Volume 6, Number
2 (Fall 2001)
ssss Articles
New
Format for BAM!
ssssssssAutumn
Bi Definition Events
2001
Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival Guide
Calendar
ssssColumns
sssssssssUpcoming
Discussion Topics
Disclaimer
Bi All Means! is a publication of Bi Definition, a bisexual social, support and activist organization in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. BAM is published quarterly and is offered to those on our mailing list on a subscription basis. To subscribe simply fill out this form.
Opinions expressed by writers in BAM are not necessarily those of the editors, publisher, advertisers nor the philosophy of Bi Definition. Any reference made to any individual or organization should not be construed as an indication of the same's orientation.
We reserve the right to edit any submission at our sole discretion.
Those who wish to contribute letters, articles, stories, poems or artwork
are encouraged to do so, and may have their names withheld if so desired.
Please provide text submissions typed double-spaced. Send all submissions
to: Bi All Means!/Bi Definition,
c/o Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee, WI
53204 (before Sept. 30, 2001),
c/o Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St., Milwaukee, WI
53212 (after October 1, 2001),
or e-mail bidef@hotmail.com
The unauthorized use of the ‘Bi Definition’ name is strictly
prohibited to members and nonmembers alike, except when written permission
is received from the current organizational leadership.
Vision Statement
Bi Definition shall provide a social, support and
activist organizational resource for bisexuals, people who do not like
labels and their allies residing in and visiting metropolitan Milwaukee,
WI. It shall work for equal rights and the liberation of all area bisexuals
and others who refuse strict heterosexual and/or homosexual personal identification.
Bi Definition will also collect and distribute information
on bisexuality.
Governance Statement
In order to insure that all minority opinions are
considered at business meetings, Bi Definition will use the consensus process
of decision making for governing.
New Format for BAM!
Changes Reflect Bi Definition Needs
You will have noticed that this issue of Bi All Means! is thinner than usual. This reflects and is part of the many changes that Bi Definition has undergone this past year.
It has become clear at Bi Definition business meetings that the group must scale back. This is due to several different reasons.
First, Bi Definition lacks a stable, consistent Finance and Fundraising committee. There has been a pattern of one brave soul at a time stepping forward to try to do this work all alone. Each time that person works overtime trying to enlist more help as well as trying to implement fundraising ideas, mostly on their own, and each time they end up burning out.
Fundraising is too tedious, time consuming and energy draining for one person to tackle the task alone. Bi Definition needs a small group of people dedicated to meeting regularly to plan and implement fundraising ideas. Until we have such a group, business meeting attendees decided that the group has to cut back on costs. We decided to cut back on the newsletter size and circulation and to keep the Bi Definition office space.
Second, Bi Definition lacks a BAM! Distribution Chair. This position, which has been vacant for over a year, is necessary in order to insure the newsletter gets out to the public in a timely and organized manner. The distribution sheets have to be kept updated, people to take charge of routes need to be found, and we need someone to follow-up and make sure all routes have been done and, if not, find a way to get them done. Because of this lack, a good portion of the Spring/Summer 2001 issue went out a month or more after printing, and a box of newsletters is still in the Bi Definition office.
Business meeting attendees agreed that it was pointless to spend money for public dispersal of our newsletter if a good deal of them end up never reaching the public. For this reason, we decided to scale back from a circulation of 1,500 to just enough to mail out to members, with some left over for the Community Center and to have out at meetings.
Finally, the scaled back newsletter is easier for editor Nikki to handle now that she has gone back to school full time. Four pages is easier to fill and layout than twelve.
The business meeting attendees who struggled with this issue hope that this change in the newsletter will only be temporary—perhaps a year. However, we all agreed that it was more important to keep the meetings going than to have a large newsletter. Business meetings are held the first Monday of every month at 7pm at the Community Center (call to confirm place) and are open to anyone who has attended at least one Bi Definition regular meeting.
(Please note that the September business meeting will be the second Monday, due to Labor Day.)
Rummage Sale & Celebrate Bisexuality Day
Bi Definition will be combining its next fundraising event with Celebrate Bisexuality Day. There will be a Rummage Sale on Saturday, September 22, 2001 from 9am to 3pm at Nikki’s house. This will be followed by a BBQ potluck in honor of Celebrate Bisexuality Day. The BBQ will also be at Nikki’s from 3-6pm. Nikki’s address is 6264 Upper Parkway N. Bring a dish to share—meat, drinks and games will be provided.
Please check your attics, garages, basements, etc. for items to donate to this Bi Definition fundraiser. You can arrange to drop them off at Nikki’s by calling her at 774-5055. If you would like to help with set up and pricing the night before, once again, call Nikki. The sale will be held in a two-car garage, so will happen rain or shine.
UWM LGBT Film Festival
This year’s UWM LGBT Film/Video Festival will run October 4-7 and October 11-14, so mark your calendars. All of the movies will be shown at UWM Union Theater, except for opening night, which will once again be held at the Oriental theater. Cost is $6 per evening and $10 for opening night. On Thursday, October 4th, Bi Definition will be gathering in the Oriental lobby at 6:45pm to watch the opening night movie, Trembling Before God, together. For more information about this and other festival information contact Carl Bogner at crlelbog@uwm.edu
NGLTF Conference
November 7-11, 2001 the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation’s
Creating Change conference will be held in Milwaukee. This conference
is in its 14th year and offers “. . . 150 workshops, panels, caucuses and
meetings that enhance political skills and build confidence of activists
and organizers.” While the NGLTF has stood firm against adding Bisexual
or Transgender to their name, they do include both Bi and Trans in their
mission statement. See website www.ngltf.org for more information
about NGLTF and the conference.
2001 Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival Guide
Tickets $10 opening night. Other nights $6 general, $5 student.
Festival passes available.
Thursday, October 4, Oriental Theater
7:00 p.m. Trembling Before God
Friday, October 5, UWM Union Theater
7:00 p.m. Fever in the Archive, Program #1 FREE
9:30 p.m. Julie Johnson
Saturday, October 6, UWM Union Theater
3:00 p.m. Tina Machida in Zimbabwe &
OUT: The Making of a Revolutionary
5:00 p.m. Dark and Lovely, Soft and Free &
Forbidden Fruit
7:00 p.m. An Evening of Girls’ Shorts
9:00 p.m. An Evening of Boys’ Shorts
Sunday, October 7, UWM Union Theater
2:30 p.m. Herr Schmidt & Herr Friedrich &
Companions: Tales from the Closet
5:00 p.m. My Left Breast & Sea in the Blood
7:00 p.m. Adventures of Felix &
Red Chewing Gum & Minus
Monday, October 8, LGBT Community Center
7:30 p.m. Fever in the Archive, Program #2 FREE
Wednesday, October 10, UWM Union room TBA
Time TBA Fever in the Archive, Program #3
Thursday, October 11, UWM Union Theater
7:00 p.m. Transanimals!
9:00 p.m. Gaea Girls & Boys & Dream Girls
Friday, October 12, UWM Union Theater
7:00 p.m. Family Pack
9:00 p.m. Come Undone & Chicken
Saturday, October 13, UWM Union Theater
4:30 p.m. Fever in the Archive, Program #4 FREE
7:00 p.m. Manji
9:00 p.m. Iron Ladies
Sunday, October 14, UWM Union Theater
1:00 p.m. Metrosexuality
Oriental Theater, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.
UWM Union Theater, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.
LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St.
September (Sat. 1 & Tues. 18): “Bisexuals in Entertainment.”
October (Sat. 6 & Tues. 16): “Stereotype Stories”
November (Sat. 3 & Tues. 20): “Bisexual Woman/Bisexual Man.”
December (Sat. 1 & Tues. 18): “Polyamory: The Art of Multiple
Loves”
Bi Definition meets on the first Saturday and third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 P.M. for discussions about specific topics pertaining to bisexuality. All discusions are held at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee, WI 53204 (before Sept. 30, 2001), 315 W. Court St., Milwaukee, WI 53212 (after October 1, 2001) .
September’s discussion topic will be “Bisexuals in Entertainment.” How has the movie industry depicted bisexuals and bisexuality? What about TV? It seems that there is some evidence that bisexuality is being more accepted in the entertainment field, or is this only the latest “fad”? Are presentations of bisexuals helpful or hurtful? Come join us as we discuss this topic on Saturday, September 1 and Tuesday, September 18.
Have you ever been accused of being a fence sitter? Of being indiscriminant in your sexual choices? Has anyone assumed you would sleep with anything that moves just because you say you are bisexual? Or assumed you are incapable of commitment or monogamy? In October we will take time to share our experiences when we talk about “Stereotype Stories” on Saturday, October 6 and Tuesday, October 16.
In November we will be trying a slightly different format for our discussion on “Bisexual Woman/Bisexual Man.” For the first hour of the gathering, from 7-8pm, men and women will meet separately to discuss bisexuality and gender. From 8-9pm, the whole group will meet back together and continue the discussion in a mixed setting. How does gender affect our sexuality? What is it like being a male bisexual? What is like being a female bisexual? Join us on Saturday, November 3 and Tuesday, November 20 for this unique meeting topic.
Back by multiple requests, “Polyamory: The Art of Multiple Loves” will be the December topic. Polyamory, like bisexuality, is open to many different definitions and means different things to different people. What does it mean to be faithful? What about trust? Isn’t it too confusing and complex? What about jealousy? We will look at these and other questions on Saturday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 18.
An annual Bi Definition membership includes discreet newslatter mailings and free admittance to all events. Cost of a single gathering for nonmembers is $5. We also ask that you please refrain from wearing scented products at the meetings.
For information or confirmation on any Bi Definition event listed,
contact Nikki at (414)774-5055
or write: Bi All Means!/Bi Definition
c/o Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee, WI
53204 (before Sept. 30, 2001),
c/o Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St., Milwaukee, WI
53212 (after October 1, 2001) .
Bi Definition socials/discussions are held on the first Saturday
and third Tuesday of each month @ 7:00 p.m.
at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center,
170 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee, WI 53204 (before Sept. 30, 2001),
315 W. Court St., Milwaukee, WI 53212 (after October 1, 2001)
.
September
Sat. 1@ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Bisexuals
in Entertainment.” LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St.
Mon. 3 Bi? Shy? Why? Madison. Info: (608) 255-8582.
Sat. 8 @ 7 p.m. Gemini Gender Group meeting. Info: 297-9328.
Tues. 18 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Bisexuals
in Entertainment.” LGBT Community Center, 170 S. 2nd St.
Sat. 22 @ 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Bi Definition Rummage Sale and BBQ
Potluck for Celebrate Bisexuality Day
October
Mon. 1 Bi? Shy? Why? Madison. Info: (608) 255-8582.
Thur. 4 @ 7 p.m. UWM LGBT Film Festival Opening. Oriental
Theater. $10.
Fri. 5 to Sun. 7 UWM LGBT Film Festival. UWM Union Theater.
$6.
Sat 6 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Stereotype
Stories” LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St.
Thur. 11 - Sun. 14 UWM LGBT Film Festival. UWM Union Theater.
$6.
Sat. 13 @ 7 p.m. Gemini Gender Group meeting. Info: 297-9328.
Tues. 16 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic:
“Stereotype Stories” LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St.
November
Sat. 3 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Bisexual
Woman/Bisexual Man.” LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St.
Mon. 5 Bi? Shy? Why? Madison. Info: (608) 255-8582.
Wed. 7 to Sun. 11 HGLTF Creating Change Conference. Hyatt
Regency. Info: www.ngltf.org
Sat. 10 @ 7 p.m. Gemini Gender Group meeting. Info: 297-9328.
Tues. 20 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Bisexual
Woman/Bisexual Man.” LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court
St.
December
Sat. 1 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Polyamory:
The Art of Multiple Loves”
LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St.
Mon. 3 Bi? Shy? Why? Madison. Info: (608) 255-8582.
Sat. 8 @ 7 p.m. Gemini Gender Group meeting. Info: 297-9328.
Tues. 18 @ 7 p.m. Bi Definition Social/Discussion. Topic: “Polyamory:
The Art of Multiple Loves”
LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St.
Weekly
Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Bi Definition Office Hours
