When I came to the University for graduate school, I was surprised by how many people I met who identified as bisexual. I had grown up listening to Ani DiFranco, have heard the rumors about various Hollywood starlets, had read research on the down-low phenomenon and my favorite movie is “Chasing Amy,” but that still didn’t answer all of my questions. I was curious about what it means to be a bisexual at the University, so I decided to ask around and do a little research on this population.

Some might wonder why I, a straight male, would be in pursuit of this information. First of all, get your mind out of the gutter — I’m not looking for two lucky ladies to give me a good time tonight. This issue is important to me because I am a School of Public Health student who is passionate about sexual health. I research, plan programs and conferences, participate in sexual health and advocacy groups such as Sexperteam and the Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy — the whole bit. I am an ally to the queer community. And that means bisexuals, too. Beyond that, communities made to be invisible are left more vulnerable to discrimination.

One glaring sign that there was a problem in how bisexuals may be treated on this campus was in my research of National College Health Association data that measures sexual health, among other things. The most recent survey conducted in 2007 didn’t track sexual orientation. And a 2006 Guttmacher Institute study found that doctors who treat a woman in a relationship with another woman underestimated her sexual health risk, no matter how this person self-identified. If a man doesn’t disclose his sexuality, doctors will automatically assume that he is heterosexual. This means that these people won’t get the care and screening that will keep them the healthiest. Even though I work at University Health Services and can do things to help fix this on campus, I am worried about my friends in this invisible minority.

As if the presumption of heterosexuality in the health care system isn’t enough, bisexuals must also battle stereotypes. There is a stereotype from the heterosexual community that it is either “just a phase” or “college/grad-school/post-college experimentation” and that these people will eventually settle on the “right” partner. On the other hand, many people in the LGT community see it as a stepping stone on the way to exclusively same-sex relationships in a “Bi Now, Gay Later” way.

So what’s a bisexual student to do? Luckily, the University has many resources to combat stereotypes and help people of any identity. Recently, Assistant Director of the Spectrum Center Gabe Javier talked about the Spectrum Center’s role in assisting bisexual students. He said, “Each person comes in with their own unique gender and sexual identity, and Spectrum works hard to meet people where they are, without assumption or judgment.”

When asked about the needs of bisexual students on campus, Javier said that fellowship is the most important thing. He thinks that finding a community that can accept the individual without resorting to stereotypes is important to the general well being of each individual. Ali (Xan) Luck, a bisexual woman, is a dual degree graduate student in Social Work and Public Health and feels like her experiences in Ann Arbor and at the University has been “generally positive.”

But the hardest part for Luck is the struggle to be continually acknowledged and accepted as a bisexual. “So, if I am a bisexual woman and dating a guy,” she pondered, “am I still accepted as a member of the LGBT community?” She feels stuck between two worlds, neither of which are completely accepting of her.

Bi-Lateral, a University student group for bisexuals, hopes to change that. “We try to create a safe space where people can be open no matter who they’re in a relationship with,” said LSA senior Chelsea Slater, who co-chairs Bi-Lateral with Business senior Connie Ofori-Dankwa.

“Bi-Lateral is mostly a social group, but we also do some activism. Every other meeting, we have a discussion about the queer community from a bisexual perspective, and what we can do to be more visible,” added Ofori-Dankwa. Visibility is paramount to this group, and they even have buttons with the word “VisiBIlity” that emphasize this. Bi-Lateral meets every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Spectrum Center on the third floor of the Union and is welcome to all.

When asked about what they would like the university to know about bisexuals, the co-chairs of Bi-Lateral said simply, “That we exist.” And, as Luck states, “People are still really confused by this identity.” Hopefully, through education and familiarity, the University can better understand the needs and issues faced by this under-recognized population, and we can put the B back in LGBT.

Craig VanKempen is in the School of Public Health.