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Is Michael Musto for Real? What is this nonsense about Michael Musto saying he doesn't believe in bisexuals, based on his frustrated attempts at relationships with married men on Manhunt or Craig's List or wherever he meets these closet cases? I know the Village Voice columnist, Michael Musto, or at least I thought I knew the dude. But how could it possibly be Michael Musto saying those horrible, ignorant, misleading things about bi men? OK, I've seen Michael Musto on TV and read his column in the Voice, so I think I should know Michael Musto. But it couldn't really be the same Michael Musto I met at the Lammies two years ago. The kinda cute clean-shaven short Jewish guy to whom I introduced myself that evening? I thought I met the real Michael Musto there, but apparently it was someone else who looked and talked a whole lot like him. Either that, or I made zero impression on the guy. Because the guy I chatted with was wearing a badge saying "Michael Musto," and he asked about my work, and I told him I was the editor of two books named as finalists for the first ever Lambda Literary Award given for Bisexual Literature. I know I was there, for sure — I still have my name badge from the event. Because how could the smart, charming person I chatted with that memorable evening write such a thoughtless and hurtful diatribe against married bi men under Michael Musto's imprimateur? I can only surmise that Michael Musto is not real. He's a fake. This so-called Michael Musto has somehow replaced the real Michael Musto, and whoever is impersonating Michael Musto is doing an amazing job. Perhaps the real Michael Musto was kidnapped by the Russian mafia, and replaced by an undercover operative who's a ringer, pretending to be a brilliant journalist. Otherwise, I just can't believe that the real Michael Musto would know absolutely nothing about the existence of actual bisexual men, being a supporter of the Lambda Literary Foundation, which for the third year in a row now is presenting an award for excellence in the area of bisexual literature. Or maybe more likely, aliens abducted the real Michael Musto, cloned him, and took the original back to their planet for further "research" (and he went willingly, anticipating one if not many of those thrilling anal probes he's heard so much about), leaving the duplicate in the real Michael Musto's place. Let's set aside the conspiracy theories and the point that he offers no explanation for the existence of bi women and consider this serious matter for a moment. Because you would think that the real Michael Musto would have the common sense to do some sort of actual research about the topic before he declared the complete nonexistence of bisexuals and bisexuality, based on his assertion to have never personally met a real bisexual man. Wasn't that Michael Musto I met, who was at the awards ceremony in May 2007 in NYC? Because if the real Michael Musto had actually been there, he surely would have seen Mike Szymanski (who is a real bisexual man) and Nicole Kristal (a real bi woman) accept the Lammy for their delightful book, The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe. I guess he could have gone out for a smoke or a drink or something and have missed that part of the awards ceremony, but what about the two years since then? Was Michael Musto living in a complete intellectual vacuum that whole time? I find it impossible to believe that, given his exposure to bisexuality as part of the accepted fabric of queer literature, the genuine Michael Musto would question the existence of bisexuality. I can't possibly accept that Michael Musto would be so shallow and stupid, and so that inevitably leads me to this conclusion: Michael Musto, or whoever wrote that column and signed it Michael Musto, can't be real. And if Michael Musto isn't real, he cannot said to exist. Michael Musto must be, therefore, a nonbeing. Not only that, anyone named Michael Musto probably never is or ever has been for "real."
I feel sad for Michael Musto. He seemed like someone whom I could believe.
Or then again, maybe not so much. Blogged on my site here.
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From a BI MEN reader:Dear Mr. Suresha, I hope I can call you Ron, because that's what I'm about to do. I just started reading Bi Men Coming Out... and cannot put it down...not necessarily a good thing, because I'm reading it at work in my locked office. I'm sure you can guess why not at home. Ron, I wanted to say thank you for the book. Yeah, I'm a Bear...56 years old. It's been a very, very difficult journey, a story I would share with you in detail, if you'd like. But in short, I have been married to a lovely woman for 31 years. I had always been attracted to men, but having been raised Roman Catholic, wanting to go into education (which frowned on homosexuality) and having a judgmental, homophobic, state-cop father, well, I convinced myself that my one-an-only college fling with a guy was a phase. I never was attracted to the "stereotypical" gay lifestyle anyway; I'm still not. But I found out my feelings for men did not go away. I suppressed them for decades, Ron. Had a family. And then, ten years ago, my wife told me she no longer cared if we ever had sex again. Her passivity and mere tolerance of it became very clear, so I stopped asking. And so, the demons I had suppressed raised royal hell. I went celebate for nine years, went into severe depression and contemplated suicide, got on meds, but never looked who I was in the eye. Somehow, I still didn't consider myself to be bisexual. After all, I never acted on it...well, not since 1973! Then, our youngest was diagnosed as bipolar, In trying to deal with that situation, I went to a therapist for help. I realized he was gay, and in discussing my own depression, I finally worked up the courage to confide in him what I had been dealing with all my life. With his help, I could finally look in a mirror and say, "Hey, you are bisexual, you were born that way (my strong belief), and that's OK." We discussed exactly what I wanted to do about that fact, and I realized I wanted to explore the man-2-man part of my sexuality. The most liberating day of my life occured when my therapist said to me, "You know, Mark, whether you choose to act on this or not, you are still a great man, a wonderful husband, and a loving, kind human being. Never forget that." I cried for an hour, because I realized I had spend my adult life hating myself. That moment still brings tears to my eyes. I decided not to tell my wife...for now? forever?... because it would only unsettle her. If I could reassure her that I will never leave, I will never stop loving her, I will never abandon her, I could out myself. It would be so much simpler. But, as my therapist reaffirmed, sometimes the truth serves no purpose other than to hurt. I don't want her looking over her shoulder at every friend I have an wonder, "Are they in bed together?" I just can't do that. See, I really am in love with her. I no longer fault her for her asexuality any moe than I fault myself for my bisexuality. It is what it is. The past year has been a learning experience. At first, I was like a kid in a candy store...LOL! Every dick called to me, and I answered plenty of those calls. But I learned so much. I learned "stranger sex" leaves me empty. I learned some gays hate my bisexual guts, others find me fascinating. I learned there are varying degrees of bi, those who want you to suck them off but won't return it, those who can't kiss a man because that is unmanly. I've learned that being upfront is best with partners and that gay men fall in love with Bears despite however much you warn them you are not free. I've learned I am attractive and I'm evidentally a talented lover. You don't know how much those last two revelations caught me by surprise, and how much they have done for me. I'm finally whole. You know, I wish I could explain to gays and straights how bisexuality often means chosing your color of pain -- guilt or frustration. It isn't wanting the "best of both," like some kind of sexual surf-and-turf. It's more a need for food and water to be whole. I'm trying to wean myself off my meds now. I'm not haunted nightly by erotic dreams I can't fulfill. And, recently, I found another bi, married Bear who understands me and romps with me, a buddy with privileges (man, that's a cliche). I was surprised to find that it is not the penis, something I had focused on while I was in denial, but the whole experience...being held, kissing, cuddling... that fulfills me. Ron, it is so incredible to find this at 56; I smile a lot these days. So, thank you for this book. I was lucky enough to have stumbled onto some sites ( bearforest.com, silverdaddies.com) where, with a little effort, one can find men who are caring and searching. Your book is a nes invaluable resource to me. It's as I told my therapist, "There really ought to be a support group for bisexual married men, but we'd all be too paranoid to attend." Your book helps ease that lack. Well, this brief email turned out to be a bit longer than I thought. If you want the whole story, I'll share it. But for now, thank you! Matthew
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Bi Men: Coming Out
named on
Pam's House Blend's
Top Ten Bi Books list!
[hi5s with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) trapezebear]
The folks over at the Bilrico Project have been putting out book lists, of 10 Books Every Gay Boy Should Read, 10 Books Every Lesbian Should Read, and 10 Books Every Transperson Should Read. I don’t know if they mean to exclude bisexuality, or if they just haven’t gotten around to it, but I decided to make my own list. I’m a librarian (just finished my MLS, looking for a job) so to say that books are important to me would be a gross understatement. Books saved me as 15 year old bi girl growing up in conservative Catholic Wisconsin, where I didn't know any GLBT people and thought there was something wrong with me for thinking my boyfriend was hot and female friends were too. They helped me understand that I was not alone. They were my friends when no one understood, my rock when I needed support, and my joy when I read something particularly smart, funny, or just wonderful. I wouldn’t be as well adjusted and intelligent if not for queer books in general, but as a bisexual, the books on this list represent some of the finest nonfiction I have ever encountered on a subject near and dear to myself.
6. Bi Men Coming Out Every Which Way
edited by Pete Chvany and Ron Jackson Suresha
Bi men have their own issues, namely exclusion and derision by Gay men and the utter invisibility of bisexuality in men outside of the pervasive "sleazy married guy." The men in this anthology come to bisexuality from various life paths, some previously identified as straight, some as gay. Some came out as bisexuals at an early age and others are still closeted, even to their closest friends. They talk about bisexuality in the era of AIDS and the intersection with bear culture (the authors previously did a bear anthology). As a bi woman, this book helped me understand the male half of the bi community better.
Reprinted on The Bilerico Report.
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Whence went the so-called men's movement? wonders a reader email from NNJ.
Hi Ron, happy holidays to you and yours! I just wanted to tell you that I found your book Bi Men, most insightful. I have been involved with men's groups and work with men over the past two decades. I always thought it odd that during the "men's movement" of the 90's so little was said or written about bisexual men. Even in men's groups and conferences that I participated in during that time, never even broached the subject. I think the silence speaks for itself. I loved the way the contributors were willing to share their stories. I know a number of other bi buddies in my area (North New Jersey) and was thinking about starting a group the would be able to meet socially and for discussion and sharing on a periodic basis in a safe environment. Married bi men particularly can feel very isolated. Would love to give guys an opportunity to network. Would appreciate anything thoughts you have on this. There would certainly be some bears in the group...I hope!...Woof... .
I responded thanking him for his kind words about the book and telling him what a cool blog trapezebear writes. I also pointed out info at the BRC website for bi groups.
I wonder indeed what happened to the so-called men's movement, and the so-called men's studies field. Nonstarters both, as far as liberation or academic movements go.
The "crisis of masculinity" so declaimed and misunderstood by leaders in the men's studies field was exactly as I had identified it in the essay "The Brokeback Moment": men's faggophobia.
The crisis of American manhood, Western masculinity, indeed the problem with the relatively inert men's studies field, as well as the men's movement, as I have experienced these groups, is primarily male (internalized) homophobia.
I think of when I read that essay at a men's studies conference.
Part of that essay discusses how Brokeback Mountain represented a crack in the impenetrable armor of male heterosexuality. It also questions the rampant homophobia of male heterosexuality.
The men's lib movement moved nowhere because their attention was focused outside themselves: men were in trouble because of war, or economics, or politics, anything — but not their own possible (self-)hatred of bi and homo boys.
I asserted that we were right then (that very moment!) experiencing the tipping point in American men's culture - the Brokeback Moment, a point in time when American heterosexual men were able to see how their own homophobia damaged themselves, their culture, the men's liberation movement, and the men's studies field.
A stodgy white heterosexual academic stood up and dismissed everything I had just said as frivolous verbiage.
But he couldn't refute my assertions head-on, he made an ad hominem attack. But the truth is, although men's studies academics and men's liberation movement advocates pay lip service to the crisis in men's lives, they're as unwilling as anyone else [straight] to admit their homophobia.
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Although a tad late in the scheme of things, this came in from Frank Pizzoli, editor at Central PA's glbtq paper, Central Voice, from the Jan-Feb 2007 issue:
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The second annual all-things-bear popularity contest from our ursine pals at The Complete Bear. I believe that an author friend has already nominated Bi Men as Best Bear Nonfiction Book! And I will fill out my nominations here as well...
Last year we did a “best of” poll. It's that time again. Feel free to pass it on.
We will take nominations until 11/15. Send your nominations to info@thecompletebear.com. Voting will be from 11/16 -12/31.
Got Fur's second annual poll, the very best in all things ursine.
Best Bear Website - Suresha.com
Best Bear Blog - SpunkDaddy's Beard
Best Bear Nonfiction Book - Bi Men , edited by R Suresha & P Chvany
Best Bear Fiction Book -
Best Bear Podcast -
Best Bear Porn Site -
Best Bear Video -
Best Bear Porn Star -
Best Bear Business -
Best Bear Celebrity -
Best Bear Club/Organization -
Best Bear Run -
Best Bear Bar -
Best Bear Fundraiser -
Best Bear Campsite -
Best Bear Accommodations -
Best Bear Play Party -
Best Bear Resource -
Best Bear Artist -
Best Bear Performer -
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Fascinating guest/topic on TOTN yesterday - completely relevant to the study of the "bisexual" Pashtun male and the terrific novel The Kite Runner ! (Can't wait for the movie.):
Religion
Talk of the Nation, October 2, 2007 · In an address to an audience at Columbia University last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that homosexuality does not exist in Iran. The comment prompted derisive laughter from his audience and put a spotlight on the hostile treatment of gays and lesbians in the Muslim world. Parvez Sharma, the filmmaker behind the documentary A Jihad for Love, discusses the underground world of homosexuality in Muslim countries. Filmed in 12 countries and nine languages, the documentary profiles men and women who struggle daily against persecution, danger and social isolation.
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Major academic GLBTQ publisher, Haworth Press, sold
The publisher of two of my books and a leading publisher of GLBTQ academic and trade titles, Haworth Press, has announced that its Journal Division and nonfiction titles are to be acquired by the mammoth UK-based academic/scholarly publisher, Taylor & Francis.
According to Publishers Weekly, Taylor & Francis reached a preliminary agreement last month to acquire the academic books and journals of Haworth Press in Binghamton, N.Y. "The company publishes about 194 journals and 150 books and monographs annually in areas ranging from librarianship to pharmaceutical science."
There's been buzz among some of the queer literati about Haworth's future, but it's been unclear as to how T&F will handle its many LGBTQ titles, with which it's had an increasingly uneasy relationship following the departure of publishing bear extraordinaire Bill Palmer two years ago.
A search on the T&F website for "lesbian" yields more than 180 titles, including Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein, which indicates a favorable predisposition to continue publishing academic GLBTQ works.
According to the article, the deal excludes Haworth’s smaller fiction imprint, Harrington Park Press [HPP], which is being sold separately." Sold to whom, who knows.
Update: According to the announcement that came with the statement, any new publicity and advertising activities involving HPP fiction titles are suspended. T&F will continue to process and fulfill order for all HPP titles "for a limited time." Investors interested in acquiring an excellent GLBTQ trade fiction imprint should call 1-800-HAWORTH. Don't delay, call today!
Haworth printed BI MEN as a trade copub with the Journal of Bisexuality. HPP carried the LGBTQ fiction sub-imprint, Southern Tier Editions, under which BI GUYS was published. This means that, if they remain in print, BI MEN and BI GUYS will have completely different publishers.
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GLBTIQ civil rights activist Mike Rodgers, who was our guest in the "Bear Soup" hot tub last November, was the featured guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation program yesterday.
The man who first outed Larry Craig and others, the bearish activist Mike Rodgers of BlogActive: Real Truth, Direct Action, was on NPR's Talk of the Nation yesterday for a half-hour segment. Mike's such a calm, composed speaker on these shows, even when he's pointing out the despicable character flaws in some of the worst political hypocrites in our nation's history.
The program was quite an amazing piece of radio. It still amazes me to think that I know someone who's actually changing the political landscape of the country. It's a terrific interview, especially the second half, and the phone calls are very thoughtful, as you'd expect from "Talk of the Nation": http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2007/09/outs_and_ins_of_outing.html  Why is Mike's picture tilted to the right? From his perspective he's leaning far left.
My favorite part of the interview is when TOTN host Neil Conant totally balks when Mike mentions David Dreier as a possible (gasp!) gaysexual (not his term). To hear my Bear Soup interview with Mike, in which he answers everyone's burning questions about outing various closet cases in Washington, DC, including persons of questionable bisexuality at the top of the food chain, Jeff Gannon, Ken Mehlman, Karl Rove, James McGreevey, and George W Bush, download the show here. Bear Soup #40. Run time: 14:19. First aired on BearRadio.net 11/1/06. 
SDB on the phone to BlogActive!
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Just today got the Haworth Press Fall 2007 Trade catalogue, and yep, it does have both BI GUYS and BI MEN in it, which is nice that they're featuring the books on their backlist.
Then I noticed that the BI MEN entry has a quote from a review I'd never seen before. So here it is, kids, a year late but better than never, eh?
Hey trapezebear - Does this mean we should be marketing the book to college psych and social work departments?
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Division 44 Newsletter, 22: 2, pp. 9-10, Summer 2006
Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues
A Division of the American Psychological Association
Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way.
Ron Jackson Suresha and Pete Chvany (Eds.)
Harrington Park Press, 2005, 312 pp.
The collection of autobiographical essays edited by Ron Jackson Suresha and Pete Chvany explores personal stories and experiences of a conglomeration of diverse bisexual men. Suresha, author of Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions, and Chvany, a longtime bisexual activist from Boston, compiled stories provoking a reexamination of long-held stereotypes and beliefs about bisexuality, masculinity, and traditional sex roles in Western culture. The editors successfully paint a picture of the broad spectrum of sexuality by exploring stories from a New Orleans native, a rural resident of Kentucky, a survivor of gay conversion therapy, an Amish man, a Jewish Puerto Rican who converted to Buddhism and Hinduism, Bears, and numerous other bisexual males evoking an increased awareness on the full range of sexuality originally proposed by Alfred Kinsey. No book thus far has so successfully depicted such a brilliantly colorful array of diversity among sexual minorities and given such a strong answer to biphobic monosexuals.
Suresha and Chvany divide the book into four categories of stories: discovering a bisexual self, extending bonds of marriage and family, interacting in evolving GLBTQ communities, and bridge-building in bisexual spirit. Each section provides a unique perspective into the bisexual male. Most specifically I appreciated delving into the negotiation and struggle of spirituality and sexuality by the anecdotal stories from Buddhist, Amish, Hindu, Southern Baptist, and Celtic bisexual men. The struggles encountered while coming to terms with their sexuality and coping with religious oppression opened my eyes to the emotional exertions many bisexual men are forced to face.
My favorite depiction of this struggle was “Ex Exodus” by Ed Boland. He began with a belief in gay conversion therapy: “God will change me if I pray, and if that change never happens, then I’m not praying enough or I’m just not worthy. If the change doesn’t come, that means God doesn’t love me.” The author held these views for many years, but upon no change in his sexuality he finally had the revelation while at a gay-conversion conference that he is OK and so are all the other GLBT people he was with—that he didn’t change his sexuality because he wasn’t meant to. This revelation opened the door to exploration of his sexuality and as well as to allow himself to be free of guilt and experience happiness and pleasure.
The most valuable lesson I learned from reading this book was the inherent biphobia prevalent in the gay and lesbian community. Remembering my own struggle to have a sense of identity and belonging, it pained me to see the anguish many of these bisexuals went through. Not only was it caused by ostracism of the straight community, but also they felt rejection from the gay and lesbian community while simply searching for a sense of belonging. The rejection many bisexuals face coming out, often first as gay, is doubly difficult when coming out later to their gay friends as bisexual and was beautifully depicted in the emotional narratives in this book. I identified with the rejection from peers and was forced to look at and challenge my own views of bisexuality. I was forced to reexamine my own personal beliefs about the spectrum of sexuality, and in fact, to see it illustrated by examples that defy sexuality as either being heterosexual or homosexual.
As a practicing clinician, I found this book helped open my eyes to a world that, for me, is difficult to understand, and it will help me further empathize with the struggles my clients are facing in regards to defining their own sexuality. The book is easy to read for the clinician and the non-clinician alike and can be given to those struggling with their sexuality at almost any age. Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way is a book every clinician should read to force them to reexamine their views of sexuality and more fully appreciate the brilliance of Alfred Kinsey’s work exploring the full spectrum of human sexuality.
Reviewed by Gregory M. Jones, M.S. Nova Southeastern UniversityCurrent Music: Rachel Maddow - AAR |
| » Ron on KPFA Pacifica Radio this Wednesday a.m.! |
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Ron Suresha on KPFA Pacifica Radio - Wednesday June 27th a.m.!
Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, 6/27/07, Ron Suresha (Bisexual Resource Center), senior editor of BI MEN: COMING OUT EVERY WHICH WAY and author of BEARS ON BEARS: INTERVIEWS & DISCUSSIONS, will join Jennifer Baumgardner, author of LOOK BOTH WAYS: BISEXUAL POLITICS, for a discussion on bisexual in/visibility and bisexuality in politics. The segment tomorrow morning is scheduled to begin at 8:08 a.m. Pacific / 11:08 a.m. Eastern, and will go until half-past.
You can listen live on your local Pacifica station (list at http://pacificanetwork.org/radio/content/blogcategory/24/63 ) or webcast on the KPFA website at http://kpfa.org .
Update 2:00pm: Link for audio download and stream on KPFA: http://kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=20951
Our segment on bisexuality started after the news break on the third half-hour.
Tavis Smiley, author of "Covenant for Black America"
Moderates Live Broadcast of the Democratic presidential candidates on PBS Thursday June 28th
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David Bacon on Labor
The big public workers' strike in South Africa
Patrick Craven, communications director, Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Johannesburg
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"Looking Both Way: Bisexual Politics"
Jennifer Baumgardner, author
"Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way"
Ron Suresha, co-author (with Pete Chvany) also author of "Bears on Bears: Interviews and Discussion"
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"I Have Never Forgotten You-The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal" Richard Trank, Executive Producer and principal Writer/Director
Jun. 26th, 2007 @ 03:38 pm
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An excellent article from Heather Cassell shows that bi activism is thriving! And yes, Bi Pride 2007 is turning out to be a very cool year. Great quotes from Pepper Mint, Robyn Ochs, Amy Larson, Amy Andre, Cyn Frawley, Lani Ka'ahumanu, Cliff Arneson, and a somewhat compressed version from my very long interview with the reporter for this piece. Imagine how much work she had to do to get all these speakers in one comprehensive article.
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Bisexuals show increased visibility
by Heather Cassell
Bay Area Reporter, 06/21/2007
Copyright © 2006 Bay Area Reporter
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If there were any doubts that bisexuals existed after the stir caused by the now infamous 2005 New York Times article “Straight, Gay or Lying?”, the bisexual community is responding in force this year by coming out loud and proud.
Bisexuals are all over the place, from a plethora of books to a category of their own at the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Lammy book awards to the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival’s “Bi Request” film panel and two feature films, The DL Chronicles and The Two Sides of the Bed (Los dos lados de la cama). LGBT groups such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have also turned their attention to bis in recent months. Micah Kellner, 28, (D) became the first out bisexual to win elected office this year when he won a New York Assembly seat.
According to the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 3.7 million bisexual people in the United States.
Yet, the question remains, how have an estimated 1.9 million bisexual women and 1.8 million bisexual men remained largely invisible or misunderstood?
The bi visibility issue, according to bisexual experts and activists, is a mixture of the inability to identify individuals as bisexual (unless they come out), along with biphobia and the myths that perpetuate the general misunderstanding of bisexuals.
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“We need to understand bisexuality clearly,” said Ron Suresha, author of Lambda Literary Foundation-nominated books: Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way and Bi Guys: First Hand Fiction for Bisexual Men and their Admirers. “We need to look at why people are so ignorant about it.”
Suresha, 49, who was out as a gay man “since puberty” until four years ago when he came out as bisexual after having cancer surgery.
“The shame is pervasive and we seem to attach a disproportionate amount of shame to bisexuality,” said Suresha. “[I] no longer had the luxury of time to deny any part of myself.”
Becoming visible
When bisexuals do come out, it generally means that they have to come out over and over again, unlike gay, lesbian, and straight individuals. On top of that, bisexual individuals find themselves constantly educating people each time they come out. Some bisexuals prefer to be selective about who they come out to, just like gay and lesbian individuals.
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The Chasing Amy Social Club, which has grown to an estimated 500 members, will have its first contingent in Sunday’s LGBT Pride Parade.
“There are actually a huge number of bisexuals at Pride, you just can’t see them,” said Mint. “I think that it’s very important that people, when they go to Prides – while they may see a little bisexual contingent in the parade that is a small fraction of the bisexuals that are actually there.”
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Read Heather Cassell's B.A.R. article here: http://ebar.com/pride/article.php?sec=pride&article=45
Jun. 24th, 2007 @ 09:39 am
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Rocco and I biz-class Amtraked down for fabulous three days in Manhattan.
Thursday evening we attended the Lambda Literary Awards (Lammies), and I wore my silver silk suit [pix TK?] and felt good (despite having a particularly awful moment during a horrible hair year, as I'm trying to grow my hair and beard shaggier again but that tonsure is just getting bigger and bigger). I was very very nervous at times, but it was important to stay alert, relaxed, and focused.
So, the first-ever Bisexual Lammy went to the delightful and deserving Bisexual's Guide to the Universe by Mike Szymanski and Nicole Kristal. ¡Bravos! and kudos to Mike and Nicole, who really delivered the best book in the field - and I can tell you firsthand that they had some very stiff competition. ;-D}
I was reasonably sure beforehand that their book would win, especially considering that they actually wrote their book rather than assembled it as I did mine. And right now, I don't even feel disappointed because the best book won, and because I'm so ready to move on.
Mike and Nicole, whom I met for the first time, along with several bisexual activists from San Diego and Minneapolis, are just incredibly sweet, interesting, accomplished folks – amazing really, and we were all forging connections and enjoying ourselves immensely. Not too much shameless flirting though, oddly enough. (Or maybe it was just me.)
Of course I got to applaud a number of pals who did get Lammies, including Jeff Mann's A History of Barbed Wire, which won the Men's Erotica award. One particular Lammy winner got drunk and made an asshole of himself while presenting another category's award, as usual.
Friday morning went to brunch with Wendy Curry, mother hen of BiNet USA, who drove down with her spouse Brian from NH for the big weekend. We spent lots of time together not just at the Lammies and the Bi Line reading, but also several hours planning for 10 ICB, which is proceeding quickly. She's so terrific, and I'm thrilled to be working with her and blackorchid1 on the core organizing team. She's incredibly smart and wise and creative and funny. Much more about 10 ICB developments later.
The big "Bi Lines" reading and cultural extravaganza on Friday night at the LGBT Center went well, for the most part. trapezebear , who brought a sexy little bearguy [placeintheheart - hugs & tugs!] to the Lammy ceremony and the reading, read part of his funny essay for BI MEN. There were lots of technical gaffes, and I kinda had to introduce myself to the audience
Still, though perhaps a bit less than gracious at moments, my part went well – the first part of "CCBC" by Marc Anders from Bi Guys.
There were about 16 presentations, including 4 performance/musical pieces, and most of it was excellent. Both Rocco and I were impressed with the event, and by my count 60+ people attended, including a serious bear quotient in both the presenters (yay Pete and me!) and the audience.
Bearotica and Bear Lust contributor Bob Neu and his handsome British husbear Chris, saying at first they'd probably leave after my reading , but ended up staying through most of the 14-hour event. Actually, it was more like just from 7:10 until 9:35. The fourteen part refers to the number of us who went out afterward and talked intensely plotting the bisexual overthrow of the universe, which surprisingly did not take that long, though we stayed up waaay past our normal bedtimes until 2:30am. The bed at the hotel (Chelsea Savoy) was horrible, but otherwise it was a nice place to stay.
Sunday morning Rocco went to a camera shop while I sweated my way to the Javitz Center, where I hung out a bit with Blood Moon publisher Danforth Prince and writer/publisher extraordinaire Perry Brass, both old pals. I told them about IJGBSG and they were incredulous, as was everyone else I told - though I think Perry is very interested in cooking something up about that particular closeted bisexual male.
Train ride back was nice: something so incredibly comforting and restorative about snuggling up next to Rocco while dozing off . . .
Jun. 3rd, 2007 @ 07:37 am
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| » Blade Bi Lammy Roundup |
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Dan Jaffe sent me a clipping of this item.
Bi Guys and Bi Men were included with a summary of all six books.
The First Bisexual Book Award
by Denise Penn
The Blade [Orange Co., Cal.] May 2007
The Lambda Literary Foundation, the country's leading organization for LGBT literature will announce the winners of the annual "Lammy" Awards on Thursday, May 31, at the Lamda Literary Awards Ceremony in New York City. ...
For the first time, there is a category for Bisexual Books. This category includes both fiction and non-fiction. Judges chose [from] twelve nominees [six] finalists for the 19th annual Lambda Literary Awards ...
Bi Guys
Editor Ron Suresha has brought together a unique collection of writing about the bi male sexual experience. The bisexual man's bedroom door swings wide open to revela the depth of the male bisexual erotic experience from renowned queer authors Felice Picano, Patrick Califia, Dale Chase, Simon Sheppard, Thom Wolf, Bill Brent, Marco Vassi, Kevin Green, and Jay Neal and more. This is bisexual erotica that is diverse, but with a decidedly masculine viewpoint.
Bi Men
The nearly three dozen essays in the book are written by bisexual men, confirming the validity of their place in the world, and confronting head-on the limiting views that bisexuality is a transitional phase of sexual evolution or a simple refusal to accept either being homosexual or straight. Each contributor to this collection affirms the innate fluidity of self, sexuality, family, and community, and proclaims that sexuality is truly diverse in its predispositions and creativity. Dan's husbear, Leo Cabranes-Grant, is a contributor to Bi Guys. At next week's fabulous BI LINES cultural extravaganza, I'll be reading (with the assistance of several readers, including comrade
lilbjorn and ... ? to be announced) Leo's short play from BI GUYS, "Fondling Fathers." This play is planned for inclusion in Leo's forthcoming (2009?) book of three of his short plays, and for a production in Spanish.
May. 26th, 2007 @ 03:47 pm
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| » Calamus & NoHo Pride |
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A brief but totally enjoyable triangulation around Southern New England.
Friday I arrived at the Living Center to pick up materials for the BRC booth and where I coordinated with Punkin aka hwynym to meet before dinner in Chinatown, then on to the reading at Calamus, which had some very cool readings.
A short near mishap occurred when I arrived at the Living Center. Jim was on his way, and I didn't want to leave the car parked unattended, so I locked the car and ran inside the building, the door was open, but I saw nobody. I went upstairs, then I came back down in a few minutes and stood outside, waiting for Jim. When he arrived, he stayed with the car but I went back and the front door was locked. Jim suggested the entrance from the pharmacy, and I was relieved that someone there had a key to let me in.
Sadly for Calamus owner John Mitzel and all, his mom had passed away recently, and that sobered effect on the evening, but overall the tone was upbeat. 20+ people attended, I think, including Ellyn Ruthstrom, BRC board prez, who came to listen for the first part.
Readers included Alicia Gorenson, author of one of my favorite trans books among this year's nominees, the novel SUPERVILLIANZ, and two contributors to Ron Fox's anthology, AFFIRMATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR BISEXUAL MEN AND BISEXUAL WOMEN. Bobbi and , whom I know from other bisexual activist events. They (and Ellen, and other folks) are both enthusiastic about the 10th International Conference on Bisexuality next year, which seems to be coalescing nicely.
I read last, as happens often enough to one of my Sur-name, and read from Hiram Ed Taylor's opening essay for BI MEN, "Feed the Leviathan," which seems to be a real crowd-pleasin' read.
A local voodoo priestess once told me that New Orleans is controlled and protected by a reptilian swamp creature, a Leviathan that feeds on sexual energy. The Leviathan, or demon, does not care if the sexual activity is male-to-female, male-to-male, or female-to-female. As long as there are constant orgasms, the Leviathan is satisfied. Sexual labels are not important to the demon. Skin color is not important. Pleasure is very important. Maybe that is why the lines of sexuality blur here in New Orleans in our search for ultimate satisfaction.
New Orleans is a decadent sex town. Growing up here, I started having sex at a very young age — and I mean very young. My mother and aunt caught my cousin Tyler and I when we were only a few weeks old. They walked in and found we had pulled our diapers down and were sucking on each other’s little peepees. They screamed and giggled and separated us immediately.
This is why, during college, when I told them I had fallen in love with a boy at school and “outed” myself, they smiled and said they knew when I was a baby and just wondered how long before I knew. How disappointed I was! I had hoped to shock them. I have learned that it is impossible to shock anyone in New Orleans.
[excerpted from BI MEN: COMING OUT EVERY WHICH WAY
After the reading, the JP Dot Satyricon hwynym and I headed to The Alley bar on quaint (if you call a cocksucking alley "quaint') Pi Alley in downville Beantown. The Alley is Boston's big brassy bear bar, and it's nice to see a festive if not modest Friday night crowd.
always great to see old friends, including the doorman Mike, a big juicy urso from RI; deaf pal Michael Madore; Pat, a regular at the bar, who is a sexy bearish guy actually but a hard drinker with a tendency to stick his hands right down the back of the pants and up the ass of a fellow we met from Ohio (just as I remember him trying to do to me several times); and Dave Gerard, a very special black bear and one [of the five (?)] bisexual contributors to BEARS ON BEARS, who lives in Lynn, MA. I was hoping P––, one of my Beantown exes, would be able to show up, but by midnight, after Punk was flirting shamelessly with chatting up the guy from Ohio, who took refuge in Jim's natural macho furriness.
We got back to Jim's house - now fully occupied with mostly paying tenants! - sometime around midnight.
After a close encounter of the short bearded postal carrier kind at the downstreet Dunkin, Punkin and I drove out on a bright and comfortable Saturday morning cross-state two hours on the Mass Pike to Northampton for NoHo Pride. The ride over was really a blast, and I'm so glad that Punkin agreed to be shamghaied for the day. We listened to "Avenue Q" on the ride over and had a blast.
We got in to the area in plenty of time to set up our little space, which I think was really efficient. (Thanks, Punk, for helping out at the booth.)
Laurie Wolfe, a MtF on the BRC board, and Arthur , also on the board, were also on hand. Rachel Maddow was in New Orleans, the nerve of her to not be in town when I'm there. Saw Mark from NoHo Pride & Joy, who had author signings last year (which I joined) but not this year. Nobody wants to buy books at these things, just rainbow crap. (Indeed, no books were sold at our booth in NoHo.)
Jim and I had a nice lunch there wisely not at the festival's death-by-sodium smoked-meat and pretzel vendors, and got to walk around to look at the other booths as well. The Men's Center had papers out but nobody staffing, as far as I could tell.
NoHo is a very sweet and well-run Pride event in a parking lot. I ran into John Magiapone (sp?), the bear, handlebar-moustachioed author of a lovely 2003 Tarot book he says has sold 10 K copies. ( Short gratuitous gripe here. )
We got Punkin down to Springfield, MA - the home of Peter Pan Bus Lines (who knew?) - just the nick o' time for him to get the bus back to Boston. I continued down to Hartford, then took Highways 2 to 11 [to 87?] to 85, emerging magically on [finally familiar] Hartford Road past the Waterford Mall and back to New London. The late afternoon weather was cool and invigorating, and the scenic drive back in the early-spring-green hills, was amazingly therapeutic.
May. 6th, 2007 @ 01:39 pm
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| » NYC Lammy reading |
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I made it into the LGBT Center just before 6:00 - parking was much easier than I thought. The event went very nicely, though underattended as I have come to expect of GLBTQ lit events. The refreshments provided by the Center were nice: wine/beer/soda/water, and cheese breadsticks which proved very popular among the crowd.
I read from Hiram Ed Taylor's story which opens BI MEN, and got some unexpected laughs. Though I felt kind of shy with the fiction authors, I did get to talk about nonfiction with the author of a book on the Daughters of Bilitis (which, I now realize, I have been pronouncing wrong all these many years).
It was nice to chat with other authors, some of whom I've met before, such as Rachel Kramer Bussel, and several whom I met, such as Sheela from the Bi Writers Association. But if the readers themselves hadn't brought friends, there wouldn't have been any audience (aka booklovers) attending to experience the richness of the diverse authors.
Afterward Chas Flowers and Sheela and I went out for a bite. Traffic was backed up on the Westside Hwy because of an accident - last thing I wanted at the start of a 2.5 hour drive. I got home around 2am, back doing some major complaining.
Apr. 19th, 2007 @ 01:11 pm
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| » BiMagazine roundup of Bi Lammy Finalists |
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The Lambda Literary Foundation
First Annual Bisexual Book Award Finalists
BiMagazine April 2007
http://www.bimagazine.org/books/book7.html
The Lambda Literary Foundation, the country's leading organization for LGBT literature has announced the finalists in each category for the annual "Lammy"Awards. on Thursday, May 31, at the Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony in New York City. For the first time, there is a category for Bisexual Books. This category includes both fiction and non-fiction. Judges chose twelve nominees and finalists for the 19th annual Lambda Literary Awards which were announced on March 1st.
+
Bi Guys : Firsthand Fiction for Bisexual Men and Their Admirers
by Ron Suresha (Editor)
Harrington Park Press
Mature Content Warning
Editor Ron Suresha has brought together a unique collection of writing about the bi male sexual experience. The bisexual man's bedroom door swings wide open to reveal the depth of the male bisexual erotic experience in this collection of short stories from renowned queer authors Felice Picano, Patrick Califia, Dale Chase, Simon Sheppard, Thom Wolf, Bill Brent, Marco Vassi, Kevin Green, and Jay Neal and more. This is bisexual erotica that is diverse, but with a decidedly masculine viewpoint.
Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way
by Ron Jackson Suresha, Pete Chvany (Editors)
(Harrington Park Press)
The nearly three dozen essays in the book are written by bisexuals men, confirming the validity of their place in the world, and confronting head-on the limiting views that bisexuality is a transitional phase of sexual evolution or a simple refusal to accept being either homosexual or straight. Each contributor to this collection affirms the innate fluidity of self, sexuality, family, and community, and proclaims that sexuality is truly diverse in its predispositions and creativity.
Apr. 19th, 2007 @ 11:52 am
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| » Big Bi Book Bash |
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Big Bi Book Bash
NYC LGBT Center, 1st floor
Friday evening, June 1st, 2007, beginning 6:00pm
Save the date!
Author readings for this gala Friday night literary salon will run for several hours, and feature the following bisexual authors, activists, and performers:
Nicole Kristal and Mike Szymanski, coauthors, *The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe
wolfbearRon Jackson Suresha, senior editor, *Bi Men; editor, *Bi Guys: Firsthand Fiction
trapezebear Pete Chvany, coeditor, *Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way
William E. Burleson, author, Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles
Rachel Kramer Bussel, author, Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z
lilbjorn Wayne Bryant, author, Bisexual Characters in Film
Clarence Nero, author, Three Sides to Every Story
Ann Herendeen, author, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander
This dynamic line-up of Bi Writers Association (BWA) members and *Lambda Literary award finalists will come together for a brilliant literary evening – fun for the whole GLBTIQA family!
The previous night (May 31st) presentation of the first-ever Lambda Literary Award for Excellence in Bisexual Literature (coinciding with Book Expo) will bring everyone together for a unique bi/poly/trans/inter community festival and festive party in the heart of NYC!
Bi Meetup (NYC) will join the festivities by hosting a dinner outing at a diner near the Center following the readings.
Come out for the biggest and brightest bi night ever!
Sponsored by BiNetUSA, BWA, and the NYC LGBT Center (more sponsors to come!)
Updates here on my Website, Suresha.com.
Mar. 22nd, 2007 @ 11:38 am
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| » Bi Men reviewed in LBR |
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Bi Men is the meat of a fabulous tri-part (three-way?) book review (sandwiched between "Five Married Men" and "Bisexual's Guide to the Universe") by "Bi America" author Bill Burleson that got the centerfold in this new issue of Lambda Book Report ! Woo hoo! How's that for bi visibility!
Update 3/24, complete text of review:
Lambda Book Report, March 2007
Review by William Burleson
[preceded by review of Five Married Men by Martin Brant]
Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way
Ron Jackson Suresha, Pete Chvany (editors)
Haworth $19.95 Harrington Park Press, 2005
ISBN 13: 978-1-56023-615-3
Paperback, 329 pp.
If Five Married Men show[s] men adrift looking to negotiate their bisexuality and decide how to incorporate it into their lives, the contributors to Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way represent 34 possible answers to that question. In fact, Bi Men tells us not only about being male and bisexual, but also about being proud and self-actualized. Here bi men are anything but wealthy or overly concerned with masculinity (with all due respect to the essays from a couple of Bears), but instead are born iconoclasts. There isn’t a need here to prove to the reader that it’s OK to be bisexual; that’s assumed.
Bi Men doubles as Volume 7, number 2/3 of the Journal of Bisexuality, and is the latest in a long line of of similar compilation of essays, for example 1991’s Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out, edited by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu; Naomi Tucker’s Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries & Visions in 1995; another book from the male perspective, Bisexuality in the Lives of Men: Facts and Fictions by Brett Beemyn and Erich W. Steinman from 2001; or even 2005’s Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World by Robin Ochs and Sarah Rowley. And like these books, Bi Men is written mostly from the point of view of an insider in the bi community (several of the contributors are well known in bi activist circles).
The book is divided into four logical sections. The first, “Discovering a Bisexual Self,” is comprised of seven essays on coming out and defining for each writer what it means to be bi. Highlight[s] include the first essay by Hiram Ed Taylor describ[ing] his sexuality in terms of New Orleans culture steeped in sexuality, an essay featuring two San Francisco Bay area High school students as they negotiate a gay community they see as overly sexualized and trendy, and an essay by Larry Lawton, a 42 year-old bi man currently in prison.
“Part Two: Extending Bonds of Marriage and Family” explores negotiating relationships, traditional and otherwise. Good examples here are the story of a father coming out to his son over a game of miniature golf and an essay by a closeted, sexually active married man, torn as he looks at his future and sees hope, yet says that because he will hurt “three people so close to me, I want to do myself in.”
“Part Three: Interacting in Evolving GLBTQ Communities” features the politics of bisexuality. Not politics as in kissing babies and Florida vote counts, but how bisexuality and bisexuals fit into other communities. I’ll highlight Gregg Lind’s piece about coming out via the swinger community and coeditor Pete Chvany’s piece called “Lighten Up!” where he calls for a more relaxed, less reactive approach to bi politics. “Truth is, it is fun to be bi.”
“Part Four: Bridge Building in the Bisexual Spirit” takes a look at religion and spirituality and how it informs their lives. Here I’ll highlight a reprinted (from Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith, Continuum, 2000) essay by a Jewish Puerto Rican man who adopts Buddhism as he longs for spiritual reconciliation.
While several of the essays are, like the one mentioned above, reprints from past books, Bi Men nonetheless is a valuable addition to the canon of bi literature. As Suresha says of his book in the introduction, "its primary goal ... is to reduce the invisibility of bisexual men by presenting powerful, proud bisexual men's voices." While it remains to be seen if it reduces bi invisiblity (book sales will have a say in that), he and Chvany certainly succeeded in the "proud, powerful voices" department.
[followed by review of Bisexual Guide to the Universe]
If Five Married Men is for freshmen majoring in bisexuality studies, and Bi Men is aimed at those working on their senior project, The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe: Quips, Tips, and Lists for Those Who Go Both Ways is for those who’ve long graduated and are growing tired of the nine-to-five. This book not only assumes that the reader know about bisexuality and has a working understanding of queer theory, but who has grown rather sick of it all. ...
Mar. 21st, 2007 @ 01:46 pm
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| » BI MEN / BI GUYS Lammy announcement |
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[revised text from email to Bi MEN / BI GUYS contributors]
I'm so pleased to let you know that both BI MEN: COMING OUT EVERY WHICH WAY, the nonfiction anthology I edited with Pete Chvany, and its fiction companion volume, BI GUYS: FIRSTHAND FICTION FOR BISEXUAL MEN AND THEIR ADMIRERS, have been named Lammy Finalists for the 2006 award in the Bisexual category by the Lambda Literary Foundation!
* Eros by Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio (Harrington Park Press)
* Affirmative Psychotherapy with Bisexual Women & Bisexual Men by Ronald C. Fox (Harrington Park Press)
* Three Sides to Every Story by Clarence Nero (Harlem Moon/Doubleday)
* Bi Guys, edited by Ron Jackson Suresha (Harrington Park Press)
* Bi Men, edited by Ron Jackson Suresha & trapezebear Pete Chvany (Harrington Park Press)
* The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe, Michael Szymanski & Nicole Kristal (Alyson)
I'd like to thank each and every contributor to BI MEN and BI GUYS again, on behalf of Pete and myself, for your amazing and illuminating and stimulating contributions!
It's a special honor to be included in the list on the first award ever in this category. The Lambda Literary Foundation annually presents awards for excellence based on literary merit and GLBTIQA content. Bisexual is a new category that considers both fiction and nonfiction, like the Transgender category. Thus it is possible for BI MEN and BI GUYS to compete against each other.
I believe that either BI GUYS or BI MEN could win - naturally I think they're both fabulous and deserve an award together! - but I haven't read two of the other nominees, so I honestly can't say I know they're the best. I think Mike and Nicole's book is really great, and I have incredible respect for the work of both Ron Fox and Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio. I'm curious to read the other books (will order soon), and I encourage you to check out their books.
If you want to purchase additional copies, don't forget that you're entitled to a discount as a Haworth Press contributor when you buy from the publisher, call 1-800-HAWORTH or go to their secure Website. Contact them at getinfo@haworthpress.com or call: 1-800-HAWORTH (429-6784) US/Canada 607-722-5857 Outside US/Canada.
And so that you all are here collected together in one list, here are the names of all the contributors, some of whom used pen names only, and some who contributed more than one piece or to both: Adam Ben-Hur, Alfred Corn, Andrew Milnes, Angus West, Arch Brown, Bill Brent, Bob Vance, C.B. Potts, Chuck Greenheart Bradley, Dale Chase, Dominic Santi, Ed Boland, Felice Picano, Ganapati S. Durgadas, Gregg Lind, Hiram Ed Taylor, J. "Mac" McRee Elrod , J.E. Robinson, J.M. Bogino, Jason Large, Jay Neal, Jim Fenter, John Egan, Julz, Kevin Green, Koen Brand, Larry Lawton, Leo Cabranes-Grant, Lou Dellaguzzo, Marc Anders, Marc Levy, Marco Vassi, Michael Ambrosino, Michael Gallardo, Moss Stern, Patrick Califia, Pete Chvany, Randy McDonald, Raven Davies, Rob Stephenson, S. Bear Bergman, Simon Sheppard, Stephen Albrow, Steve Berman, Steven James, Thom Wolf, Victor Raymond, Wayne Bryant, Woody Glenn!
This is truly your accomplishment as well as ours, and we'll go forward with pride to represent the books at the Lammy awards ceremony in NYC on May 31st.
In the likely event that I don't get to make an acceptance speech, I want to acknowledge the fine folks at Haworth Press/Harrington Park Press, the publishers of four of the six nominees in this category. I want to acknowledge by name Bill Palmer, who welcomed the companion-book project to Haworth Press; Bill's assistant Rebecca Brown; Fritz Klein, editor of the Journal of Bisexuality (BI MEN was a double issue of JoB) until his untimely death last year; and Fritz's assistant, Regina Reinhart. Special thanks to hwynym Punkin and Martha Stone. And of course I must offer my thanks to my loving husbear Rocco, whose support and love kept the books alive.
Take care, and once again, congratulations!
Namaste,
your faithful editor,
Ron
Mar. 7th, 2007 @ 10:17 am
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Talk about homosexuality and Islam on "Blog of the Nation."