisexuals have “our concerns which are united with other queers and our concerns which are our own.” However, to say that bisexuality is not well represented or reflected in broader LG(BT) conferences is an understatement of vast proportions. Dana notes that many LGBT conferences seem to have one token bi workshop—at best. Given this, it can be hard to move beyond Bi 101 in these settings. A bi conference, on the other hand, allows for a rich and deep exploration of a whole range of issues related to bisexuality that just can’t be found anywhere else.
At 9ICB the range of workshops and presentations offered is staggering. With 3 keynote addresses and over 50 workshops to choose from, there will truly be something for everyone.
Keynote speaker Loraine Hutchins, co-editor of the extremely influential bi anthology Bi Any Other Name, will be sharing her insights on “A Future Full of Erotic Spiritualities For All.” Trevor Jacques, principal co-author of On The Safe Edge: A Manual for SM Play will present a second keynote on “Bisexual Kinksters: A research preview” based on his recently completed survey of BDSM practitioners—the largest and most detailed to date. Conference organizers are currently working on the possibility of a 3rd keynote from Africa.
Workshop presenters include Fritz Klein, Robyn Ochs, Beth Firestein, Ron Suresha, Viviane Namaste and a long list of other fabulous people. Robyn Ochs will host an author reading for the anthology Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals from Around the World and Ron Suresha will celebrate the publication of Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way.
Workshop topics range from relationship issues, bi parenting, spirituality and poverty to sexual healing, polyamory, Finnish porn and BDSM. Health-related offerings include workshops on counselling bi clients, HIV risk and prevention, bi women’s health and the future of the bisexual health movement. Legal minded folks will be interested in workshops such as “Canadian Immigration and the Queer Community” and “Patrolling the Borders of Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Refugee Claims in Canada.”
More practical matters, like getting the sex you want, two step – a dance workshop, creating a bi event, zine making, and online communication for bi organizations are also on the agenda. Most of the workshops are in English, but there will be some French offerings as well. This is just a taste of what will be offered – a complete list of the workshop offerings is available on the conference website at www.9icb.org.
Although there are a lot of workshops, Margaret notes that there will also be social opportunities (such as a Friday night dinner and dance), outings, and some simply unstructured time. She knows that people want to have fun, make friends and get to know people rather than just have a hectic schedule of presentations. There will also be opportunities to check out resources and bi swag at the community fair and marketplace.
Dana acknowledges that “if we program every minute, [people] never get to enjoy Toronto,” aware that for many people, coming to Toronto itself may be an attractive prospect. She adds, “we have a large and thriving queer scene, are known for tolerance and openness, there is lots to do, and people may even want to get married!” Margaret notes that not many cities have enough of an organized community to host a ICB. Toronto does, and the 3 directors of TBEP have spent a lot of time and thought in preparing for bringing an event like this to our city.
As with any cultural gathering, the organizers with they could do more and more. However, this volunteer-run even is existing and, more importantly, succeeding on a shoe-string budget and lots of heart.
Although bisexual conferences tend, understandably, to draw primarily bisexual participants, other people are welcomed and encouraged to attend as well. 9ICB will be of interest to bi friendly people, people who work with bisexuals, trans people, people with bi partners, people whose sexualities are bi compatible or whose lives challenge binaries and anyone else wanting to learn more about bisexuality. Margaret feels that people who are gay or lesbian may get more out of the conference than heterosexuals in terms of a different experience of bi space as distinct from gay and lesbian spaces.
If you want to meet bisexual and bi positive people, learn about a broad range of bisexual issues and topics, and experience bi space and bi culture on a larger scale than is usually possible – 9ICB is for you! As Marcus notes “There is nothing quite as empowering as spending the weekend with 250 bisexual activists. Everyone’s different, but we’re all on the same page.”
For more information about 9ICB please check out the website at www.9icb.org
(c) Copryight 2006 Cheryl Dobinson
Cheryl Dobinson is the creator of the bi women’s zine The Fence. She has recently taken up freelance writing as a way to support this questionable habit. During the day she works on the LGBTT team at Sherbourne Health Centre in Toronto where she has earned the nickname “Miss Bisexuality.”
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by bigregory
Re: The Bisexuals are Coming! (to Toronto for the 9th ICB)
I'm definitely considering walking down the street and attending. And since 9ICB is June 15th-18th its a great lead up to PRIDE Week 2006 - June 19-25, 2006, This year's theme - Pride Toronto FEARLESS , (Pride Week 2006 is the 26th annual Pride Week in TORONTO ). So having a huge BI geared event before Pride is the PERFECT arrangement especially if you've got vacation time to enjoy. Looking forwards to SEEING some of YOU around TØRØNTØ ! 
I Fell In A Pile Of You, 
Re: The Bisexuals are Coming! (to Toronto for the 9th ICB)
Re: The Bisexuals are Coming! (to Toronto for the 9th ICB)
Bookmarks